210 G Move ASAP answer

[Justusfish]

Hi, folks:

I have moved a 210 G tank from the previous owner's to my house and presently have the rock and fish in a 65 gallon drum with a power head and heater going.

Question is, once I fill the tank and add the salt, how long before I can put the rock and fish in?

I will also be using the 65 gallons of old water as well.

I figured once I let the new water cure long enough (which I have no idea how long that would be) I'd start doing small exchanges of water between the large tank and drum until the fish were acclimated and then start transferring them in.


I REALLY need some advice on this procedure so I don't kill any of these big beautiful fish.

[christyf5]

I'd put them in right away. Make sure the temps and salinities match or you'll have to acclimate. Then keep an eye on your water parameters for the next few days.

Did you transport a sandbed too?

[digitalsteve]

i second that , i did a 90g yesterday.

we balanced everything up and in went fish , corals and everything else

Steve

[Black Phantom]

Whoa - your starting out in a rush.
First, you have to get your tank filled and the salt added. I'm assuming your using RO water so this will probably take a couple of days to get it full.
Next to have to add the salt. Fresh salt water is caustic so you will want to wait another two or three days to put in the rock.
Now you have to let it cycle. How long it was out of the water will usually determine your cycle. A long time means a fair bit of die off and a longer cycle.
If it was only out of the water for a short time then you will be faster.
Check the ammonia frequently during this time until it is zero.
I know you already have the fish and all but with a new system and your bio system not even established.................well, lets just say, if you put a bunch of fish in there they will all die. Your ammonia will spike and you will be one unhappy camper.
I waited with my big tank for almost two months until things were just right and then started to add fish.
Add one or two, let your system start to work and then later on start to add more.
See if another reefer can look after the fish for a while until you are ready.
Hope this helps:neutral:

[Justusfish]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I love those answers, as it means I don't have to worry about fish in a 65 gallon drum for days and days. How long should I let the salt "keep" in the water after mixing it in though? 2 hours? 4 hours? 8 hours or are you saying instantly after mixing?

[Renegade]

humm well i suggest that you mix up the new tank as stated let mix for 12-24hrs with an airstone and power head to ensure its aerated then slowly drip using an air line with a knott in it into the 65 gal do this for about 5-10hr taken water out when its getting full and put it back into the display. this way there is alot less stress on the fish. if you are not in a rush drip longer, then just toss everything in.

you can rush it and just toss them in but, your stressing them if teh waters not exactly perfect, its one thing to do a big water change (kinda what your doing) but with a big water change the have the comforit of there enviroment where as here they don't know what else is in this new tank the enviroment will be completely different. So i would be patient if you have the time.

Kyle

[Justusfish]

I just read phantom's post and now am a bit confused. Some say right away, and others say wait. Phamtom, even with 65 gallons of old water and the live rock that's not good enough and I have to treat the cycling as if everything is brand new?

[DanG]

How long was the rock was out of water?

[Reefer Rob]

I just switch over from a 72G to a 180G . I aged the water in garbage cans, the sump, and an old 50G tank for a couple of days, then moved the rock in, filling the tank as my wife and I aquascaped, being carefull not to let the rock dry out. The next day in went the fish.

Of course a few shrooms and zoos end up going in with the rock, so they became my test corals. A week later since my test corals were doing OK and the parameters were still OK, my soft corals and lps went in along with a test SPS frag.

After a 5 days and a red bug treatment my SPS went in. So far all is well and after 1 month the corals are starting to "color" nice and nitrates are below 1 (they peaked at 2.5)

Your fish will do much better than in a drum if you can get them into your tank as soon as possible, so long as you're not using any new live rock, and you're careful not to kill off your old live rock.

[Justusfish]

The rock was never out of water, not including the instant move from the tank instantly into the 65 gallon drum.

[Diana]

You are getting different answers because everyone has different methods, many will work, you just have to choose one that fits your situation best. Are there corals involved? If not, I would fill the 210g with fresh water, get the pumps going and then add the salt and dechlor/heavy metal eliminator. It may take a few hours until the salt mixes and you can get an accurate salinity reading. If you have 65 gallons to add of old water, only mix up the difference.

Once the water is the correct salinity and temperature, pump about half of the drum water into the 210g. Then, drip the new tank water into the drum over the next hour. Once the drum is again full, add most of it back into the 210g. Wait a few minutes for the water to mix in the tank, then add the rock and fish(i reccomend you also drip the rock although i have not in the past and did not see any abnormal effects). Add the rest of the drum water.

This method worked fine for us many many times. As long as you get the salinity and temp fairly equivalent between what the fish are used to and what they are going into, they should be fine.

HTH

[Justusfish]

Many thanks for the quick replies and PMs, folks. Diana had a good point about why I'm hearing different answers and it helps me clarify how I'll approach this tank transfer/move.

[Black Phantom]

Sorry about the confusion. Most of my answer was based on the fact that I thought the rock had been out of the water for some time.
If there is no die off then you wont get an ammonia spike and the biological filter (rocks) should still be intact.
I would still age your new salt water for a couple of days before adding the fish.
Good luck and enjoy your new tank.

[Justusfish]

Well, the fish have been in the refilled 210 tank now for 15 hours will zero signs of stress. I'm actually amazed. I was a bit nervous about such a big undertaking.

I was up at four in the morning and started the acclimation process which took about 4 hours in total. I wanted it to be as gradual as I could make it, time permitting.

All the fish are breathing normally, swimming around and I gave them their first feed this evening and they ate voraciously. It's been two days since their pre-move feed.

I'd like to thank everyone for the advice and even those who offered to physically come over and help!

I'll post pics in a week or so.