Worth Bringing Rocks & Sand too new tank?

Captain Quint · Dec 20, 2018

saintsreturn said:
Not saying that at all. I rinse my sand completely every time i move as most of the beneficial bacteria is in the rocks. The rocks are were i put my focus. I keep the sand because i dont see a need in buying more of what i have if i am going to pay to move anyway. All of this is assuming that these will be in the moving truck.

I put all of my rock in 5 gallon buckets with lids and water from my tank, or a brute can if need be. Corals and fish go into 5g buckets. Corals with water and fish with a small rock, aerator and heater. I have moved this way across town and across the country. I have always had a mini cycle, but that has been greatly reduced with advances in bottled bacteria. I always (as of the last two and the next 2) use Frtiz9 and put my fish back in after acclimation. I only wait for the water to settle in the tank, not for a cycle to run its process (after a move).

This may be clear as mud, but this is my stance:

1) Keep rock and sand if the cost is negligible to have your movers move them
2) Keep as much water as you can in alignment with point 1
3) Rinse sand until water is clear in 1.021-23 sallinty
4) gentle shake of rock in water to rinse detrius out but not fully clean
5) place rocks in tank
6) place sane in tank
7) refill with as much old water as possible
8) Add fritz 9
9) acclimate and relocate fish and corals into system

I have done this now from Jersey to Fl, Fl to Fl, Fl to TX and 4 times in Texas. I have only experienced minor losses in fish (tangs and ones that just hate changes), snails/conchs/urchins as most their food died, and no coral loss.

Absolutely.

happysalt · Dec 20, 2018

OK I'm happy with taht. So I'll keep the corals in the tank with the fish and just the media in the sump currently running. I'll send the rocks and the sand with the moving company and by the time they arive on the west coast I can pack my livestock up in one day and fly it over with me.

So if rocks and sand come out on the 28th and I just leave the media in my sump, is there anything I should worry about at that point with regards to my current tank staying up and running for 3 weeks without the rock or sand in it?

saintsreturn · Dec 21, 2018

A

happysalt said:
OK I'm happy with taht. So I'll keep the corals in the tank with the fish and just the media in the sump currently running. I'll send the rocks and the sand with the moving company and by the time they arive on the west coast I can pack my livestock up in one day and fly it over with me.

So if rocks and sand come out on the 28th and I just leave the media in my sump, is there anything I should worry about at that point with regards to my current tank staying up and running for 3 weeks without the rock or sand in it?

Your tank's nutrients are probably going to spike a bit with this arrangement. I would slow your feeding down to make sure it doesnt end up sitting on the bottom of the tank and test for ammonia daily. If you get some algae, i wouldnt worry about it since you are breaking it down anyway. It will basically be a QT tank at that point without meds. So just watch for fish stressing and the ammonia levels. Be ready to do more WC than you are used to at this point, but it will make it easy. Also, if you can, grab a PVC elbow (large) or two so they have something to hide in and around.

Reefin Dude · Dec 21, 2018

never move sand. it should be replaced on a regular basis anyway.

LR, as long as the LR has has plenty of flow in the old tank, keep it. i would not move the bottom course of LR if it was touching sand.

G~