I need some comments and advice

[SpeckledGrouper]

I fell into this deal and I am having second thoughts……

A guy I know got a tank that doesn’t fit into his house and we agreed to switch tanks.

My tank:

180g Glass (not drilled), 25g sump, 10g fuge, Iwaki 70 pump, 2 U tube overflows, 1 CPR overflow, 3 x 175W 10k MH, 2 x 165 W VHO sunlight, 2 x 165 W VHO actinics. 1/3HP Chiller, ASM G-4 skimmer. I have LPS, softies and a bunch of zoas. Yellow Tang, Naso Tang, 2 Hippo Tangs, 2 Damsels, Lawnmower Blenny, Royal Gramma, Leopard Wrasse, Cleaner Wrasse, Coral Banded Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Blue Linckia and various other critters. I have a sandbed. And about 200lbs of LR.
Everything is doing great, no problems whatsoever, no algae, no pests, coralline out the gazoo and the fish are fat and happy.

The “other” tank:
250g Sealife Systems Acrylic bowfront with cabinet and canopy (beautiful Teakwood), center overflow, There are 3 sockets with 400W MH and 4 big fans in the canopy. That’s it. No ballast, no sump, no pump, no plumbing, no nothing..

I will have to use my sump, my pump, skimmer, get a bigger fuge and buy a new ballast.

Here are my main concerns:

The new tank has to go in the same spot as the old one, so everything has to be moved at one time. I am concerned that transferring the sandbed will cause a cycle.

Will my chiller be able to handle this tank? I really don’t have much problems with heat in general right now.

Accessibility – Right now I have a stepping stool and my tank opens in the front, so I can get at everything easy. The new tank is about a foot higher and the openings are so tiny.

The lights – are my poor corals gonna be shocked from too much light?

I got the beast sitting in my driveway, waiting for a water leak test, should I give it back?

My tank is doing so well, am I trying to fix something that’s not broken?

The ideal situation would be to set it up at another location in the house, but that is not really possible, beside that, I have no pump, sump, etc. to run it.

Sorry for the long post, but I am really torn here as to what to do.

Any suggestions, comments and advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Scooterman]

WOW tuff decision, how much do you like tinkering with new stuff & DIY? If your like most reefers this could be a good thing to get into. Switching tanks or moving isn't easy. I'd set up some huge rubber maid tubs, set up shop like that & make a safe home for your fish & corals. The take your time and build the new system, moving everything over. The sand will probably cycle more so the older it is, this will need time as most do.
JMO hope some of this helps, good luck & keep us posted.

 

[sryder]

if I had an opportunity to upgrade my tank from a glass tank to an acrylic tank with built in overflows and 70 extra gallons of water volume i would do it. One reason being a closed loop could be drilled in it without worrying about the glass.
I wouldnt worry too much about the lighting. the tank is deeper anyway and you can lower the corals some also. I would try to find another spot for the new tank if possible so that you could move from one to another without a hitch. just have the new one plumbed and ready first. you should be fine with your sump as long as the equipment that you want to keep in it fits. I am not sure of the sand bed. I would imagine you could move that first and let the new tank cycle or filter out the nasties before moving your livestock. check around I know that i have seen some threads on tank moves. good luck to you. steve

 

[Krish]

That's a tuff one to answer for someone else, and is probably better left as a matter of personal opinion as opinions can be biased and vary from person to person, but for me personally, I would go for the bigger tank. For one more water volume equals more stability, you'd have acrylic which means it is much easier and neater to create flow options through drilling and closed loops, etc. That there is enough for "me" to do a swap because I have always wanted acrylic...Nevertheless, doesn't make it a wise decision for you or anyone. Switching over and moving your tanks inhabitants around can cause problems, but doesn't mean it will. If your tank is doing great, then I can understand your concern completely. However, people do it all the time with great success so don't be afraid or too discouraged if you are leaning towards that option. I wish you the best in making a decision (which I'm sure will be the right one) and if you decide not to do the swap with your friend, tell him I have a cool 90gal that would fit perfectly into any room of his house if he wants to trade Just kidding(LOL) Happy holidays

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

Thanks guys for your input.

