My first tank with sump

[nuj244]

I decided to upgrade from my 2.5' IOS to 2' cube tank with sump for the following reasons:

1. Increase my water volume

2. Allow additional fishes

3. Better filtration

I got the tank from a very kind reefer here.

My first challenge! how to move my current tank so that I can move the new tank to the spot it occupies? Need suggestions.

Second challenge! How can I quickly bring up the cube to operation by using the same sand and live rock from my current tank. Do I need to cycle again? Sump will have dead rock as a start? I know the sand may release some toxic once stirred so I doubt that direct transferring of live rock and sand is posible?

If you are in my place, what will be your approach?

[TayHongSiang]

I decided to upgrade from my 2.5' IOS to 2' cube tank with sump for the following reasons:

1. Increase my water volume

2. Allow additional fishes

3. Better filtration

I got the tank from a very kind reefer here.

My first challenge! how to move my current tank so that I can move the new tank to the spot it occupies? Need suggestions.

Second challenge! How can I quickly bring up the cube to operation by using the same sand and live rock from my current tank. Do I need to cycle again? Sump will have dead rock as a start? I know the sand may release some toxic once stirred so I doubt that direct transferring of live rock and sand is posible?

If you are in my place, what will be your approach?

transfer your existing stocks to a holding tub...then ditch your current set-up to make way for the new.

use back the same water and live rocks from the holding tub for the new tank..including the sand...dose some bacteria and wait for 2 days...transfer the stocks from the holding tub into the new.

protein skimmer must be running already during the 2 days of cycling

[nuj244]

transfer your existing stocks to a holding tub...then ditch your current set-up to make way for the new.

use back the same water and live rocks from the holding tub for the new tank..including the sand...dose some bacteria and wait for 2 days...transfer the stocks from the holding tub into the new.

protein skimmer must be running already during the 2 days of cycling

Oh!, that simple! - no need to rinse the sand?

[tunicate]

Hey bro nuj244,

I went thru' the same process last November. You can see my thread at:

Before touching your existing tank, do perform a fresh water test on your new setup to ensure there's no leakage on the main tank, plumbing, & sump tank. (It's better to flood your house with clean tap water than salt water.)

[nuj244]

Finally moved. Not so much activity this weekend as no free time. Will be fixing plumbing and running leakage test.

[tunicate]

Incredible effort

Pls. keep the updates coming.

[nuj244]

Plumbing fixed and leakage test done. I initally installed eheim 1262 for return pump but it heated the water by 1-1.5C. No plan to install chiller so replaced the pump with a lower wattage aquabee up2000/l. This pump is rated 528gal/hr (2000l/hr) but I only got a flow of 264 gal/hr(1000l/hr), losing 50% to head loss, but I think should be enough for almost 5X turn over of water.

Mixed salt with the water used for leakage test. Decided to cycle first since dead rocks are used for the sump.

[tunicate]

So is the aquabee sitting in-sump or out-sump?

BTW, I can pass you my remaining bacteria starter tablets. It'll quicken your cycling period. PM me if you're interested.

[nuj244]

So is the aquabee sitting in-sump or out-sump?

BTW, I can pass you my remaining bacteria starter tablets. It'll quicken your cycling period. PM me if you're interested.

===

it is in sump, I do an actual flow measurement by timing how many seconds it fills a one liter bucket. Thanks for your offer, but I already did bacteria dosing (i think it is 8000 something from ocean ...). I still need to fine tune the durso as the water level just stay at the inlet only so there is noise. I guess the durso was designed for a higher flow rate like the one coming from eheim.

[tunicate]

Try adjusting the air flow at the tip of the durso pipe.

[nuj244]

Tapatalk is great! I can do update while travelling:

Last weekend, prepare my algae scrubber.

Seeding w algae:

[nuj244]

Scrubber in action:

[nuj244]

Rescaping, need a lot of holding containers, need to half empty the tank first so that easier to position livetocks. Tiring but worthwhile to see the result of ur effort. Good bye to old tank which served me for almost 4 yrs.

[tunicate]

I find CR Aquarium to be a reliable tank.

[nuj244]

Updated using tapatalk:

FTS

LTS

Still hv loose pcs of corals lying around, corals not yet attached to LR, sensors still in main, auto top-up not yet installed.

[nuj244]

One of the good things in changing tank is u hv d opportunity to re-do your rock arrangement. In my previuos tank, My gbta which was purchased April last year, decided to stay in a place with very little illumination, thus it suffered from bleaching but still surviving after almost a year,

Now, i positioned the rock in such a way that it would get enough light, luckily it did not move and hoping will stay there permanenty as it did in d past months and gain back d color. Hoping also that the pair perc, whic were purchased together w gbta, will notice it and decide to hv d gbta host them.

[mitlancer]

Thumbs up for u!!!! Like the cube more than your previous setup... envy.

[nuj244]

Thumbs up for u!!!! Like the cube more than your previous setup... envy.

He,he,he, thanks, at least that's what I feel too, else, the upgrade is useless.

[nuj244]

Tapatalk is great! I can do update while travelling:

Last weekend, prepare my algae scrubber.

Seeding w algae:

After 2 weeks of running d scrubber, this is what i got on d screen: mostly dark brown algae n small patches of green. I cleared d screen of brown n retained d green algae. Also, fixed the fixture to maximize flow of water to screen.

[nuj244]

The pair of perc w m for a year still decided not to hv d anemone host them despite it is in open view now. See that they are only a couple of inch away but chose to stain zoa instead.

Planning to introduce other type of clown w matching anemone instead to encourage them to take d anemone as host. Is this a good idea?

[tunicate]

Below is a clown fish - anemone compatibility chart.

http://www.itdu.net/good/clown_fish.html

[nuj244]

So sad today ;

I just lost the following fishes due to Ich :

Flame - with me for 5 months

pair of perc - with me for almost a year

tail spot blenny - with me for 8 months

mandarin - with me for 2 almost 2 months

Ich attack started on Monday after i did a heavy re-escaping on Sunday afternoon. I guessed I used too much of D&D epoxy and super glue Gel.

Although no sign of itc for remaining fishes (flameback, white goby, and yellow streak wrasse) , plan to do the following:

1. Lower the SG to 1.20 tonight (already lowered from 1.25 to 1.23 yesterday)

2. then lower the SG to 1.2 to 1.17 tomorrow

3. do water change

4. treat with octozin for next 3 days

5. wait for 3 weeks before bringing up back SG to 1.23

6. only then will slowly introduce new fish

Any comments on the plan above