IMPORTANT: How to prepare to exchange tanks?

johnbr · Jun 19, 2018

Hey Guys,

I think a lot of you already went thru the same stress and hard process of exchanging a tank. Some of one might decided to upgrade, some had issues with cracking the glass or any sort of situation that needed your reef to be relocated.

So my case is that I upgrading my 120 gallon to a red sea reefer 525. No, no there's nothing wrong with the current tank. Unfortunately the tank is just to deep and the stand to tall. I'm a short guy (5'5) and it was always having a hard time trying to clean this thing.

Moving to the important topic. I have 2 weeks to prepare until the new tank gets here. The new tank has to go exactly where the current one is right now. So I need to remove everything, brake apart the tank and start to assemble the red sea and move everything back in.

Can you guys help on what would I have to do to move everything, safest way to not harm any of my frags and fish? I don't have fancy stuff, high end sps just simple corals and 11 fish, some snails and hermit crabs and 2 shrimps.

Is that OK if I but 2 containers at home depot put the rocks and fish inside of it with my heaters and a small power head while I remove one tank and put the new one? If yes, for how long could they be seating there?

Also and more important. Would it be smart using 50% of the water there's already in the tank into the new one? Keep in mind that the tank has been running for 3 months now and the rocks came from an year old tank. So, is that okay putting them right back into the new tank since I would be using cured rock with plenty of bacteria? Also have 2 media bricks completely full of bacteria as well.

I just want to make sure I wont harm anything. I love my pets guys.

Please I'm freaking out since I don't have any friends that play reefing. It's just my wife and I.

I really appreciate any tips and help.

Kellie in CA · Jun 19, 2018

My tank isn't nearly as big, but I just went through this 2 months ago. The fact that the two tanks had to be in the same spot was what made it a bit more difficult for me too. I took the rocks/fish/corals out and put them in buckets with powerheads. Then set up the new tank with 100% new sand and water. Let it run for the afternoon until the temperature was correct and then moved everything in. I used new clean dry rock in addition to what I already had, so I just plunked that in there a few days later. It was surprisingly easy, and I didn't have any losses.

johnbr · Jun 19, 2018

Kellie in CA said:
My tank isn't nearly as big, but I just went through this 2 months ago. The fact that the two tanks had to be in the same spot was what made it a bit more difficult for me too. I took the rocks/fish/corals out and put them in buckets with powerheads. Then set up the new tank with 100% new sand and water. Let it run for the afternoon until the temperature was correct and then moved everything in. I used new clean dry rock in addition to what I already had, so I just plunked that in there a few days later. It was surprisingly easy, and I didn't have any losses.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

In my case I'm planning to use 50% of the water that is currently in the tank. I have plenty of rock and some media bricks since the beginning.

Also while I'm waiting the new tank to arrive I setup a brute 20 gallon bucket with new saltwater batch and threw more rocks that I had laying around. So I've adding bacteria in this bucket (curing the rocks) so I can have as much as bacteria I can.

ndrwater · Jun 19, 2018

Here's a tip that will probably save you a headache..

Get 99.9% of the plumbing/assembly done BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING. What could be a pain, could become super stressful to you and your pets if something doesn't go 100% to plan. By having everything done except the swap BEFORE you go and start teart the exist tank apart helps to avoid a potential disaster.
When I did my last swap, I had even water/leak tested the new setup long before I even considered getting my hands wet in the old system.
With this seemingly simple task done beforehand, the swap tool me about an hour and a half.. no losses, no catastrophies..
Good luck, and post up before and after pics!!

doughboy · Jun 19, 2018

I have moved twice. First time, the tanks are not in the same place. This was easy, as I just moved everything over.
Second time, both tanks are in the same place.

I removed the rocks/corals from the old tank into containers.
drained the old tank (fish still in it) till water is low enough that I can move the old tank out of the way.
put the rocks/corals and water back.

