Minimizing shock moving from establish to 100% new

[Fitz19d]

Ok, getting the tank started this week and find it may be a little awkward. I'm buying live rock, sump/refuge/skimmer/overflow/powerheads, and some misc corals leftover from a guy that was breaking down his tank.

My current plan is to fill my tank probably about 3/4 full with new saltwater. I already have eggcrate down and I was going to put one bag of argonite down to fill in the squares then the second bag after the live rock is in to minimize shifting due to a heavy digging critter.

From there I will be having him and I transport all the equipment and live stuff over at once and help me set up all the equipment quick. Live rock in buckets with his water as well as probably a cup of his sand to help seed my substrate. Coral frags in another container, though some of them are on the aforementioned live rock.

Because he's breaking it down and I'm taking the equipment I can't allow the rocks to do any cycling they may do before putting the coral in. So other than transporting asap and getting them in the new tank with a mix of new water and their tank water, is there anything I can do to maximize the chances of not killing off the zoa/xenia/green polyp/mushrooms?

[AWDcameoLSX]

Try adding some seachem stability during this process and will speed along the cycle with all that live rock might barely have one. Would definitely keep some rodi ready for frequent water changes though.

[Fitz19d]

That's been my other fun bit. Getting a rodi in another month or two, was going to make due topping off with distilled or maybe an additional bucker or 3 from the fish store (bit of a drive.) That's what I'm doing today is making a few trips back and forth picking up 20 gallons at a time to fill it. (45g tank but receiving a 20g refugium though probably more like 10-15 after equipment and leaving room for backflow)

[EllieSuz]

I don't think you need to add any kind of chemical to the tank. If the rock you're moving doesn't have time to dry out, you shouldn't have much of an ammonia spike, if any. Have plenty of fresh saltwater prepared for water changes if you need them. I would rethink the egg crate if I were you. Once the sand gets into those little squares it can get pretty rotten. There was a short period of time when egg crate on the bottom seemed like a good idea, but views on that changed and it's usually frowned upon now. You plan looks good to me. I'm betting you won't have any problems with moving that rock.

[Fitz19d]

Got to love the internet, was readinga lot of it for keeping rock stable in threads lately, though admittedly maybe because it was older sticky noob posts.

Part of the reason I wanted it in there was to anchor the rock due to a mantis shrimp... Also when he does burrow have something to slow him down and hopefully prevent whacking the glass floor. Will have PVC as a suggested home for it to use. Currently I have the slightly larger argonite. Not big chunks but maybe like a smushed pea sized? Think that would still dead zone on me? Was only intending like 1-2 inch substrate.

The corals scare me. Wasn't part of my original plan and in my mind are these mystical snowflakes that die if you look at them wrong. Maybe that's really more SPS/NPS/Nems than the stuff I'm getting. But I still like being overcautious.

I'm really only getting them for a little color rather than main attraction, I was thinking a pest tank like IsleofTiki did. (get some colorful majano and let them go wild) But now I was thinking I could just let the waving hand xenia and green polyp stuff have a turf war and take over the tank? Then maybe some isolated rocks of zoa's that stay out of it?


-- Thanks guys for all the early morning replies, helps me do something productive on a boring-nothing happening night shift.