jgraeff
Jgraeff
I got all my equipment and I'm moving on the first.I will be upgrading from a thirty to a seventy five. I want to know if I use the same sand and live rock will I end up with a cycle since I will have new water?
moving tank soon
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sandswhitson
Well-known member
Are you moving houses or just moving tanks? If you don't have the rock out of the water for very long and the extra rock that you add to the 75 is fully cured or base rock then you shouldn't have a cycle. Most people are going to recommend new sand as the old stuff will be very nasty when you start do disturb it. It would be easier to buy new and just use a couple of cups of the old stuff to seed the new. The water doesn't carry the bacteria that you are looking to save so starting with new water will not cause a cycle as long as the temp and SG are matched before adding it.
If all is as Sandswhitson suggests, the only thing you should have issues with is a short diatom bloom in the sand bed. Even using old sand, which I wouldn't suggest, will get you a diatom bloom.
Plan it all out in your head, maybe even write it down, step by step. Having it all planned out, will cut down on the stress level and panic modes...lol.
Have plenty of containers...keep live rock wet and somewhat warm. It doesn't have to be submerged, but remaining wet will help. You can even cover it with newspaper that you've dipped in your tank water.
Plan it all out in your head, maybe even write it down, step by step. Having it all planned out, will cut down on the stress level and panic modes...lol.
Have plenty of containers...keep live rock wet and somewhat warm. It doesn't have to be submerged, but remaining wet will help. You can even cover it with newspaper that you've dipped in your tank water.
jgraeff
Jgraeff
Ok thanks for the help, i will be moving houses and upgrading at the same time. I was thinking i am going to have 5 g buckets to place all my LR in during the transport to make sure nothing will die, and that i will place all my live stock in the fish bags like the pet stores do, i have plenty of those laying around. I will have new water and new sand and yes maybe a cup or two of the old sand. and I will acclimate everything back to the tank to ensure nothing will die.
I do have one question, i have never mixed up a 50-75g at once before, about how much calcium and alk buffer should i add?
I do have one question, i have never mixed up a 50-75g at once before, about how much calcium and alk buffer should i add?
Myteemouse
NOTHING
What salt are you useing?
The salt should buffer your ALK and Calcium.
The salt should buffer your ALK and Calcium.
jgraeff
Jgraeff
Regular instant ocean. Is there certain salt that is better? I use to use red. Sea coral pro but it was pretty expensive. Also where is a good place to buy from
jgraeff
Jgraeff
reef crystals or red sea coral pro? i cant decide on which salt is better, i dont want to have to add buffers after mixing, red sea salt is cheaper but what does reef crystals buffer the salt to?
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Start with IO, and when tank is full of corals and using up Calcium, can swith to reef crystals or other pricey salt or suppliment. Do not ADD any new fish for a month or so, or you will create a cycle. When tank gets bigger, best to add more rock though.
jgraeff
Jgraeff
Ya, im going to add about 30 more lbs of LR to the tank, and i wasnt planning on adding any more life stock for a while. I do have zoos, rbta, frogspawn, and some sps frags. So i have been using IO and testing every week and adding buffers when necessary, im just worried since this will be a fast move, i will only be able to let the tank run for about a day before i have to bring over my life stock from the smaller tank. Any advice on making the water the best quality would be great, i will be using r/o of course and most likely a mix of IO and reef crystals.
Also when i acclimate the fish and corals back to the tank should i leave the lights off for a while or turn them on?
Also when i acclimate the fish and corals back to the tank should i leave the lights off for a while or turn them on?
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Naw, set up the tank, acclimate them to new water, set-em free in darkened tank, and then go right onto the local lighting schedule. Add some more snails and they will take care of new algae and diatoms will go away with filtration. Tank will mature before you know it...
jgraeff
Jgraeff
ok sounds good.
jgraeff
Jgraeff
I really wanted to but I couldn't really afford the 75 as it is. And I'm going to wait till o finish school and have a permanent residence before I upgrade any more. Although I really wish I could have.
Saltyfish
Banned
If I may make a suggestion, if you are upgrading to a 75, spend a little more now and go to a 125, as you will want to in the very near future. Do it once and be done with it , at least for a couple of years
Or learn from myself
I went from 55 to 90 in 6 months.
6 months later I went from 90 to 300.
I should have gone with a 125 but heck at the rate i was changing tanks I just wanted to have a tank big enough to last me 3+ years or until we move and I can set up my 630 gallon.
Totally understand, I would bet 75-80% of us who went to a 75, went to a 125 within a couple of years. I went from a 29, to a 55, to a 75 and now to a 125. All within a 4 year period of time. And for the most part, every time you go bigger, you end up re-spending money to up grade most of you equipment. In the end I think that we spend probably 3 times the money, than if we would have just gone bigger to start. I guess it is part of the learning curve. Plus with a bigger tank, mistakes and errors are more forgiving than they are in a smaller tank. Just keep in mind to over buy your equipment now and it will save you money later.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Hard to beat a good old 180. Was my favorite ever tank out of perhaps 50 in lifetime
Not to big to maintain or equipt, but big enough for almost anything
Not to big to maintain or equipt, but big enough for almost anything
jgraeff
Jgraeff
Ya one of my good friends has a 180 and i really like it, the only thing is the height of the tank or at least his is 30". So the lighting would be pretty costly but as far as maintaining and keeping fish would be a great size. Im going from a 30 to a 75, and i will stick with that until i fully stock it. Which will take some time since i really dont have much to spend, and once i have more income and a permanent place to live i want to upgrade to a 300-400g tank.
So as far as my setup goes any suggestions on equipment i may have overlooked?
75g tank with a 30g sump/refuge with DSB and Chaeto
bubble magnus nac6 skimmer
tek 5 6x54w t5 ho fixture
vortech mp10, surflow modded maxijet 12, octopus 3000gph dual propeller, and a mag 7 return pump.
So as far as my setup goes any suggestions on equipment i may have overlooked?
75g tank with a 30g sump/refuge with DSB and Chaeto
bubble magnus nac6 skimmer
tek 5 6x54w t5 ho fixture
vortech mp10, surflow modded maxijet 12, octopus 3000gph dual propeller, and a mag 7 return pump.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
6' long typical 180 is 24" X 24" x 72" (2x2x6)
Any deeper than 24 and you become a tank-diver
jgraeff
Jgraeff
hmmm maybe i heard him wrong, although it does seem pretty tall. Ill have to look into to see.