I assembled the new tank in the old tank location.
shim and level the new tank.
fill with sand rock and saltwater.
I used all new rocks and sand and cycled the new tank for about a month.
once new tank is cycled, I removed the rocks/corals from the old tank, drained the water till it is low enough to easily catch all the fish and transfer to new tank.
frag the corals from rocks from old tank and move to new tank.

while new tank is cycling, I sold some rocks with corals and fish I don't want anymore to reduce what I needed to move.
If you are not using a new light fixture on the new tank, I suppose it is ok for it to go without lights while cycling.

agree with above post. The key thing is moving the old tank out of the way, setup and run the new tank in the old tanks location, and only when everything is a-ok that you move the livestock.

johnbr · Jun 19, 2018

doughboy said:
I have moved twice. First time, the tanks are not in the same place. This was easy, as I just moved everything over.
Second time, both tanks are in the same place.

I removed the rocks/corals from the old tank into containers.
drained the old tank (fish still in it) till water is low enough that I can move the old tank out of the way.
put the rocks/corals and water back.

I assembled the new tank in the old tank location.
shim and level the new tank.
fill with sand rock and saltwater.
I used all new rocks and sand and cycled the new tank for about a month.
once new tank is cycled, I removed the rocks/corals from the old tank, drained the water till it is low enough to easily catch all the fish and transfer to new tank.
frag the corals from rocks from old tank and move to new tank.

while new tank is cycling, I sold some rocks with corals and fish I don't want anymore to reduce what I needed to move.
If you are not using a new light fixture on the new tank, I suppose it is ok for it to go without lights while cycling.

agree with above post. The key thing is moving the old tank out of the way, setup and run the new tank in the old tanks location, and only when everything is a-ok that you move the livestock.

I agree,

But, on my case I don't space to let the tank seating next to the new one. That's why I think that using 50% of the water that is currently in the tank and adding all the rock and filter media that I have in my sump would be of a great help to decrease the ammonia spikes.

Also even if I could leave just enough water for the fish I wouldn't be able to move this giant thing with the stand.

Honestly the only option that I have is remove everything into containers with heaters and power heads for a maximum period of 48 hours, move the old tank, assemble and install AND plumb the new one, use 50% of the water and make 50% new water. Finally add all the rock that had been seating in the old tank along with the new ones that I currently curing (adding bacteria in a daily basis) and hope for the best.

I have 11 fish, 4 of them being tangs.

Anything else I could do? My only concern is moving everything to soon but unfortunately I don't have a choice that's why I'm hoping that using 50% of the "cycled water" + rocks would help.

Any objections?

Thanks

johnbr · Jun 19, 2018

ndrwater said:
Here's a tip that will probably save you a headache..

Get 99.9% of the plumbing/assembly done BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING. What could be a pain, could become super stressful to you and your pets if something doesn't go 100% to plan. By having everything done except the swap BEFORE you go and start teart the exist tank apart helps to avoid a potential disaster.
When I did my last swap, I had even water/leak tested the new setup long before I even considered getting my hands wet in the old system.
With this seemingly simple task done beforehand, the swap tool me about an hour and a half.. no losses, no catastrophies..
Good luck, and post up before and after pics!!

I could try it but the problem is that tank itself weights more than 240 lbs. There's no way on earth that I could do that my self. I might try to do all the plumbing in the cabinet and finish the rest when the tank is in place.

Thanks

lejeune981 · Jun 19, 2018

When my 150 gallon broke.. I had to move all the rock, fish and a few nps corals to the bath tub for 2 days until I was able to get a brute container big enough to hold 200 lbs of rock.. salvaged as much water as I could.. everything lived in the brute for about 3 months until I could find another tank.. but everything survived..

I'm getting ready to rebuild my sump/ xenia fuge.. it's a 49 gallon bow front..
New one will go where the existing sits.. so I'm following along for tips too

johnbr · Jun 19, 2018

lejeune981 said:
When my 150 gallon broke.. I had to move all the rock, fish and a few nps corals to the bath tub for 2 days until I was able to get a brute container big enough to hold 200 lbs of rock.. salvaged as much water as I could.. everything lived in the brute for about 3 months until I could find another tank.. but everything survived..

I'm getting ready to rebuild my sump/ xenia fuge.. it's a 49 gallon bow front..
New one will go where the existing sits.. so I'm following along for tips too