Buying a already setup 55gal about 30minutes from

[Woby118]

So my first tank was a 26gal aio had it for about 4months and it’s doing great with my clownfish and firefish and corals. Now I’m wanting something bigger and found a great deal on a 55gal with stand, sump, reactor, skimmer etc. it’s about 30minutes from me and has anemones, clownfish, leopard wrasse and a few other fish. Tank hasn’t been well maintained has a lot of gha in it so I’m worried about the sand producing a ton of nitrates and or ammonia when I move it. Any tips/advice?

 

[blaxsun]

Invest in a rubbermaid tub as a temporary home for the fish (etc.) while you clean and setup the new tank. At least that's what I'd do.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Don't reuse the sand is one option, washing the existing sand, bucket by bucket with a hose and spray nozzle until it runs totally clear under the garden hose is another.

Personally, I say get new sand. With a tank move, you doing need to be spending an hour, washing sand. That's precious time, during a stressful job.

 

[kzenoni]

When I purchased my 350 it was up and running 3 hrs from home. We rinsed the sand as said above. Worked great and saved me from buying a lot of sand .

 

[fishface NJ]

Even if you buy new sand, it will need to be washed until it runs clear. So I would not waste money and just wash the sand that comes with the tank

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Even if you buy new sand, it will need to be washed until it runs clear. So I would not waste money and just wash the sand that comes with the tank

Rinsing new sand is a few minutes process versus what could possibly be hours depending on how bad the sand is.

 

[Woby118]

When I purchased my 350 it was up and running 3 hrs from home. We rinsed the sand as said above. Worked great and saved me from buying a lot of sand .

Did you just rinse with tap water?

 

[kzenoni]

Did you just rinse with tap water?

Yes used the garden hose on jet . Kept stirring it with the pressure til the water came out clean.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Don't reuse the sand is one option, washing the existing sand, bucket by bucket with a hose and spray nozzle until it runs totally clear under the garden hose is another.

Personally, I say get new sand. With a tank move, you doing need to be spending an hour, washing sand. That's precious time, during a stressful job.

An hour?? I would guess 4-5 hours for that size tank...
+1 on buying new sand!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

An hour?? I would guess 4-5 hours for that size tank...
+1 on buying new sand!

I was speed washing ..

 

[kzenoni]

I was speed washing ..

Took me about an hour, 1/3 bucket at a time and it washes quickly.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Took me about an hour, 1/3 bucket at a time and it washes quickly.

You washed enough sand for a 350, In an hour? That must have been really clean to start with.

I think when I washed every going from a 120 into a 180, it was taking about 10 minutes per bucket

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So my first tank was a 26gal aio had it for about 4months and it’s doing great with my clownfish and firefish and corals. Now I’m wanting something bigger and found a great deal on a 55gal with stand, sump, reactor, skimmer etc. it’s about 30minutes from me and has anemones, clownfish, leopard wrasse and a few other fish. Tank hasn’t been well maintained has a lot of gha in it so I’m worried about the sand producing a ton of nitrates and or ammonia when I move it. Any tips/advice?

You said the tank hasn't been well maintained, but didn't mention how old the tank is, so there's possibly more gunk in the sand than usual.

Since there is also algae on the rocks, etc, I'm making the assumption that these will need some work before going back into the tank too... Although you DO want the rocks in the new tank to be able to provide the biofilter and avoid a cycle, so there's no reason you can't put them right back in, you'll just need to tackle that task after the tank is running and stable. (You can definitely use old tank water and a toothbrush, etc to scrub off as much algae as you can, but want to avoid completely stripping the good stuff from the rocks).

I agree with planning for a holding tank for the livestock and live rock while the tank is being moved and set up. It's possible some of the fish can go into the 26 gallon (TEMPORARILY), but I would not add the clowns since you already have clowns in that tank.

Please keep us posted!

 

[kzenoni]

You washed enough sand for a 350, In an hour? That must have been really clean to start with.

I think when I washed every going from a 120 into a 180, it was taking about 10 minutes per bucket

We had a handful of tangs that had been in buckets for the 4 he move . We were in a bit of a hurry so yes sir about an hour.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Did you just rinse with tap water?

Yes, but then you will need a final rinse/quick soak with dechlorinated water. The easiest way I've found to do this is with Prime (or similar product that removes chlorine) but you can also use RODI or distilled water.