new tank

makana · #1 09-14-2009, 04:31 AM

I just bought the new jbj 28g hqi nano cube. It seems like a pretty sweet setup. I got a good deal on the chiller for it as well.

I am looking for suggestions on the best way to move the contents of my 10g over to the new setup with minimal stress. I was thinking of using half new water and half old water from my 10g, is that a good idea or not? I will be adding new live rock so it will have to cycle. I am sure some of you guys have done this before and can help me make this easier and avoid losses.

BlueAbyss · #2 09-14-2009, 08:24 AM

Could you cycle the new tank with the new rock by itself for a few weeks and then move the stuff from the 10 gallon over? Otherwise, buying fully cured live rock would be the next best thing (I added 50% more rock to my tank and never caused any discernable cycle).

makana · #3 09-15-2009, 02:01 AM

I can definitely cycle the new tank. I was wondering if using water from the old aquarium would make the transition easier on the fish.

makana · #4 09-17-2009, 02:45 PM

So nobody is willing to offer their experience.

Maybe someone will at least be willing to tell me if my plan has any merit. I was thinking of putting OOlite live sand and the new live rock into the tank. I will do a 50% water change on my 10g which will give me 4 gallons of water to add to the tank. I will also add 1 rock from my 10g. I will fill the tank the rest of the way with new water and let it run for 1 - 2 weeks. Then move the rest of the rock over and introduce the fish to the new aquarium the same way I do when I bring new fish home from the LFS.

Does that sound good or is there even any benefit from moving water and rock from the 10g over before the cycle?

Also should I move my SSB over as well. Its almost 1 year old.

mseepman · #5 09-17-2009, 03:24 PM

Hello, I just saw your thread.

I think that utilizing some of your old water is a good idea as long as you don't have any issues in the 10G that you want to avoid. You don't want to use too much old tank water as it will be subject to the issues of nitrates and phosphates that so many nano tanks have and you don't want too much of that coming over.

Are you planning on adding cured or un-cured live rock (in addition to the piece from your old tank?)

Being that you are in Vernon, did you get the combo of tank and chiller from the LFS that was carrying them?

NuraNori · #6 09-17-2009, 05:46 PM

Hi,

I would like to advise you against store bought "live sand". In my opinion it's nothing more than wet sand in a bag. My local LFS guy says it's caused an algal bloom in everyone's tank he's ever known and from a biological point of view if you lock up a bunch of microorganisms in a bag with no oxygen...well you're just gonna end up with dead sand (hence a bunch of nitrates hence the algal bloom). You're better off getting dry aragonite sand and if you must you can seed with a cup of real live sand from your other tank or a friend's tank or just let the live rock do it for you. As far as using water from you old tank (in my opinion) shouldn't matter. I mean you want your water parameters to be perfect and there shouldn't be anything special about old water except nitrates, diatoms (kinda bad). I imagine there's some zooplankton in there and phytoplankton (kinda good), but nothing that your live rock shouldn't be able to seed. After all the "stuff" that cycles your tank should be living in/on your live rock not in the water column. Bacteria in water = stinky! That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, i'm just saying it probably won't make a difference. And yes you should move the live rock in there before the cycle since it will help to cycle your tank. However as long as it's live rock it doesn't really matter if it's from your old tank or from your LFS.

To sum that up:
1. Don't use store bought live sand
2. Doesn't really matter if you use water from your old tank (unless your water parameters were bad, had problems with ick etc., then you shouldn't)

mseepman · #7 09-17-2009, 10:57 PM

Interesting...I've always used bagged "live sand" in my tank startups and as yet, I've never gone through the cycle or diatom bloom that I've always seen with tanks using the other sands.

I will be building a new tank in my new house soon and if I go with a sand bottom, it will for sure include mostly live sand.

Just my 2 cents though.

By the way, what did you decide to use as a pump to circulate water through the chiller. I know the local LFS uses a Mag drive but they are hideously loud and warm. On top of that, they had to restrict the flow because the mag was too big. I recommend you looking at ordering something like a Rio from J&L as they are quiet and small. An eheim would be even better but more expensive.