New tank setup!!!!!!help

[ashley]

Hey so I currently have a 30 gallon tank but im up grading to a Hello

Aqua Japan PRO28W Glass Tank System

28 gallon display

Tank is 3 sides start fire, front and both sides

Corner Overflow Build In

Comes with 30" tall stand

Comes with Glass Sump

40w LED Light Fixture (30 White and 10 Blue)

60cm x 40cm x 45cm ( 23.62" x 15.75" x 17.72" )

Stand is 76cm ( 29.92" )

Glass 8mm thicklot

I was thinking of adding black sand instead of white...any im put would be helpful. I have attached a pic of my current tank

 

[redfishbluefish]

The issue I've heard about black sand is that it contains a ferrous component that easily gets picked up by your magnetic glass cleaner and now scratches the glass (or plexiglass).

 

[ashley]

The issue I've heard about black sand is that it contains a ferrous component that easily gets picked up by your magnetic glass cleaner and now scratches the glass (or plexiglass).

Ok...great to know i guess I'll be staying with white

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

yea. scratched the glass on my sweet 30 cube:mad:

 

[ashley]

Do i have to transfer all the rock in my current tank...if i leave some out will it make my new tank cycle?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Do i have to transfer all the rock in my current tank...if i leave some out will it make my new tank cycle?

Not sure I get what you mean.

Heres the deal with "the cycle" it is the nitrogen cycle. bacteria eats ammonia. Salt water with a piece of live rock and aged water is cycling. You can put a fish or marine invertebrate in it.
Folks talk about "mini cycle" or "cause a cycle" . That is incorrect. The cycle is as stated above and is a good thing. But most folks still call it that.
If you mean weaken the bio filter, yes but that's not hard to fix. If you mean stir up gunk and get algae sick fish etc(most call this a mini cycle), Yes avoid that.
There's simple steps to transfer a tank. Do you need those? Are you trying to keep 2 tanks?

 

[ashley]

Not sure I get what you mean.

Heres the deal with "the cycle" it is the nitrogen cycle. bacteria eats ammonia. Salt water with a piece of live rock and aged water is cycling. You can put a fish or marine invertebrate in it.
Folks talk about "mini cycle" or "cause a cycle" . That is incorrect. The cycle is as stated above and is a good thing. But most folks still call it that.
If you mean weaken the bio filter, yes but that's not hard to fix. If you mean stir up gunk and get algae sick fish etc(most call this a mini cycle), Yes avoid that.
There's simple steps to transfer a tank. Do you need those? Are you trying to keep 2 tanks?

I am going to be doing a transfer what the tank i getting is not rectangular its square. So I will have to reaquascape.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I am going to be doing a transfer what the tank i getting is not rectangular its square. So I will have to reaquascape.

yea thats easy.

 

[ashley]

yea thats easy.

So if I do and new aquascape, and have to leave rocks it will that be bad for the bio filter?

 

[40B Knasty]

Hey Ashley, I just did a transfer of a 20g to a 40B. Had 22lbs of live rock (LR) in the 20g. Problem is I got some aiptasia. So I was not going to transfer that over. What I did was add 20lbs of new live rock. Boiled and baked the old 22lbs. (DO NOT DO THAT EVER IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING). Had to add that before everyone jumps down my throat.
First off. I want to say nice old tank. Paint the back of your new one. Hides the chords and equipment. Plus no salt creep will show. 5 coats of black is great. Use a sponge roller and non toxic latex paint. It will pop your fish and corals that much better. Plus if you don't like the color. Scrape it off and add one you like. White is very different. I have a marine blue on my brackish tank.
I bought LIVE Black Hawaiian 40lbs and 10lbs aragonite. Stable pH. Give it a nice salt and pepper look.
Put new 20lbs LR. Soon to be 42 total. 1 lbs per gallon. Good rule of thumb.
So for the first 3 weeks. I cycled my tank with just sand, LR, Aqueon Pro 150W Heater, MJ1200, and FLUVAL C4. 14g of used tank water from the 20g tank, and new saltwater. Poured that on a bowl inside the tank so it did not kick up the LIVE sand. Yes some will and it will stick to the side of your tank, because of it being magnetic. The water from the 20g tank was not agitated. Didn't want to add any aiptasia. Next, Bought a table shrimp from the grocery store. Tucked it in the sand bed and let it rot. Fed the tank a little bit of each food that I use to feed my fish every few days of something different, but not a lot. Basically to get my tank/bacteria to know what to break down. Ammonia spiked. Nitrates spiked. Nitrites spiked. Pulled the rotted shrimp and scallop slices out. Did a big water change. Let it balance for a few days. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0. Tank was cycled. Pulled all the live rock from the 20g. Put all my corals, 6 fish, fire+skunk+peppermint shrimp, 4 crabs, and tuxedo urchin in the 40B. I will say everyone is happy, corals are booming and growing onto the LR. Slowly putting in the OLD LR that I nuked and cycled every other week. I feel your worries. You don't want anything to die. Anytime you do a weekly water change when your tank is cycling. Pull say 10g from the new tank. Dump it. Pull 10 from your old tank. Put that in the new tank. When I felt good about it. I had both tanks pretty much identical. Netted the fish and put each one in. Don't be so gingerly catching the fish. You don't want to chase them so the are so dead tired and stressed out for an hour. Corner, capture, net, boom put it in. The tank is all set for them. Light off to reduce stress and a light feed to get them to understand everything is going to be okay after today. Do it during the day so they can find a descent place to chill and figure out if sleeping there is going to be good for them. Keep like a moonlight on for them. That's my 2 cents. Here are some tank pics. This is all since January 2017

 

[Bdog4u2]

If you run out of room in the new tank add the leftover rock to your sump until your sand bed get established enough to handle the load. your tank isn't heavily stocked so it should go smoothly.

