drewpate
06/12/2011, 04:35 AM
Im getting a good deal on craigslist on a 55 gallon with 70 lbs of live rock, overflow and sump with a stand, skimmer, a powerhead, sand, heater and some other misc. Items. Only two fish, a 3 stripe damsel and a clownfish. Also a 250 watt mh light.
From what I've gathered for the move I need new sand (too much disrubtance in the bed) a large icechest and towels for the rock, a five gallon buckets for the fish (I'm planning on bagging them and floating in the bucket and getting a local petshop to put oxygen in, if I can't find one to do that then use two seperate five gallon buckets with holes in the top.
At home I need a big container or tradhcan to mix enough sw in, a powerhead and heater for the water, and something to measure salinity with and sand.
The process should be, take fish out and put in bucket take live rock and drain water into the icechest covering with wet towels, drain down the tank as mich as possible. Either make a beeline to fish store for oxygen or go straight home (around an hour)
Get home, remove sand, add my own with a little leftover to seed. Fill with water from icechest and my own sw, put in rock, plumb the sump in (I'll worry about getting skimmer functional afterwards, then float the fish while slowly adding sw to the bag every fifteen minutes.
If I don't use the bags how shhould I acclimate? Just putting sw in to the bucket till it's mostly sw?
Is there anything that I missed and should be concerned with? I'd hate to lose the fish but they aren't why I'm buying the deal (didn't know about it till i emailed the poster) but I really am going to try my best to get them acclimated well. ill get a clean up crew a couple of days after the move assuming normal tests
How long should I have this running with cuc before adding any livestock? Should I let it mature awhile after testing normal just to make sure? I'm in no rush since I'll be slightly cash strappedfor awhile afterwards. Next purchase will be a decent rodi filter and depending upon what kind of skimmer it comes with a new one, followed by a diy rubbermaid refugium if I feel the need. Possibly another powerhead for flow.
Any advice is greatly appreciated as this is my first sw tank and my first of any tank in a long time.
Ps it will be a reef tank after the move which is why I jumped at 55 gallons with 70 lbs of rock with nice coralline growth on it already.
From what I've gathered for the move I need new sand (too much disrubtance in the bed) a large icechest and towels for the rock, a five gallon buckets for the fish (I'm planning on bagging them and floating in the bucket and getting a local petshop to put oxygen in, if I can't find one to do that then use two seperate five gallon buckets with holes in the top.
At home I need a big container or tradhcan to mix enough sw in, a powerhead and heater for the water, and something to measure salinity with and sand.
The process should be, take fish out and put in bucket take live rock and drain water into the icechest covering with wet towels, drain down the tank as mich as possible. Either make a beeline to fish store for oxygen or go straight home (around an hour)
Get home, remove sand, add my own with a little leftover to seed. Fill with water from icechest and my own sw, put in rock, plumb the sump in (I'll worry about getting skimmer functional afterwards, then float the fish while slowly adding sw to the bag every fifteen minutes.
If I don't use the bags how shhould I acclimate? Just putting sw in to the bucket till it's mostly sw?
Is there anything that I missed and should be concerned with? I'd hate to lose the fish but they aren't why I'm buying the deal (didn't know about it till i emailed the poster) but I really am going to try my best to get them acclimated well. ill get a clean up crew a couple of days after the move assuming normal tests
How long should I have this running with cuc before adding any livestock? Should I let it mature awhile after testing normal just to make sure? I'm in no rush since I'll be slightly cash strappedfor awhile afterwards. Next purchase will be a decent rodi filter and depending upon what kind of skimmer it comes with a new one, followed by a diy rubbermaid refugium if I feel the need. Possibly another powerhead for flow.
Any advice is greatly appreciated as this is my first sw tank and my first of any tank in a long time.
Ps it will be a reef tank after the move which is why I jumped at 55 gallons with 70 lbs of rock with nice coralline growth on it already.