75 -> 90 Tank Move and Upgrade BUILD LOG

[LobsterOfJustice]

Hello everyone,

I figured that my situation was somewhat unique so I would start a thread detailing the progress of my tank (after all, everyone else has their own thread, right?).

BACKGROUND INFO:
I am 17, and am starting college at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in the fall. I am living off campus in an apartment, and my fish tank is coming with me!

THE OLD TANK:
My 75 gallon reef has been set up for almost four years in my parents basement in Maryland (7 hour drive from my current location). All my money goes into this tank, so it has pretty darn good equipment. Here is a picture of the old tank, right before being ripped apart:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/FTS.jpg

I had a hole cut in the wall behind the tank, and all the equipment was in a workroom behind the tank (yes, I know I have the best parents in the world). Here is the workroom (picture was also posted in the "messiest equipment setup" thread):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/2345.jpg


So, I figured the best way to move the tank would be to set up a new tank at my apartment, then transfer everything from one established tank to another. So I bought a used 90 gallon tank and 30 breeder. So a few days ago I swapped out my sump (another 30 breeder, but with baffles) with the 30 breeder, and tore apart the reef structure in my main tank. I put half of the live rock in a rubbermaid brute trash can, filled it with water from a water change, and put it in my moms van, along with my 90g, stand, and sump. All of the corals and fish are still at home in my 75.

I arrived and began to plumb in the new tank. My dad makes a run to the bank, and apparently drives like a maniac because the WHOLE TRASH CAN FALLS OVER IN THE BACK OF THE VAN (was fine for 7 hours while my mom was driving...)! Now I have a ton of rock, and ZERO gallons of water. My only option was to take tap water, mix it with some salt mix, and throw the rock in there after about 30 minutes. After a few days, and 10 trips to lowes, the 90 is plumbed in and filled with saltwater (made from RODI). I take the rock out of the trash can, which is now filled with brown water (visibility about 6 inches), and STINKS. There are dead bristleworms and peanut worms hanging off the rock, and I found a collection of shells at the bottom of the can from all the limpets and chitons that were alive just a few days ago, but all have since died.

Anyway, the rock is in the tank now. I go to hook up the tunze osmolator for topoff and that apparently doesnt work now. I have no idea why. I am driving back to maryland for a week and then making the second trip down with all the coral and fish. So I turned off the return pump and skimmer pump threw a few powerheads in the 90, and left for 12 days. Oh yeah, there are no heaters in the tank either because both of them stuck on.

STATS OF THE 75:
2x 250 watt halides 10K
2x 110w VHO
MRC-2 skimmer powered by GEN-X PCX 70
Aquatic Systems Design dual chamber calcium reactor
2x Tunze 6000 on a multicontroller
30g breeder sump
30g breeder frag tank (175w MH, fed by skimmer pump)
Return is a mag 7 put through a seaswirl

I generally follow the barebotom philosophy, but with sand. I have good flow so nothing settles and rots and I run an oversized beckett skimmer very wet. I feed the tank very heavily, usually about 4 times every day, a frozen cube each feeding. When I am not home to feed, I have an eheim feed-air feed the equivilent amount of flakes and pellets. I believe in providing a huge variety of foods for my fish, and I rotate out about 10 different kinds of frozen foods and 10 kinds of dry foods. Basically, whenever I am at a fish store and see a type of food I do not feed, I pick it up.

Fish (currently in 75, going into 90):
1 Majestic Angel
1 Mimic Lemonpeel Tang
1 Mandarin
4 Lyretail Anthias (3 female 1 male)
1 Unknown Damsel
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Solarensis Wrasse
1 Scribbled Rabbitfish
2 Occelaris Clowns
1 Dwarf Lion in the frag tank

The new tank will have most of the same equipment, but I am adding a closed loop (sequence dart and 2 seaswirls + other outlets). I will also be switching my bulbs to XM 20K.

So anyway, here are some current pictures.

The 75 now, disassembled:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/75.jpg

The 75 workroom now, disassembled:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/75equipment.jpg

The new 90, closeup:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/90.jpg

The new 90 equipment (another 30 breeder will go where the white bucket is). I have only plumbed in the tank and sump, two more 30 breeders will be plumbed in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/newequipment.jpg

The whole new room. A curtian will be hung to cover the equipment to hide it. The equipment is inside the closet, and the doors have been taken off the closet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/tankroom.jpg

So thats it for now.... let me know what you think. I will update with all progess made.

