Aquired 2nd hand 50g up and running...now what?

[drclifton]

I am working on purchasing a ~50g half cylinder acrylic tank from someone local (~1 hour drive through Houston) and I needed some advice from the experts on how to handle the whole process as i am a major noob.

First with the basics. It is fully functional and running right now, but recently went through hurricane IKE and many of the species within perished, or are severely shocked. It had been running for 3+ years prior to Ike. The tank has about 40# of LS and 60# of LR, 2 paired clownfish, RBTA, green toadstool, a severely shocked green brain, and is currently suffering a massive aiptasia invasion. Absolutely everything is included in this bundle (skimmer, lights(250wMH), fuge, sump, etc.) so when I get it here it should be ready to go. Has Cheato and organisms in refugium.


My questions:
what should I do about the water? - parameters are good minus trates in the 15-20ppm range....should I keep all the water and use it, keep 50% and add a new 50% RO when i get it to my place?

What should I do with the LR/LS due to the aiptasia and such should I remove them and buy new, or leave them in?

Any special tips on moving specimens? I will have to break down the entire setup to get it home.

Any tips on how to set it up and get it running when i get it here?

All help is truly appreciated. If i left some info out that you need please ask.

[CBART]

This may not be the best idea, but this is how I got a 35gal home, that was up and running home.
1. remove creature and bag in tank water.
2. save as much clean tank water as possible in buckets.
3. remove rocks with as little disturbance to sand as possible.
4. place rocks in wet news papers or in buckets of fresh salt water.
(i only live 20mins from where I got the tank so I just put them in a dry bucket)
5. leave just enough water to cover the sand bed.
6. move tank with as little disturbance to sand bed as possible.
7. hall but home.
8. place rocks back in.
9. add water with out disturbing sand bed.
10. top off with fresh salt water.
11. run system 2-4hrs ( make sure water is clear and get Skimmer and Fuge running ASAP )
12. test water.
13. drip fish in.
14. leave light off until next day.
Change 3-5 gals of water after 2 days, then a gal every 2 days until you parameters are good. then deal with your Aptasia.
Good Luck My Friend......

[drclifton]

That is the way I was thinking about handling the situation...its nice to see it written out for me though. I am thinking that a couple trips might have to happen. I almost feel like i need to draw up blueprints on my plans though!

Thanks for the help, I truly appreciate it CBART.

How long would the inhabitants of this tank survive "packed up" in bags and boxes should something bad happen that delays my tank setup?

[rad3dad]

Well, where to start. "so when I get it here it should be ready to go". Unfortunately this will not be the case, in the since of throwing everything back together and plugging it in. Good to go....

I would have some tanks/totes ready to temporarily store the live rock/corals/fish for a while. I'm sure the sand bed is going to get stirred up pretty good, and there will be alot of silt floating around for a day or so.

You should bag up all the corals and put them in a styro box for the transport, keep them under water at all times, if possible. Buckets with sand will help for larger specimens. You could use the existing water to fill these tanks/totes to reduce the stress from different water conditions.

As for the tank, drain it, and leave the sand in, barely covered with water. When you get it home, fill with fresh mixed RO/DI water, use a plate to run the incoming water from the hose to land on instead of the sand. This will help to keep from stirring up the sand bed even more. Get the filters going. Once things clear up, you can put the live rock back in.

If you are able to wait on adding the fish and coral, it would be wise. There is a chance that the tank may cycle again, and you will have an ammonia spike.

The aptaisia issue is something you should decide if its something you want to try and battle. I'm not sure how bad the infestation is, but I'm sure you will run into them again down the road, and will need to battle them anyways. A syringe works great for these guys as a main tactic, curtain species will continue to keep them in check.

[rad3dad]

whoa, looks like cbart beat me to it :)

[CBART]

Well you have to figure that when they are shipped here from Indo/ Bali, etc. they are in transit for at least 24 hrs. But that is hoping they are in good condition before being packed. Mind you it is not uncommon to see 20-30% DOA. So I would have a back up plan ( a fellow reefer or a trust worthy LFS to hold on to them in case of an emergency ) I would aim for no more than 7-8 hrs in a bag for your new pets. Keep the temp in a good range and you should be OK. PS keep them in the dark (a towel over them or in a closed box to help reduce stress) .

[MileHighFish]

i moved my tank 850 miles!! You should be just fine!! do what has been suggested..

[drclifton]

Awesome advice! Thanks Rad3dad,

I am glad you posted, some various question were further answered with your post and I feel a bit more confident.

What is your take on cycling? should my tank have an ammonia spike how long will it take to digress so I can add the fish. I guess what I am asking is should I get some of the tank water and set up a temporary tank with the equipment I have here at my place before I take apart the tank in preparation for the move. That way I buy a little more time should the new tank have an ammonia spike.

If it would be beneficial to set up a temp tank, what all should/can i put into it?

[MileHighFish]

my tank was down a total of 6 days.. i had no choice to put all live stock back in a.s.a.p.. i had no die off, or ammonia spike.. it was like doing a huge W/C.. lol

[rad3dad]

Thx Doc! :)

You should probably be able to detect the ammonia rising within a few days if it is going to happen. If it does spike up on you, you will see it fall back down, then a few days later the nitrites will spike, then nitrates. After the nitrates drop back down, the harmful cycle is over. I doubt it will last that long, if it does happen, no more then a couple weeks. Raising the temp to lower/mid 80's will speed up the process.

I would use a tank for the fish and coral, bare bottom with correct heat range and water flow, with a bit of shelter for the fish to hide by. You should use this same set up to quarantine all new fish before adding to your display tank in the future.

The rock wouldn't need much storage time, a rubber-maid trash can or storage tote and a power head would be fine for a day or two.

Also, make sure you have adequate time to get things moved around. You will be amazed how long it takes to get those rocks stacked up just right.

Good Luck!

[drclifton]

Wow! the guy I bought this setup from was right to steer me towards this forum with the questions I had. The advice is awesome and I really appreciate all your help.