 

[Bdog4u2]

When you transfer rock dip them in seawater and shake em to get all the crud out of them. I do this once a year but it's getting harder with all the coral glued to them now

 

[40B Knasty]

Whoops.. I meant Satin Acrylic Paint.

 

[ashley]

Hey Ashley, I just did a transfer of a 20g to a 40B. Had 22lbs of live rock (LR) in the 20g. Problem is I got some aiptasia. So I was not going to transfer that over. What I did was add 20lbs of new live rock. Boiled and baked the old 22lbs. (DO NOT DO THAT EVER IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING). Had to add that before everyone jumps down my throat.
First off. I want to say nice old tank. Paint the back of your new one. Hides the chords and equipment. Plus no salt creep will show. 5 coats of black is great. Use a sponge roller and non toxic latex paint. It will pop your fish and corals that much better. Plus if you don't like the color. Scrape it off and add one you like. White is very different. I have a marine blue on my brackish tank.
I bought LIVE Black Hawaiian 40lbs and 10lbs aragonite. Stable pH. Give it a nice salt and pepper look.
Put new 20lbs LR. Soon to be 42 total. 1 lbs per gallon. Good rule of thumb.
So for the first 3 weeks. I cycled my tank with just sand, LR, Aqueon Pro 150W Heater, MJ1200, and FLUVAL C4. 14g of used tank water from the 20g tank, and new saltwater. Poured that on a bowl inside the tank so it did not kick up the LIVE sand. Yes some will and it will stick to the side of your tank, because of it being magnetic. The water from the 20g tank was not agitated. Didn't want to add any aiptasia. Next, Bought a table shrimp from the grocery store. Tucked it in the sand bed and let it rot. Fed the tank a little bit of each food that I use to feed my fish every few days of something different, but not a lot. Basically to get my tank/bacteria to know what to break down. Ammonia spiked. Nitrates spiked. Nitrites spiked. Pulled the rotted shrimp and scallop slices out. Did a big water change. Let it balance for a few days. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0. Tank was cycled. Pulled all the live rock from the 20g. Put all my corals, 6 fish, fire+skunk+peppermint shrimp, 4 crabs, and tuxedo urchin in the 40B. I will say everyone is happy, corals are booming and growing onto the LR. Slowly putting in the OLD LR that I nuked and cycled every other week. I feel your worries. You don't want anything to die. Anytime you do a weekly water change when your tank is cycling. Pull say 10g from the new tank. Dump it. Pull 10 from your old tank. Put that in the new tank. When I felt good about it. I had both tanks pretty much identical. Netted the fish and put each one in. Don't be so gingerly catching the fish. You don't want to chase them so the are so dead tired and stressed out for an hour. Corner, capture, net, boom put it in. The tank is all set for them. Light off to reduce stress and a light feed to get them to understand everything is going to be okay after today. Do it during the day so they can find a descent place to chill and figure out if sleeping there is going to be good for them. Keep like a moonlight on for them. That's my 2 cents. Here are some tank pics. This is all since January 2017

Hey thank you...first off what's a 40B? I really appricate that info. I want to do a tank transfer without cycling. I just want to add everything that's in my current tank to my new tank with the exception of new live sand. In regards to your apitasia problem I use hot water l. I warm in up in the microwave for about 3 mins and just get a syringe full and place it directly over the apitasia and BOOM they shrivel up and release from the rock and i use the same syringe to suck it up and take out of the tank and they dont grow back. Second thanks im glad you like my tank...i will be better one day also I have thought about painting the back of the new one..but im still not sure i kinda wanted to be able to see all side of the tank..but im still deciding. As for all the equipment the protien skimmer will be moved to the sump and the only thing that will be in my DT will be my power head. Your tank look really good too. And i have decided to not sure black sand.

 

[ashley]

If you run out of room in the new tank add the leftover rock to your sump until your sand bed get established enough to handle the load. your tank isn't heavily stocked so it should go smoothly.

That's a great idea to add the LR to my sump...i will be doing that...thanks

 

[ashley]

When you transfer rock dip them in seawater and shake em to get all the crud out of them. I do this once a year but it's getting harder with all the coral glued to them now

I was planning on doing that thanks. I bet it's harder im glad my corals aren't that grown out yet.

 

[40B Knasty]

I would be a little leery about just dumping it all in. I cycled my 40B(Breeder. It is a wider version of the 40L(long) or 40G(gallon) standard). You want your tank balanced.

 

[ashley]

I would be a little leery about just dumping it all in. I cycled my 40B(Breeder. It is a wider version of the 40L(long) or 40G(gallon) standard). You want your tank balanced.

Ya i know but im just doing a transfer so nothing should change