[Poorcollegereef]

cool, thanks for the link, it was 7 hours from my old apartment in VA to my townehouse in Clemson. I am gald you are making several trips, I had to do it in one trip. I divided my rock and tanks into 5 gallon buckets and coolers in a rented white van. (It make it easier on the back) Unfortunately I lost several sps with only one colony surviving but it looks as if your parents are more "supportive"


Another think, if you have roomates, I would suggest that you should take extra care concerning the powerbill. Setup a contract/agreement based on how much energy you system uses. Your looks to be much more energy using than my system and roomies will blame you (correctly or incorrectly) for the bill. I had one who claqmed my tank was using $80 of the $120 dollar bill and dispite a killawatt reading/elec calculator, he would not back down (but demanded we keep the AC at 64 degrees 24/7) (My total bill for June in my new place was $43 with the AC at 76 for the entire month with a bigger new pump and 400w lights) In any case, goodluck and if you need any advice of keeping a college tank I have some experience and have even been the reason for banning tanks over 20 gallons in a college dorm. Haha goodluck!

[easye123]

very nice man. U defenetly having reefing skills.

Keep us updated, That 75g is amazing!!

[LobsterOfJustice]

Here is the plus and minus of the roommate/electricity deal... my room mate is my girlfriend... who has her own 30 gallon tank :) Actually, our electricity is already included in the rent anyway.

[Poorcollegereef]

Ok, I understand completely! My new roomate is my fiance and I pay the electric bill so that she wont fuss over the tanks. The whole argument over the bill was in an apartment with elec included... up to $100 a month and my old roommate didnt was to put in his 25% because he... was an ***. NE way cograts on the digs. ~PCR

[LobsterOfJustice]

Everything is moved. The mandarin, cleaner shrimp, and solarensis wrasse were dead on arrival at the apartment. I'm pretty bummed about the mandarin, he was my first fish. So here are a few pics. The new XM 20K make the pictures look really blue, its not this blue in person. I very much like the actual color.

Here is a picture of the fish room after taking everything out of my car. What a &@#^($& mess.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/100_1269.jpg

Here are two photos of the tank. Couldnt decide which I liked better so I posted them both.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/100_1271.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/Saltwater%20Tank/100_1273.jpg

[LobsterOfJustice]

I hung a curtain over the closet, and used velcro to cover up the underside of the stand. I will probably do something different with the stand... painting will be tough though, because it's on carpet. The other problem is heat build up in the closet. After having the curtain closed for less than an hour, the temp in the closet had risen to 5 degrees above the temp in the tank room. So I guess I have to get some fans to get some air circulation in there. Since my last tank had a workroom behind it, I'm not used to cramming everything into small spaces. I have no idea how most of you people fit everything under the stand. Here are some current pictures.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/tankroom2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/tankroom1.jpg

Here is the stand with the "skirt" removed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/stand.jpg

And the closet with the curtains moved aside. I managed to fit a 30 sump, 30 frag tank, and 30 tank for waterchanges in there, among other things:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/LobsterOfJustice/closet.jpg

Within the next few weeks I expect to add a mated pair of Stonogobiops yasha with a shrimp, and a copperband butterfly. Eventually I think I would also like a McCoskers Flasher Wrasse. I'm not sure whether I am going to do the closed loop at this point... I can re-sell the sequence dart and seaswirls, and save myself a few days of plumbing headaches. Also, I tripped the breaker the other day when I plugged in a 150w lamp, which I removed, so I dont think the room can handle the pump. My two tunze 6000's have been good to me anyway. I might just use the hole as a backup drain.

So that's it for now.

[gkimble]

love your tank and fish selection. I would love to have a setup that nice. looks like you have a good fultime job to afford that stuff.

[Nano Chris]

Looks good, but a little messy for me, i think id trip and fall or mess something up if i had mine setup like your first one lol.

But if it works I'm not going to knock it lol.

[Poorcollegereef]

looking good, I use a small fan for my closet tanks... mostly to prevent mold from the humidity, but then again it has a full wooden door and old shag carpet. hahaha, yeah...