Changing tanks

[Rmckoy]

This comment isn’t to scare but to inform you of the old ways .

it was once said when transferring from ta best to keep rocks and as much water as possible , and to use a few handfuls of live sand from the established tank to “seed “ the new one .
I transferred from a 90 gal to a 230 . Transferred all rocks , as much water as I could along with all corals and fish .
added a few handfuls of sand and I thought I was finished .
1 hour later the whole tank was cloudy .
the next morning everything was dead ….

do not reuse old sand .

 

[d2mini]

If parameters are in your desired range, I would reuse some of the existing water. No good reason not to.

There is also no real good reason TO use it. Unless maybe you are talking about a 200g tank and want to save some money on salt and RO/DI. There is nothing in the water column that will help a new tank. All the bacteria and stuff you want clings to solid surfaces like your rock, sand, plumbing, etc. It's just dirty water. Use it to fill buckets to hold everything while you transfer into a tank full of freshly mixed saltwater.

 

[Cell]

Don't need too much sand for a 13G tank. Personally, I'd just put some existing sand in a bucket and rinse the crap out of it and reuse it. You will have to go through the same process for a bag of new sand anyway. There is only risk involved if you don't rinse it well enough.

 

[Cell]

There is also no real good reason TO use it. Unless maybe you are talking about a 200g tank and want to save some money on salt and RO/DI. There is nothing in the water column that will help a new tank. All the bacteria and stuff you want clings to solid surfaces like your rock, sand, plumbing, etc. It's just dirty water. Use it to fill buckets to hold everything while you transfer into a tank full of freshly mixed saltwater.

Saves money in an expensive hobby.

 

[spamvicious]

Thanks for all the great info guys. Another question. One of the rocks has a small patch of cyano on it so will that be on all the rocks even if it’s not visible?. Ie is it safe to use the other rocks or do I need to start from scratch.

This is my tank currently, the corals one the right are all struggling which is one of the reasons I want to start new.

 

[spamvicious]

Don't need too much sand for a 13G tank. Personally, I'd just put some existing sand in a bucket and rinse the crap out of it and reuse it. You will have to go through the same process for a bag of new sand anyway. There is only risk involved if you don't rinse it well enough.

I have some sand leftover from filling the current tank so I can use that.

 

[Rmckoy]

Thanks for all the great info guys. Another question. One of the rocks has a small patch of cyano on it so will that be on all the rocks even if it’s not visible?. Ie is it safe to use the other rocks or do I need to start from scratch.

This is my tank currently, the corals one the right are all struggling which is one of the reasons I want to start new.

When you drain the water .. grab the rock and shake it around in the water . Most of the detritus , cyano and other gunk will fall off .
do not rinse in water and make sure The rocks stay wet
Being exposed to air will kill the beneficial bacteria

 

[d2mini]

Probably. I would too, if I were attempting to sell more copepods.

I would still not add live sand to my tank. I don't want most of what is in the ocean in my tank, just what I put in there. To each their preference.

Ya for sure... everyone has their preference for starting a tank, which is awesome.
Every tank I've set up has been with TBS live sand and rock and each one is ready for coral and fish within days, not weeks or months and runs strong. I love it. The sand IMO is a huge part of that success. And I love all the stuff that comes with. But it's a far cry from the nasty gunk sitting at the bottom of an aquarium.

I may be getting a shipment for the new tank this week! So here we go again.

But I totally get why some people start with dry rock and sand. It's just not for me.

 

[d2mini]

Saves money in an expensive hobby.

Right, which is exactly what I said. But we are talking 7 whole cups worth of salt for a 13g tank.

Some people just have the wrong idea that there is something good in the water column that is beneficial to a new tank which is why I mentioned it.

 

[Cell]

Right, which is exactly what I said. But we are talking 7 whole cups worth of salt for a 13g tank.

Some people just have the wrong idea that there is something good in the water column that is beneficial to a new tank which is why I mentioned it.

Agreed. Minimal savings. But it's already there and ready to go so no great reason to not use it either.

 

[doubleshot00]

I just did a tank transfer and its really easy. I suggest adding a little bit of bacteria in a bottle for piece of mind.

 

[OfficeReefer]

I have some sand leftover from filling the current tank so I can use that.

Do know, you are not required to use sand at all. Lots of people will not in smaller tanks.

 

[OfficeReefer]

Thanks for all the great info guys. Another question. One of the rocks has a small patch of cyano on it so will that be on all the rocks even if it’s not visible?. Ie is it safe to use the other rocks or do I need to start from scratch.

