PDA

View Full Version : Moving shortly, what to do with DSB?


Nereaga
12/18/2008, 08:34 PM
Hello All,

I need some help from fellow reefers! I am moving in the beginning on January about 20 miles away, not bad.

Some background: 75g tank, setup for a year now, 100lbs of LR, 180lbs of LS

What I am doing is removing corals, fish, and LR to a 100g stock tank to hold while I clean and move all equipment to new house. I have 180lbs of sugar size sand in my tank. I want to remove it and clean it and re-use it.

Should I:

1. Rinse with tap water and start over with the sand?

2. Rinse with fresh SW?

3. Rinse with RO/DI water?

I would like to try and keep the bacteria alive. The more I have the less the mini-cycle I will have. I have a 5g bucket of salt to use, and all my pre-filter and resin has been changed in my RO/DI filter. So I am prepared to mix/use a lot of water if neccessary.

What would you guys suggest?

Thanks guys!

Brad

plyr58
12/18/2008, 08:43 PM
I would first remove all the live rock that you can without moving any pieces resting on the sand. Then I would catch all the fish that it is possible to catch without removing the rest of the rock. Then slowly and carefully remove the liverock. Catch the rest of the fish. Then I would drain most of the water from the tank and begin moving sand into buckets.

Once at the new location set up a brute garbage can with about 20 gallons of saltwater. Fill it with sand stirring frequently. Siphon out the water, replace, and stir again. Repeat a few times.

This should release most of the hydrogen sulfide in the sand.

All said and done, if it were me I would use about 10 to 20 cups of the old sand to seed a new sand bed. Your liverock should have more than enough bacteria in it to keep any mini-cycle very minor.

lurch
12/18/2008, 08:46 PM
Keep the sand in the tank with tank water just above the sand line. I wouldn't disturb your DSB.

Hop
12/18/2008, 08:49 PM
I would start completely over with new sand;)

Nereaga
12/18/2008, 08:50 PM
The 100lbs of rock is actually 2+ years old, I am hoping that will hold the cycle off to minimum.

Good point on re-seeding it with a bunch of sand that was not washed! I didn't think of that....

Anyone else with some advice? This is my first time moving a setup!

Thanks Plyr58!

Nereaga
12/18/2008, 08:52 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13973178#post13973178 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lurch
Keep the sand in the tank with tank water just above the sand line. I wouldn't disturb your DSB.

Won't I jeopordize the tank with moving it with 180lbs of sand in it? Not to mention the drive of 20 miles in my truck?

Nereaga
12/18/2008, 08:53 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13973204#post13973204 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hop
I would start completely over with new sand;)

I can't afford new sand right now..... I need to re-use this sand or go BB....

Nereaga
12/18/2008, 09:02 PM
Next question, Should I go bare bottom?

I can always add sand later I guess....

lurch
12/18/2008, 09:14 PM
I moved mine with sand in it. I guess it could break.

Hop
12/18/2008, 09:15 PM
My rule of thumb is nothing good ever comes from reusing a DSB... I read time and time again and experienced it myself even after drying, rinsing, rinsing and re-rinsing. Took me months to fix the problem after removing the sand, cooking rock and implementing a lot of hours to get things back in check. JME though, others may have other experience;)

Nereaga
12/18/2008, 09:25 PM
Ok thanks Hop!

I guess I can just do a shallow sandbed for looks....