Scooterman, I am a girl, so limited as to the DIY.........and depending on my boyfriend to do the plumbing.

They main problem I see is the fact that it has to go in the same spot and that I need to use the same equipment. And then the sandbed. Should I just get some bags of the live sand?

 

[Scooterman]

Go BB & leave the tank without!

Hey some girls can do DIY pretty Good, plumbing pvc is really easy you just need take your time more than anything else.

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

Not a chance.....lol. I like my Sandbed.

My compliments to you guys, I haven't been here in a while, the folks on the "other" forum have not had anything to say to me.

Keep the suggestions coming, I about 50/50 on this undertaking......

 

[71lockard]

Go Big! Why the heck not!

I would think your "new" tank will eventually be just as stable and healthy as the your "old" one because you are doing the maintenance.

Might be some growing pains, but I'll bet you'll have a blast...

 

[tony2005]

the ? is can u put out the $$$$$ or will it cause u more $$$ that what u want to put in it.
but if can,what the heck go bigger!!!




(quote)My tank is doing so well, am I trying to fix something that’s not broken?

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

The way I see it, the only thing I need to buy is a ballast for the MH. Then maybe some new sand and the plumbing supplies. I can swing that. Oh, a bigger fuge, but that's no biggie.
Bottomline, I am worried about my fishies more than anything else firstly, then the corals and longterm possibility of pest algaes. I don't mind the work involved, because I know it will be beautiful when I'm done with it.
Also, after 18 months with this tank, I finally got to know it, it's downfalls, needs and tricks to maintain it properly.
Guess it will be like having a new baby?

 

[kcharm]

Scooterman, I am a girl, so limited as to the DIY.........and depending on my boyfriend to do the plumbing.

I think you should do this just because of the comment above. If DIY makes you uncomfortable then this sounds like the perfect opportunity to get your feet wet (well, hopefully not your feet, but certainly your hands). Get your boyfriend involved but do this so that you learn about what's going. This way, when things go south, and someday, perhaps years from now, they will, you'll be better prepared to fix the surprise problem because you know the tanks so intimitatly. You'll understand how each pipe is routed and why in addition to all the 'quirks' that we all learn about our tanks.

To me, assuming you got the cash to deal with the things you've already recognized plus the need for some more rock, this sounds like an opportunity to learn far more about this hobby then you know right now.

And I think (and I'm kinda a noob), as attached to your sand as you are, going BB really eliminates many of the issues created by having to do the quick switcharoo. The starboard bottoms look decent and I'm working on one in a much much much smaller tank that will be black, but you could easily get some acrylic in say, a tan color, that would look kinda like sand?

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

Oh yes, I am planning to get involved with the construction, the tank I have now basically came ready, we just made minor modifications and improvements.
I just looked at it when I fed the fish and it's so beautiful, I don't know if I can get myself to tear it apart and start all over again...sigh...

 

[Skipper J]

A bit difficult to decide when you are having a separation anxiety. (Just Kidding) I myself would go for the bigger tank as I just love the thing you can do with acrylic. Think of it as a better home for your babies...yes you will have some issues but with an acrylic tank set up properly and given the added volume! It will be easier to tackle this issues. Buying a holding tank(Rubber maid) is good idea. This will buy you sometime to set up the acrylic tank properly as well as wait a while for the cycle to complete. Believe me if you love your fish in the glass aquarium you have now you'll love them more on an acrylic.

A great way to test you boyfriends patience as well ala "Reality TV":lol: :lol: :lol: Goodluck!!!