This is my tank currently, the corals one the right are all struggling which is one of the reasons I want to start new.

@spamvicious Nice looking tank and I think your rocks would make a great start. No worries on the cyano, dim your lighting on the new tank anyways and slowly raise it. Usually, the red slime makes its way there because of overfeeding or this sand bed we are all commenting on, gets too dirty or is not working well. There are other reasons but don't get caught up on the sand. I like to think of reefing like the artist, Bob Ross. It doesn't matter what any of this forum thinks, just what you think of the tank. Do what you do!

I say, to hell with the sand, put your rocks in there and let the coralline algae take over the bottom. They appear cured and ready in the video, but testing is the best way.

 

[spamvicious]

@spamvicious Nice looking tank and I think your rocks would make a great start. No worries on the cyano, dim your lighting on the new tank anyways and slowly raise it. Usually, the red slime makes its way there because of overfeeding or this sand bed we are all commenting on, gets too dirty or is not working well. There are other reasons but don't get caught up on the sand. I like to think of reefing like the artist, Bob Ross. It doesn't matter what any of this forum thinks, just what you think of the tank. Do what you do!

I say, to hell with the sand, put your rocks in there and let the coralline algae take over the bottom. They appear cured and ready in the video, but testing is the best way.

The sand in the current tank is like cat litter and I couldn’t really get an answer as to why. I’ve had this tank for 5 months and have had lots of issues which I know I will have as a newbie but having a canister filter that was lodged into the cabinet below certainly didn’t help. Once I’m in my new place I can start properly with the right set up instead of getting second hand stuff.

No send is definitely an option I hadn’t considered. The current tank is overrun with pods of every size who come out during the day too.

 

[OfficeReefer]

The sand in the current tank is like cat litter and I couldn’t really get an answer as to why. I’ve had this tank for 5 months and have had lots of issues which I know I will have as a newbie but having a canister filter that was lodged into the cabinet below certainly didn’t help. Once I’m in my new place I can start properly with the right set up instead of getting second hand stuff.

Maybe it was cat litter?

J/k it was hopefully not but I've seen some funny stuff before. Supply chain problems make for stories.

I believe I have seen some great bare bottom Evo tanks on R2R and Nano-reef, my only thought in your choice of tank will be - it's small and leaves room to be desired for some functionality. The 75L mark is really the sweet spot for me personally. After going down this route on several nano-sized tanks, these seem to be more of the popular but the 15-16 gal tanks are making a comeback.

 

[Cell]

I'm not sure the exact details of your situation, but utilizing second hand equipment is perfectly acceptable in this hobby. Canister filters, while not ideal or optimal, can also be used with success when handled properly, ie frequent cleaning/changing of media etc...There is no real "right" set-up, in my opinion. There are certainly more optimal or convenient ones though.

 

[spamvicious]

I'm not sure the exact details of your situation, but utilizing second hand equipment is perfectly acceptable in this hobby. Canister filters, while not ideal or optimal, can also be used with success when handled properly, ie frequent cleaning/changing of media etc...There is no real "right" set-up, in my opinion. There are certainly more optimal or convenient ones though.

With the canister filter I was unable to remove it from the cabinet so it couldn’t ever be cleaned properly. I had to siphon the water out and remove the media to clean it in the water etc.

 

[spamvicious]

Maybe it was cat litter?

J/k it was hopefully not but I've seen some funny stuff before. Supply chain problems make for stories.

I believe I have seen some great bare bottom Evo tanks on R2R and Nano-reef, my only thought in your choice of tank will be - it's small and leaves room to be desired for some functionality. The 75L mark is really the sweet spot for me personally. After going down this route on several nano-sized tanks, these seem to be more of the popular but the 15-16 gal tanks are making a comeback.

It’s a space issue as well really it would be difficult to have a larger tank cycling at the same time as my current tank and as I’m moving in the next six months it makes more sense to me at least to transfer what I can to the evo or similar and then into something bigger in the new tank.

 

[Cell]

Why even bother with a canister then? Use an Aquaclear HOB instead. The aesthetic benefits of a canister does not outweigh the functional loss in your case.

 

[WallyTime7]

If you are concerned of a lengthy cycle try Fritz TurboStart 900. Stores use this for fast turnaround on new tanks.

FritzZyme® TurboStart® 900 Saltwater

Fritz Aquatics' FritzZyme® TurboStart® 900 Saltwater contains a highly concentrated level of our nitrifying bacteria to reduce fish loss due to toxicity.

fritzaquatics.com

Will it hurt the new tank if you're moving existing established rocks over too? Or just help it along?