advice for changing tanks

molybdenumman · #1 12-09-2004, 04:11 PM

Finally, i get to upgrade my 50 g to a 90 g tank tomorrow.

I am looking for advice, guidance or hints on how to get this done with the least stress to my fish and corals.

Unfortunately, I am planning to put the new tank where the old one was so I have completly empty the old tank and contents to storage bins and then add everything back into the new one. Any and all helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

DanTheMan

props · #2 12-09-2004, 04:33 PM

make lots and lots of water you don't want to be short while changing tanks if you have excess water use them for water change later on.
i'd also set a couple buckets aside to rinse the rocks before putting them into the new tank.
do you have a sandbed on the old one? best time to go barebottom =o)
heater heater heater try matchin the temperature before placing them into the new tank.. pretty stressful for corals fish to be sitting into a bucket then into a new tank..

Scavenger · #3 12-09-2004, 04:53 PM

One thing I would suggest if you have a sand bed is make sure you get the "delicate" and small stuff out first. Along with anything that can stab, burn or bite you. Once you start moving stuff around, that water will cloud up real fast and you will be groping blind to remove stuff. Also take care when removing and carrying rocks. Odds are some fish or invert will be hiding in them and could easily fall out and hit the floor. Easy to miss too in the rushed confusion.

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #4 12-09-2004, 05:35 PM

When putting the water into the new tank, if you're putting in sand, place a heavy glass bowl or something like a big soup bowl in the bottom so the water won't stir it up as much.

Spend a few minutes to write down each step so you can plan the move carefully. It'll save you a lot of potential head-aches.

Good luck.

danny zubot · #5 12-09-2004, 06:22 PM

My buddy upgraded from a 45 to a 90 a little while ago. We noticed that even moving the sand bed from one side of the room to the other pretty much killed it. It took several weeks for the worm trails and copopods to reappear. Basically you are stiring all of the bacteria that live at different depths into one big mess, and this causes at least most of the bacteria to die off.

If I were you I would take this opportunity to rinse the sandbed with clean salt water to cut down on the amount of waste you would be moving to the new tank. Don't worry about nitrifying bacteria, you will have lots left in your live rock and your old tank water, assuming that you are move some of that too.

Like I said, this is just what I'd do because I believe that the sandbed will die off any way.