SPS Temporary Holding Bin

[Ryan]

I have some across a really good deal on some good size SPS and LPS. The only catch is I have to take all of it because the guy doesnt want to part out. There is 50+ pieces and the smallest one is the size of a baseball so there are some big pieces. The problem I have run into is #1 my tank isnt near big enough to house all these and #2 I dont want most of them because they are either duplicates or dont appeal to me.

So here is my plan. I am going to set up 2 or 3 Sterilite totes with the latching lids. I have some already that have a rectangular hole cut in them so there is about 4-6" of lid left all the way around (I housed my SW this way for a month while I was moving). This will stop the Sterilite from bowing out and help hold its shape. Now I know they are going to need flow so I am thinking a Koralia in each tote along with a heater. I was thinking of plumbing them all together and using a canistar filter (Fluval 304) for the biological and carbon. It will pull from one tote and discharge into the other making the water circulate. This will have been running on an established system for months before going into the tote.

My biggest worry is lighting. With these totes side by side will 1 250W HQI MH be enough (These totes are just under 36" long) to light both totes efficiently enough to keep the SPS alive? I am quiet confident that these SPS will sell really fast but I want to make sure that I can keep them for up to a month if needed.

As stuff sells I will move whats left into the other totes obviously so eventually I am down to 1 then none. I cant see it being more than 2 of these totes.

So will this work or am I setting myself up for disaster? If it is wrong how should it be done right to make it work.

[Sebae again]

I would say one light per tote otherwise you will be trying to sell brown acros.

[Ryan]

Not disagreeing with you Sebea but 2 totes wide is the same as 1 tote long. I forgot to mention that.

[banditpowdercoat]

Still, 2 totes wide, but with teh rim of the lid blocking the light in the center, the corals wont get much light at all. maybe SPS in one tote, with MH above it, then some T5 or PC above the other tote with the LPS?

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm, I'd almost +1 this unless you are sure they will sell in a week or two (in which time they will brown out most definitely). And specially if they are in a darker colored Rubbermaid... if they are white, maybe not.

[Ryan]

Still, 2 totes wide, but with teh rim of the lid blocking the light in the center, the corals wont get much light at all. maybe SPS in one tote, with MH above it, then some T5 or PC above the other tote with the LPS?

Good point. My other thought would be using one of these instead.
http://www.walmart.ca/servletimagedownload?size=1&imageid=67314

Most of the LPS I want so its going to be 90% SPS.

[Myka]

If I were you I would just find a used tank in the classifieds. Since it doesn't have to be pretty I'm sure you could find a scratched up one for cheap. Either way I think you will have a bunch of brown SPS...they don't take to handling very well.

Still, 2 totes wide, but with teh rim of the lid blocking the light in the center, the corals wont get much light at all. maybe SPS in one tote, with MH above it, then some T5 or PC above the other tote with the LPS?

Good call.

[cuz]

I've got a 29 gallon you could "borrow" if you needed it for a bit.

[danny zubot]

Take pictures of the corals now, that way when they brown out you can still say "this is what they look like". I use one of those totes for my refugium, which I've kept frags in from time to time under a dual PC. Some do well and some don't, though none have died under PC lighting, they've just sustained existance. What if you kept the bins in a sun lit room to help out?

[Ryan]

I am not worried about these corals looking good I am not keeping them in there forever. All I need is for them to sustain themselves. They dont need to grow all they need to do is live.

The idea is not to spend any more money on this. The stuff I have is what I want to use. There is no "cheap" aquariums around here that are going to be big enough to hold all these and I am not having 5 30 gallon tanks sitting here.

What is the difference between an aquarium and a tote? I dont need to look in. Like Danny said I am going to take pictures of them in their tank before I move them, take pictures with a ruler or somthing for size referance then they will be in a tote or whatever I use until the weekend where I can make it into the city to sell. Or 2 weekends however long it takes. I can see the lid hindering light from getting through and I think I am just going to use 1 of the big totes linked above with a 2x2 frame around the top to stop it from bowing and still have lots of light penetrate through.

I dont have any of the corals yet. I am wanting to get set up before any of them come home. Right now they are happy in their 300G system.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I would also post the pics and prices on here before you bring them home & see if you can get the people interested to pick up before you even have to house the corals. That way, you may even be down to one tote right off the bat.

Just a thought.

1 light over 2 totes with lids will almost certainly result in brown acros. It's amazing how fast sps corals will brown out, especially if you combine multiple stresses like transporting them, changing the water parameters from their 300g home to a tote, and reducing their light.

Worse comes to worse, I would have the most colourful SPS in one tote with the MH & borrow a PC or even use compact fluorescent Daylight bulbs over the other tote with the less colourful sps. Once the more colourful, more desirable ones are sold, then you can transfer the MH over the other tote.

What you originally propose will basically ensure inadequate lighting for both totes. You are far better off protecting your most valuable investments (the more colourful sps) and have a lesser light for sustaining life over the other corals temporarily. Why risk browning out the nicer stuff unnecessarily?

Just what I would do. You don't have to follow any of it.:wink:

Anthony

[Ryan]

I am going to put all of them into 1 tote. I am pretty sure they will all fit into the one big one with a 250HQI or a 400W mogul over them :D.