The more I learn about this hobby, the more I realize how much I don't know.
I am upgrading from a 55g reef to a 125g. The 55g is established (4yo) with live rock and sand. I have removed the sand, cleaned and dried it while leaving the LR in the mature tank bare bottom. I will need to add additional rock to the 125g due to the volume and plan on adding DBR in addition to the LR from the established 55g., but I'm a bit nervous about that.
In preparation for the upgrade I immersed the DBR that will be used in the upgrade with RO/DI water (in the 125g) with a MAXSPECT XF-150 power head and kept the water circulated for a little over a month. The water was never changed (water was added as needed due to evaporation) nor was it filtered (i.e. skimmer, etc.), which I'm thinking I should have done. I drained the water from the tank (125g), removed the rock, wiped down the interior of the tank and both the rock and tank have been dry for 2 weeks. I'm in the process of refilling the tank with RO/DI SW and am anxious to get the LR from the 55g over to the 125g. I plan to transfer the water from the 55g (parameters are good) to the 125g, mixing it the "new" SW.
Question #1. Will it be safe to place the DBR in the 125g along with the LR from the 55g. or is there something else I need to do to the DBR?
Question #2. Will it be safe to transfer any livestock or should they be quarantined in a separate tank and slowly introduce the "new" water through a drip method?
I'm using a 40g breeder tank as a sump for the upgrade which will have a protein skimmer in the first compartment (initial intake). The water will then "baffle" into the mid compartment of the sump that will be setup as a mini refugium with LS and LR. An ATS (algae turf scrubber) will be set above the mini refugium and will feed directly into it. Finally the water will "baffle" into the return compartment and back into the show tank. I have a 30g long inside the cabinet underneath the 125g that I plan to convert into a slow flow refugium feeding from and returning to the mini refugium of the sump.
Any and all comments and suggestions and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I am upgrading from a 55g reef to a 125g. The 55g is established (4yo) with live rock and sand. I have removed the sand, cleaned and dried it while leaving the LR in the mature tank bare bottom. I will need to add additional rock to the 125g due to the volume and plan on adding DBR in addition to the LR from the established 55g., but I'm a bit nervous about that.
In preparation for the upgrade I immersed the DBR that will be used in the upgrade with RO/DI water (in the 125g) with a MAXSPECT XF-150 power head and kept the water circulated for a little over a month. The water was never changed (water was added as needed due to evaporation) nor was it filtered (i.e. skimmer, etc.), which I'm thinking I should have done. I drained the water from the tank (125g), removed the rock, wiped down the interior of the tank and both the rock and tank have been dry for 2 weeks. I'm in the process of refilling the tank with RO/DI SW and am anxious to get the LR from the 55g over to the 125g. I plan to transfer the water from the 55g (parameters are good) to the 125g, mixing it the "new" SW.
Question #1. Will it be safe to place the DBR in the 125g along with the LR from the 55g. or is there something else I need to do to the DBR?
Question #2. Will it be safe to transfer any livestock or should they be quarantined in a separate tank and slowly introduce the "new" water through a drip method?
I'm using a 40g breeder tank as a sump for the upgrade which will have a protein skimmer in the first compartment (initial intake). The water will then "baffle" into the mid compartment of the sump that will be setup as a mini refugium with LS and LR. An ATS (algae turf scrubber) will be set above the mini refugium and will feed directly into it. Finally the water will "baffle" into the return compartment and back into the show tank. I have a 30g long inside the cabinet underneath the 125g that I plan to convert into a slow flow refugium feeding from and returning to the mini refugium of the sump.
Any and all comments and suggestions and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
