New Tank Setup Question?

[lionfish1]

Hi, I currently have a 46gal bowfront reeftank been up for one year tank has a few corals fish and critters with 60lbs of live sand 3-4", 50 lbs' of live rock, I just purchased a 110galon tank with sump, will be ready in 2 weeks from today, this is my plan will it work or will I cycle again, first I will cycle the extra 50lbs' of live rock I purchased, then will fill up 12-14 buckets with RO/DI water, the night before or maybe even in the morning when I go to pick up the tank I will remove the water rocks corals fish and criters from the 46gal tank and place them in buckets, once new tank is in position I will add the live sand I had in the previous tank and an additional 2 bags of fresh live sand, then I will add the live rock that has been curing in a bucket and the live rock from the old tank, then I will add the watter from the old tank and the freshly made batch of 60 galons, once substrate has settled will I then add the rest of the critters fish and corals, is this a good idea, will my tank cycle again and if it does how long will the cycle last and what kind of effect will it have on my live stock, and how much salt for the additional 60galons of water, one more question is a magdrive 700 good enough for a return pump for this size tank the 110 galon, they told me it should do the job, the plumbing is made for a submersible pump sitting in the sump not external, thanks again

 

[SPC]

Lion, welcome to the board. You don't say how long the rock has been curing, do you think it is fully cured now?
I presume your tank is reef ready, if so then I would want to go with a bigger pump, Mag 12 or up. The gallons/hr that your overflow can handle will determine the GPH max for your pump.
You did not mention what type of corals you are keeping. As you know the type of corals will also make a difference in your GPH.
The rest of your plan sounds like a winner to me, as long as you don't keep your livestock in their holding containers too long.
Steve

 

[lionfish1]

the rock will cure for 2 weeks, plus I already have 50lbs of well curred rock from old setup, about what the overflow can handle, they said 1200gph, and corals I keep mostly LPS anemonies and shrooms, I already have MH/VHO lighting.

 

[SPC]

Lion, The rock sounds like it will be fine, just make sure you keep a close watch on the ammonia level, but I would say it will be ok.
If you figure head in on the Mag 12 GPH it will be fine for 1200 GPH overflow.
Steve

 

[lionfish1]

SPC thanks again, but what about hte salt question.

 

[SPC]

Lion, that question is hard to answer because it depends on what your salinity is. I would purchase 2-50gallon bags. Now if you are asking how to mix 12 or 14 buckets separately, and hopefully all the buckets are the same size, then I would measure out one untill I got it right and then add the same for the other buckets. I hope this is what you were asking.

Steve

 

[lionfish1]

Thanks again SPC you have been very helpfull.

 

[esmithiii]

or you can buy a 55gal trash can and do it all at once... Thats what I did.

E

 

[lionfish1]

I would love to do the 55gal trash can thing but I live in an apartment, I feel safer with the 5gal pails, great idead but not for me.

 

[davelin315]

You can also get 15 gallon tubs for $5 each at Menards, they are light enough to carry full of water, and tough enough to drag across the floor full of water. As far as getting salt, buy a 200 gallon bucket of mix, you'll use it eventually, and the price will only be slightly higher than buying 2 bags, but probably a little less than buying 3 bags of salt.

 

[Anonymous]

One piece of advice if you do go with the 12 or so ifferent buckets. Once you mix the salt in the different buckets, take the time to mix the buckets together. This will even out the salinity and correct the slight differnces in the differnt buckets.

Another thought. How are you going to keep 12 diffent buckets at the right temperature?

B

 

[jamesw]

Here's how I would do it, but be advised, this requires some patience.

Set up the new tank hardware. Get it all in place, levelled, plumbed, etc. Then add your sand to the dry tank. Cover the sand w/ saran wrap and add RODI water slowly. Keep the sand covered and add your salt to a salinity of 36 or 37ppt. Circulate the tank water till ALL the salt is disolved, then remove the saran wrap. Make sure your heater is working.

Wait a day.

Add your new rock. Add your live sand. If you have a few pieces of cured rock from your other tank with NO CORALS on it, add those. Make sure your skimmer and lighting is working well. Wait until this is cycled.

NOW, and only now, would I transfer anything from the old tank to the new one.

HTH
James

 

[John 3:16]

if you do put the corals in there and you do get an ammonia spike have some extra water ready to do some water changes to help lower the ammonia. just a suggestion....