Moving/upgrading my tank this weekend.

[zoomin]

I am moving from a 32g m-tank (built-in sump) to a 55g acrylic with sump underneath - hopefull this weekend

I am using the same cabinet that the current tank is on so the move is complicated somewhat. I will have to remove all the inhabitants, do some drilliing/bracing on the cabinet, install the new trank, sump and plumbing, and then move the inhabitants back in.

I have already performed a "dry run" (or is that a "wet run"?) with the new tank in the basement, so I have tested the new plumbing.

Current inhabitants:

2x false percular clown
1 x YWG
1 x green clown goby
1 cleaner shrimp
1 pistol shrimp
1 RBTA
1 Crocea clam
Frogspawn
Bubble Coral
Various Zoas
Yellow polyps
GSP
Xenia
Anthelia
4 tubo snails
3 necarrius snails

A couple of problems to deal with that I can see already are taking the xenia off the sides of the tank. The Xenia has grown like a weed and are all over the place. And, I think my clam has attached itself through the sand to the bottom of the tank.

Any tips appreaciated.

[TheReefGeek]

For the xenia, just take a razor blade and scrape the off the glass. You can glue them onto rubble rock after that, no problem.

The clam is more problematic, I'm not sure the best way to get their foot to detach. Perhaps a really sharp razor blade scraped carefully right against he glass would be the best way?

Maybe someone knows a trick to get them to release?

[christyf5]

You can sometimes get the clam to release its foot by sticking something else under the sand next to it. It usually takes a couple of days but try cramming an empty snail shell or something into the sand next to the foot.

[zoomin]

Thanks for the tips.

I have also heard of using an ice cube for the clam foot - maybe for Xenia too?

What do you use to glue Xenia?

[christyf5]

IMO Xenia works best with an elastic band on a small rock, don't wrap the elastic band too tightly or the xenia will just split itself in half.

[TheReefGeek]

Don't bother with an ice-cube for the xenia, just raxor blade it off, they are tough as nails.

If you want to glue most any frags, people use either epoxy, or else gel superglue. Gel us easier to work with than liquid.

[zoomin]

Interesting.

When i bought the Xenia it was tied to an oyster shell with string. It wandered off of that oyster shell and now, 2 months since I bought it, it's about 20x the size - basically taking over.

Any tips on catching shrimp?

[Midknight]

Drain all the water, easy to catch them then.
And seeing you will do that to swap tanks your half way there.

[Chin_Lee]

Originally Posted by zoomin

Interesting.

When i bought the Xenia it was tied to an oyster shell with string. It wandered off of that oyster shell and now, 2 months since I bought it, it's about 20x the size - basically taking over.

Any tips on catching shrimp?

get a 500ml plastic pop bottle, cut off the top part so so you can invert it and create a "funnel". staple the funnel in place and attach a long string somewhere around the staples. Put some pellet fish food (formula 1/2) in bottle, turn off all powerheads so the "smell" will be the most concentrated around the bottle. fill with tank water and let it sink to bottom of tank. use the string to guide it down to the bottom of the tank and to pull bottle out later. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS in tank and your room. Wait about 5 minutes and the shrimp will be inside the bottle.
I used to sit and watch the shrimp for hours waiting for it to go into the bottle. Then when I turned off the lights, it was in the bottle within 2 minutes.