Upgrade from 100L to 250L

[FaLong]

Hi,

I have recently acquired a new aquarium from a fellow refer. It is a 2x2x2 ft fish tank with a 2x2 ft sump. I was already running a 2x1x1.5 ft fish tank with a cannister filter for a few months. 

This means that I am moving from around 100L to more than 238L!

I hope that the new tank will give a better chance to move from my FOWLR to a reef aquarium. But I would like to do this without starting again from scratch.

My plan is to move all my water and life stock (2 clownfish, 1 little blue tang, and get rid of 1 blue damsel) to the new tank as soon as possible to sell the ild tank and free some space. Then I will be periodically top up more water  until filling it up, running my cannister filter in the new tank for some weeks.

I hope this can help to give more stability to my water parameters. I plan to start using 60L from my old fish tank and add 40L of new mixed water, similar to doing a 50% water change but without removing water.

After filling the tank with weekley top ups of 20L, the new tank should be filled up. Then, the following week I will put the extra water on the sump and start it using the media in my current cannister. 

 

What do you think? Will it crash or can it work?

Edited September 27, 2015 by FaLong

[Guest]

Very nice tank. Look familiar ahem. Anyway i've seen big tank successful with canister, but i would recommend sump as you can put protein skimmer (more air flow, skim out more efficient ) and fuge.

If you use old media filter (in your canister),  there's still a cycle process well i won't really say crash, it will probably take a while for the water and the filter media to get stable.
 

[FaLong]

Very nice tank. Look familiar ahem. Anyway i've seen big tank successful with canister, but i would recommend sump as you can put protein skimmer (more air flow, skim out more efficient ) and fuge.

If you use old media filter (in your canister),  there's still a cycle process well i won't really say crash, it will probably take a while for the water and the filter media to get stable.

 

Hi Willy,

Heheheheeee... yes, i have been told that it must be very familiar to you! :-P

Yes, I am trying to move from the cannister filter to the sump as soon as possible. The key would be how fast can I increase my water volume without the tank crashing.

[daveyy]

I think, if you transfer 20% weekly, it will most likely crash. My opinion: no point to transfer 20% weekly over, the bacteria will die off slowly if no circulation on any kind of food source for them. 

What I suggest is:

Transfer 70% water over, leaving 30% in your old tank, transfer all your live rock/livestock/sand over (i will suggest to dump all the sand away and buy new livesand, you never know what nutrient/crap it has absorb since the day you started the tank).

Take out all your media in your canister, lightly rinse them in your old tank water and place them in the sump compartment (with tank water). 

When you transfer completely, transfer the remaining 30% old tank water into your new tank. Do note to prepare more salt water in advance as you would need to top up the difference in your new 222. 

All of the above best is done within 1-2hr. 

[kohanson]

For me, i upgraded from a 1.5ft cube to a 3.5ft tank recently. I transferred all the rocks which I have been running for 1 year plus over except 1 of the rock which I saw got huge a huge bristle worm and maybe pistol shrimp. I did not transfer any water and sand over as I am using the same salt mix and the sand like what daveyy has said could have lots of craps in it. All the rocks were transferred over 2 days to my sump with the live stock. After about 2 weeks, i started seeing pods on all my glass. All livestock were also stable and eating after the transfer. Corals were also ok and are adjusting to the new lightings.

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[FaLong]

I started the transfusion to the new tank. After the process, it will have:

- 90L old water (on the left tank)

- 50L new water (on the right rank)

It will still not fill my tank and will need to add more new water.

How long shall I wait to add 60L more of new water to fill the tank?

Then, how long shall I wait to add other 60L more to fill the sump?

Can I add these 120L in one time? Or better give some time to the bacteria to adapt to the new water?

[daveyy]

Is your water RO/DI? if you making your water, once clear can dump inside.

If is tap water, make sure you treat it with anti chlorine before mixing the water, same as above, once clear dump it in.

 

No need to wait for the bacteria to adapt to the water. The theory is same as water change. As long as there is no big difference in the parameter, the bacteria will survive and some will die off. Is natural. 

 

I see you are putting your eheim pump on your sand bed? I will recommend you not to as the sand will be abrasive and cause damage to the pump. Air pump or wavemaker will be better.

[FaLong]

... transfer all your live rock/livestock/sand over (i will suggest to dump all the sand away and buy new livesand, you never know what nutrient/crap it has absorb since the day you started the tank). 

I did not transfer any water and sand over as I am using the same salt mix and the sand like what daveyy has said could have lots of craps in it.

Very god advise.. I only hope I had read it earlier!!

I have already transferred my old sand (not live sand), around 10kg, and added 10kg of new sand (same sand as the other)

[FaLong]

Is your water RO/DI? if you making your water, once clear can dump inside.

