upgrading and have Filter questions?

[67RedDonzi]

Ok so we are upgrading from a 40 gallon to a 210. We are picking up the 210 this Saturday and I have a few questions. It comes with "live" live rock, some mushrooms, sand bed, and much more. Once the tank is set up, how long do I need to wait before adding my fish/corals to it? It comes with a 75 gal fuge with miracle mud, plumbing etc. Also has a protein skimmer (will be buying a second skimmer to put on it). Do I need a hang on back filter if I already have 2 protein skimmers and fuge? Any other advice that you can give me for upgrading would be very much appreciated. We plan on transferring everything in the 40 gal to the 210

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

If the tank is already cycled then just keep enough water and the live rock and sand submerged for the trip to your house set it back up with some of the original water, then top it off and you are good to go. As long as you put half the water back it's not much different than doing a water change. You can use the water out of your 40 gallon system also. Just try to match your 40 gallon perameter to make it easier for your critters going in. You should still acclimate them slowly. As far as filtration just work on getting 1lb of live rock for every gallon of water. Most people dont use hang on the back style filters for reef tanks. If you are worried about particles in you water you can do a sock filter but you need to clean them out weekly. Bulk Reef Supply suggests just running them through your wash machine just run it empty one time before you throw them in. Your protein skimmers and fuge are pretty much what the norm is as long as the skimmers are rated for how ever many gallons you end up with. Sounds like it should be a pretty easy set swap since you already have the fuge, mud, live rock, and sand. Sounds fun!

 

[Reefing Madness]

If you keep the rock from dryin out, it will not recycle the tank, you should be able to fill the tank, and put the rock in, wait 24hours then stock. You do not need a filter on your system. Unless the skimmer you have now on it is to small, theres no reason to buy a second one.

 

[67RedDonzi]

The guy that I am buying the 210 from said that he always had 2 skimmers (he is keeping one for his 55gal) I'm honestly not sure what the other one is rated for. He did mention to me that he had some of the water out of the tank (has enough in it to cover the live rock and mushrooms, also has a heater and filter going). I believe he said there is a 1/4 of the water left, maybe a bit more. If I bring all of that home, will it be enough to be able to restock right away? once I top it off of coarse. Thanks so much for your help so far! Oh and just wondering if this makes a difference. I am driving from Michigan to Wisconsin to pick up this tank. It's roughly a 6 hour drive, though with the snow and a few stops I'm going to say more like 7hrs. I have an f350 with an 8ft bed and extended cab. My plan is to try and fit all of the water/sand/live rock in the cab of the truck to keep it from freezing. If I cannot fit it all, is it ok to leave some of the buckets of sand or anything else in the bed of the truck? or will this kill things off? I apologize for the huge paragraph, my computer will not let me space anything out...new laptop

 

[Reefing Madness]

Don't worry about the sand, your going to need to rinse it off anyways. Once you set this tank back up, because of the way your doing this, I'd not stock it for a week, just to make sure your parameters don't go swinging wildly out of whack, if once the week is over and you don't see anything out of the ordinary on the params, then your safe to stock. Get a pic of that skimmer, we may be able to ID for you, and let you know weather its good for you or not.
Try and keep the rock wet, in water or at least covered in tubs with wet towels. If it dries out on you or freezes, it will kill the bacteria, and you will have to cycle the tank.

 

[67RedDonzi]

Reefing Madness: Thank you so much! If I run out of room in the cab then I will put the sand in the back. I'm hoping to be able to put all of the live rock in coolers and have them covered with the tank water ( I will make sure all of this goes into the cab so that it does not freeze). When you say "rinse the sand" What exactly do you mean? Rinse it with fresh water? I just want to make sure I do all of this right. I am going to get the tank this Saturday so I will try and get a picture of the skimmer on here by Monday.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Yea, you can rinse the sand with the hose in the back yard. Just rinse it til its runs clear.

 

[67RedDonzi]

great, thank you. Not that I'm questioning you, I just want to learn, why does the sand need to be rinsed?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Theres a ton of bacteria in it, and theres also alot of junk in it, if you were to not rinse it, and it gets stirred up you will definitely end with with a full blown cycle.