Correct Procedure for Switching Tanks? HELP

[KushBubbles]

I have a 37 gal but the glass cracked about 6 inches across the right side from the top. It is being maintained with duct tape and a towel but have a 30 long ready to go but I'm not sure how to go about it. Is it as easy a just moving everything or is there any thing to watch out for??? Any tips and info would be greatly appreciated, thanks Canreef

[MitchM]

Can you describe your setup?
Fish, coral, sand, live rock?

[KushBubbles]

A small bio load (regal tang, tomato clown, chromis), a frog spawn, small colony of zoa's.
About 50 lbs of live rock and about 30in x 12in x 3in of sand, with worms and microorganisms about 1-1.5 inches deep.

?? what would you suggest i do??

[MitchM]

-First drain some existing tank water into a pail or cooler and move the fish into that. Leave the corals for now.
-Second I would suggest taking all the live rock that is NOT sitting in any sand and moving it over to the new tank then siphon the existing tank water over to the new tank. Do not move the rocks sitting in the sand or disturb the sand itself.
-Third make sure your mechanical systems are running properly in your new setup
-Fourth transfer the fish into the new tank
-Fifth transfer the corals into the new tank

After that let your new setup settle down for a few days and the fish get used to their new place while you clean up the broken tank and deal with what is left in there.

Basically set up your new tank as a bare bottom live rock system.

[MitchM]

As for dealing with what is left behind -

If you want to reuse the sand it will need to be thoroughly rinsed before it can be put into the new tank. Never try to "move" a sandbed.
The live rock that is sitting in the sand will need to be placed in a separate container and left for a few weeks with a circulating powerhead and 10% water changes 1X/week because it probably has absorbed some H2S in the areas that were buried. You don't want that in your new tank.
Do weekly water tests to monitor it's water quality.

[Binare]

How long has your original setup been running?

[KushBubbles]

Its been about a year that a year. good lighing for about a month

instead of rinsing the sand i have been told to mix a it with 3x the amount of new sand? would you suggest that to kick start bacterial grow in the new sand?

[MitchM]

Its been about a year that a year. good lighing for about a month

instead of rinsing the sand i have been told to mix a it with 3x the amount of new sand? would you suggest that to kick start bacterial grow in the new sand?

You would be transferring over all the organic matter and killing most of the soft bodied worms and critters if you just mixed it all up.
That organic matter would sit there and rot until new critters that kept the sandbed moving repopulated, which could take a few months.

If you want to seed some new sand I would set the new tank up with new sand only then use a cup or so from the old tank, skimmed off the first inch or so of the old sandbed.
I would still go ahead and rinse out the rest of the old sand before putting it in the new tank.

[ALang]

Like they said, DON"T mix the old sand with the new.
When you transfer the old sand bed to a new tank, the pretty delicate organisms that were in the old bed will be mixed up. Those critters who lived in certain parts/layers of the sandbed will be disturbed/cut-up and most will probably die. Then, in your new tank, the dead organisms will pollute it and cause it to crash. You will have nothing but problems. Voice of experience.:cry:
So your live rock that you have rescued will help filter and re-seed your new tank. If you want a new sandbed, put in freshly rinsed new sand, and seed that with a cup or two of a buddy's sandbed. Believe me, it's cheaper in the long run. You won't have epic battles that'll take years to resolve.
You will have to go through a small cycle regardless of how you transferred your livestock. Just be vigilant and be ready to do lots of water changes.
Less trouble than to have everything die off due to sand bed collapsing on you, trust us.
Good luck.

[KushBubbles]

Few Questions:

- Is it old sand for another project possible to re-use my sand for another project, and what procedure if so?


---Can i still use the live rock that was in the sand?

-And by seed the sand do you mean mix it in to the new sand?

Thanks for the help

[MitchM]

Yes you can certainly use the old sand and rocks (see my previous post).
Rinse the sand until the water runs clear.
After the rocks have been in circulating water for a couple of weeks, test the water they're in to make sure ammonia reads zero.

Seeding the new sand means taking a little of the old sand and mixing it in with the new.(just placing it on top is fine)
:smile:

[ALang]

[QUOTE=KushBubbles;586572]Few Questions:

- Is it old sand for another project possible to re-use my sand for another project, and what procedure if so?

The old sand can be re-used for other project, after it's been vigorously rinsed many times. You can rinse it in fresh water, after which the sand would be pretty "dead".
You can rinse it in salt water, but there still will be die offs, and expensive to do. And do expect a new cycle when the sand is used immediately afterwards, because no matter how well you have rinsed it, there'll still be dead and decomposing organisms. People sometimes just leave it outside and allow the sand to dry out. Anyway you look at it, it will no longer be "live sand".

---Can i still use the live rock that was in the sand?

The live rock should be rinsed in salt water and any black stuff scrubbed off. Again, using them would be Ok. As long as you do know and expect a cycle to occur. Careful with your fish, if you are moving them into the new tank. Test your water parameters often to ward off any major fouling due to die offs, do your water changes.

--And by seed the sand do you mean mix it in to the new sand?

I would just get a couple of cupfulls of your buddy's well-established tank (no medications, no diseases), and just gently pour that into you sand (lower the container first, or you'll have a sand storm that'll last for days). By doing that, you are trying to add some of his beneficial bacteria, & sand critters to your sand, hoping that they will flourish and reproduce. I don't think you necessarily need to mix it in. Either way, your tank still need to cycle. Just hopfully won't take as long to establish.
Good Luck.