Most of it is distilled water, but I had to use around 25L of tap water, as I run out of distilled water and couldn't find NSW. But I left it mixing (right tank) for a almost two days before mixing it with the old water (left tank)

No need to wait for the bacteria to adapt to the water. The theory is same as water change. As long as there is no big difference in the parameter, the bacteria will survive and some will die off. Is natural. 

Good to know! I was aware that making a 50% water change was quite a traumatic movement, and that were the numbers I kept as reference. I though too much new water (eventhough it may have the same salinity) could also have the negative effect and kill bacteria

I see you are putting your eheim pump on your sand bed? I will recommend you not to as the sand will be abrasive and cause damage to the pump. Air pump or wavemaker will be better.

Hehehehehe... this was more king of a temporary solution. Even Though I rinsed the new sand three times, some dirt would still come out, so I placed it there until the sand would settle down (almost two days)

[FaLong]

Here is the tank with all the water I had available. My numbers were correct! (See on the left a cello tape indicating the level of new water and the cello tape on the right indicating my foreseen level with old no new water together).

As my resources to produce new mixed water are very limited (my bucket only holds 12L) I will top up mixed water each three days until I fill the tank (3 weeks! )

During this time, I will continue using my eheim external filter. Until I've got enough water volume to start the sump.

[FaLong]

Oh! And I forgot to say that my little fishes are enjoying their extra room after almost a day in a bucket!

This exercise also gave me the opportunity of removing a blue damsel that was a serial killer...

[josephwzr]

What light will u be using? Im getting a 2ft cube too. Planning to have a snowflake eel in it

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[daveyy]

Oh! And I forgot to say that my little fishes are enjoying their extra room after almost a day in a bucket!

 

This exercise also gave me the opportunity of removing a blue damsel that was a serial killer...

Be sure to circulate the water within the DT and you will be good. Please dont kill your blue damsel

What light will u be using? Im getting a 2ft cube too. Planning to have a snowflake eel in it

 

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hmm, snowflake eel only? lol if no coral or what, just a normal white/blue led will do. no need spend on high end lighting. 

[josephwzr]

No la haha, i mean with corals and other fish. Will be getting a 165w full soectrum led.

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[daveyy]

No la haha, i mean with corals and other fish. Will be getting a 165w full soectrum led.

 

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ah, the china led, those are not bad.  i have used them before. 

by the way, would you snowflake disturb other fish / coral?

want to get one but scare they disturb.

Edited October 1, 2015 by daveyy

[josephwzr]

How did u hang urs back then? Snowflakes are reef safe(from what ive read) but can eat small fishes that fit into their mouth if they get hungry due to u not feeding them enough. And will also eat inverts if they hungry haha

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[daveyy]

I use maxspect mazarra light stand, from DE-aquatic.

[JMW]

 

Here is the tank with all the water I had available. My numbers were correct! (See on the left a cello tape indicating the level of new water and the cello tape on the right indicating my foreseen level with old no new water together).

 

As my resources to produce new mixed water are very limited (my bucket only holds 12L) I will top up mixed water each three days until I fill the tank (3 weeks! )

 

During this time, I will continue using my eheim external filter. Until I've got enough water volume to start the sump.

Cool! Your estimation quite good haha.

btw the top up exercise might take longer & require more water cos over these 3wks you will losing water due to evaporation too?

[josephwzr]

I use maxspect mazarra light stand, from DE-aquatic.

How much did it cost?

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[josephwzr]

I use maxspect mazarra light stand, from DE-aquatic.

How much did it cost?

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[FaLong]

What light will u be using? Im getting a 2ft cube too. Planning to have a snowflake eel in it

I still don't know. I am looking for one that will allow me keep corals

The idea of keeping a snowflake eel is very cool!

[tofubox]

Swee upgrade bro!

Edited October 1, 2015 by tofubox

[FaLong]

Please dont kill your blue damsel

Rest assured I won't!!!

Every life is precious. She is with me now at work. Later I will bring her back to the LFS.

[FaLong]

btw the top up exercise might take longer & require more water cos over these 3wks you will losing water due to evaporation too?

That is a very good point!! And I haven't so much patience....

The good news is that I have checked last night and the overflow is not as high as the glass, so I don't need so much water: 30L should be enough.

I am reviewing my strategy, I will try a different approach now: I will fill up the sump with mixed distilled water and I will buy some additional live rocks, which I will also put in the sump. I will leave both things together in the sump for one week, without starting the pump of the sump, so the main tank will still rely on the external canister. I will wait one week this way, and then I will top up more water in the main tank and start the pump to connect both tanks.

They I will move the new live rock in the sump to the main tank, and put the bio media in my canister filter in the first stage on the sump.

Hopefully in one week everything can be done! 

[JMW]

Nice plan! All the best, camping here for your tank updates!