Joey

 

[Scooterman]

If you just got the tank up & running & didn't build it yourself, without help your switching tanks is a big task. Things to consider, maybe you can arrange a swap at a later date until your a little more confident in the amount of work ahead for a project this size, last thing I'd want to do is get someone to do this without experience, this isn't something that you build in one day without lots of planning & help.

 

[Detri]

Well, Thats a nice tank your going to be getting. The possibilities are endless. With the exception of the plumbing you can take your time setting up the rest. Well, lighting might be an issue for you. In regards to your sand bed. Why don't you syphon as much as possible from your tank into a container, that you can easily keep airiated and add this to your tank fist along with your rock.Let it settle then add your fish and coral. Or go buy more and use a few cups from your current tank and give your friend the sand bed to help with his/her cycle. If your tank does cycle it will be a short one, and most likely unavoidable.

In my opinion, If you don't mind learning and working on your tank, then go for the trade. Think of it an opertunity to discover. If there are any real issues. Leave a post here. I am sure there will be someone to help you out.

 

[NaH2O]

Here are my main concerns:

The new tank has to go in the same spot as the old one, so everything has to be moved at one time. I am concerned that transferring the sandbed will cause a cycle.

You can put everything into big bins, or purchase a Rubbermaid Livestock Tub, and pump most of your water into it, remove livestock and add the rest of the water. Just make sure you have a bunch of new water made up. If you set this up near the tank, it will help the transition be much easier. You can set your corals up on eggcrate, so you don't lose anything in the rocks, or use separate bins (one for fish, one for liverock, one for corals, etc).

I wouldn't switch the sandbed to the new tank, unless you rinse it like crazy. How deep was the bed? You can use the top layer to seed new sand with.

Will my chiller be able to handle this tank? I really don’t have much problems with heat in general right now.

You might want to upgrade, depending on how much water you have in the sump and fuge...I'm not sure if the 1/3 HP will be able to keep up. You can wait and see how much it runs after the upgrade.

Accessibility – Right now I have a stepping stool and my tank opens in the front, so I can get at everything easy. The new tank is about a foot higher and the openings are so tiny.

I think the one thing that might be a problem is reaching towards the bottom, so some aquarium tongs might be needed (provided you don't have any). Also, since the upgrade is acrylic, you can't use a razor to scrape algae. There are pros and cons to acrylic, and if you search on RF, you'll find some threads about them.

The lights – are my poor corals gonna be shocked from too much light?

You will just have to photo acclimate them, and they'll be fine.

I got the beast sitting in my driveway, waiting for a water leak test, should I give it back?

You will probably feel a little overwhelmed, but if you know you want a big tank, then go for it! You'll be fine, and ask any questions that come up...we'll help ya out. Are you going to be adding some more liverock?

 

[carneyguy]

in my opinion it would be a good deal, but you should start with a new sand bed unless you have a couple weeks for your new tank to stablize. from my expeirience switching your sand from one tank to another causes a major nutient spike. i just went through it when my 80 gal reef tanks bottom fell out. if i was you i would trade but dont rush it. good luck

 

[Angelscrx]

Go for the bigger tank and lose the old sand and start new. You can use some sand but just from the top layer like was just mentioned. Remember a bigger tank means more swimming room for your fish and more growth room for your corals. More water volume means more stability too.

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

A local guy offered me sand already, so I will take him up on the offer and seed it with a bit of mine.

I got 2 10 g and the 90 g, that will be the holding tanks for fish, coral and LR.

I am also pricing ballasts for the new lamps now, I do need suggestions there.

And I also need suggestions on the plumbing, can that be kept really simple?

 

[Angelscrx]

I would recommend 400w 10ks but 250w bulbs are fine too. 20ks are very blue and 6500k bulbs are very yellow. Combination lighting is ideal but most folks can't afford it or don't like how that many bulbs look. Are you running a chiller?

Plumbing can be very simple or it can be as complex as you want it to be. Just depends on what you want to do with it. I will leave schematics up to the pros on here.