There has got to be a better way?

I currently have an established 55g reef aquarium using crushed coral as my base. I just bought a 75g tank and want to move everything over in one day but use sand as my base. What and how do I do this without causing a spike, there has got to be a way to do this all in one day.

I was just going to go to the LFS or another hobbiest and get the sand, is this a good idea?

 

Hi Nightstick

when I recently (3 weeks ago now) decided to renew my 70 gallon tank (old one was badly scuffed and scratched - I had a SSB in the old tank, but it had been in for 16 months and I knew moving it accross could be trouble so

I did all the things I mentioned on your other thread for upgrading - holding tanks, discarded last couple of inches of water etc etc

but the last couple of inches of water had my SSB - which I also threw away

I Set the new tank up BB (bare bottom) but after 1 week decided I wanted SSB argonite sand

I added this sand (Not live sand ) using a PVC pipe a funnel and a jug with a spout - so I could pour the sand around the rockwork and did not get a single grain on any live creature or even on the rockwork

so if your adding at same time, that will be even easier for you

so you could follow the procedure in the other thread except - add sand bed to new tank ( PharmrJohn has a nice technique with saran wrap or cling film) that you put on top of the new sand and then start pouring your water in from the old tank ( make sure you clean using RODI the new sand otherwise water will go really cloudy)

the above advise is based on adding dead sand or non live sand

so its a busy day you have ahead of you, but its managable in a day



Steve

 

I was going to pick up four orders of this sands, let me know what you think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/45LB-WHITE-FIJI...66:2|39:1|72:1205|240:1308|301:1|293:1|294:50

In your response you mention not a grain of sand touched anything, is this something I should try to avoid?

I don't mean to be caveman like but I was going to do the following...

Save as much water from established/old tank, store all corals+fish in buckets or this water, poor new live sand into new tank, add old water slowly, reestablish new aquascape, add corals+fish, top off 5g a day of new ro/di water until tank is full?

I THINK THIS WILL WORK LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK?

 

Nightstick - its always a good idea to not let the sand land on any livestock - but the way your doing it will be fine (I only mentioned it because I added sand last so its more difficult but still possible)

the sand you selected seems OK to me (dont rinse live sand in RODI water, Im sure you know but I mention it just in case)

your plan sounds ideal

just the last part - you say top of with new RODI water 5 gallons per day, Im just checking that you mean "new salt water made with RODI 5 gallons per day'

if its the later, it sounds OK to me, but you could always make the salt water in advance
your going 55 - 75 I believe? so your way is OK, but I would probably add all new water at same time ( its less than 30% and many people have done 30% water changes with negative bad effects)

Steve

 

additional thought

dont put your sand in 1st and then aquascape on top of it
get you base rocks in, then sand and then build up

if you put your rocks on top of the sand and something starts a tunnel , the rocks slide and your tank is at risk

Steve

 

Im doing the same thing.

1. Moved an established 75G tank
2. Spike the nitrates
3. Removed substrate and went bare bottom
4. Added more live rocks to an approx. total of 120lbs
5. Reconfigured refugium and removed 2inches of "mud"

Nitrates are still high after 4 weeks but luckily the corals and fishes appear to be doing fine. I even got away with my wife's impulse to bring home a Condy anemone. I've been holding off adding more livestock in there until I get the nitrates to zero. I'm thinking about picking up some sand today and using the PVC funnel technique to pour sand around the rocks.

I hope your project is going well.

 

I like adding the sand first before aquascaping. I lay the sand, then put a layer of seran wrap over the top. Then poor your old water in on top of the seran wrap. Once your tank is about half full remove the seran wrap and there shouldnt be any sand floating around in the water. then start aquascaping with your base rock. But make sure to slowly dig out some of the sand from the center to the sides and really dig your rock into the sand to get it as close to the bottom as possible. Then slowly move the extra sand on the sides around the rock.