So I’ve had a 29 gallon FOWLR with one (now 4!) RBTAs set up for a couple years. A very low-tech bedside tank, maintained pretty much with water flow, lots of live rock and water changes. I run carbon in a HOT canister and it’s lit by a Kessil 360. That’s it.
It was never meant to be a permanent affair, as I’ve been slowly accumulating the bits for a proper display tank in the living room….which is now up and running for two weeks.
It’s a 70 gallon rimless, with two MP40s and two Kessil 360s. Overflow into a remote sump (converted 55 gallon) with a sock, ReefOcto-Prime 150 internal skimmer, DSB/cheato refugium, Tunze ATO and DC-6000 return pump. The sump also contains an 8x8x4 MarinePure that I let sit in my 29 for 5 days before moving it to the 70's sump.
I seeded my refugium’s DSB with a cup of sand from my 29 (and a wad of cheato from the local club), I’ve also moved about 1/3 of the live rock from the 29 into the display tank, added another 25 pounds of dry rock, and 10 pounds of cured wet live rock purchased locally. There’s about 80 pounds of fine reef sand in the DT, which is sort of piled up into a couple locations with the anticipation of eventually being home to a brood of garden eels.
On day one, I had an AquaStick-induced skimmer frenzy, resulting in ~20 gallon water change (letting the skimmer overflow into a bucket for export…20 gallons worth. I am officially in the ‘AquaStick must die’ camp!). I also added detritus from a sponge from the 29, just to dirty things up.
After a week, I dropped a couple green chromis in, to support bacterial flora diversification (that’s my excuse…we all know it’s just to have something pretty to look at). Somehow, a hermit crab stowed away on the live rock, along with lots of star polyps, mushrooms and a little clump of xenia. All are extended and appear happy.
In spite of tossing part of a raw oyster into the refugium a week ago, Ammonia never reached detectable levels (all Red Sea tests). We are now at week two. Some brown algae is beginning to show up, as expected. Nitrite currently sits at 0.1, and Nitrate at 2.
At some point soon, the time will come when transferring from the 29 to the 70 will have to take place. I’ve probably pulled too much live rock out of the 29 for it to sustain itself for long….it’s got roughly 15 pounds left. It currently houses 4 RBTAs (two will go away soon), hosted by a pair of Black Ocellaris Clowns, two Green Chromis, a Green Clown Goby, a Green Banded Goby, two cleaner shrimp and two sexy shrimp. I have 55 gallons of warm saltwater always on standby, and can keep a steady routine of water changes to keep the 29 from going pear-shaped for now. There might be enough rock in the 29 to hold parameters, but I’d rather cause as little stress as possible.
So what’s the general opinion on moving the rest of the 29 over to the 70?
(A) Just move all the rock and critters to the 70 at one time, so there’s plenty of additional bacteria to support the newly added life?
(B) Move a few critters and none of the rock, followed later by moving the rest?
(C) Move the rock, keeping the critters in the 29 with water changes for a while?
(D) ???
It was never meant to be a permanent affair, as I’ve been slowly accumulating the bits for a proper display tank in the living room….which is now up and running for two weeks.
It’s a 70 gallon rimless, with two MP40s and two Kessil 360s. Overflow into a remote sump (converted 55 gallon) with a sock, ReefOcto-Prime 150 internal skimmer, DSB/cheato refugium, Tunze ATO and DC-6000 return pump. The sump also contains an 8x8x4 MarinePure that I let sit in my 29 for 5 days before moving it to the 70's sump.
I seeded my refugium’s DSB with a cup of sand from my 29 (and a wad of cheato from the local club), I’ve also moved about 1/3 of the live rock from the 29 into the display tank, added another 25 pounds of dry rock, and 10 pounds of cured wet live rock purchased locally. There’s about 80 pounds of fine reef sand in the DT, which is sort of piled up into a couple locations with the anticipation of eventually being home to a brood of garden eels.
On day one, I had an AquaStick-induced skimmer frenzy, resulting in ~20 gallon water change (letting the skimmer overflow into a bucket for export…20 gallons worth. I am officially in the ‘AquaStick must die’ camp!). I also added detritus from a sponge from the 29, just to dirty things up.
After a week, I dropped a couple green chromis in, to support bacterial flora diversification (that’s my excuse…we all know it’s just to have something pretty to look at). Somehow, a hermit crab stowed away on the live rock, along with lots of star polyps, mushrooms and a little clump of xenia. All are extended and appear happy.
In spite of tossing part of a raw oyster into the refugium a week ago, Ammonia never reached detectable levels (all Red Sea tests). We are now at week two. Some brown algae is beginning to show up, as expected. Nitrite currently sits at 0.1, and Nitrate at 2.
At some point soon, the time will come when transferring from the 29 to the 70 will have to take place. I’ve probably pulled too much live rock out of the 29 for it to sustain itself for long….it’s got roughly 15 pounds left. It currently houses 4 RBTAs (two will go away soon), hosted by a pair of Black Ocellaris Clowns, two Green Chromis, a Green Clown Goby, a Green Banded Goby, two cleaner shrimp and two sexy shrimp. I have 55 gallons of warm saltwater always on standby, and can keep a steady routine of water changes to keep the 29 from going pear-shaped for now. There might be enough rock in the 29 to hold parameters, but I’d rather cause as little stress as possible.
So what’s the general opinion on moving the rest of the 29 over to the 70?
(A) Just move all the rock and critters to the 70 at one time, so there’s plenty of additional bacteria to support the newly added life?
(B) Move a few critters and none of the rock, followed later by moving the rest?
(C) Move the rock, keeping the critters in the 29 with water changes for a while?
(D) ???
