anizatoreef
Guest
Hey reefers. I am somewhat stumped/terrified of my next step in this hobby and am seeking as much help as I can muster before the date arrives.
I have had a 50 gal reef for 18 months or so. I was never in love with the tank itself and it is finally time to upgrade to a Red Sea Reefer 425XL in November/December
I need advice on how to transfer the tank since it will be placed in the same spot as the 50. I will be using all new 90ish pounds of CYCLED Rock from my LFS to speed up Cycling. Sand will be all new.
Current equipment:
2 Kessil A360WE
1 Vortech mp10
1 Vortech mp40
Octopus Skimmer 150NWB
Eheim 1260 Return
GFO Reactor
Was thinking of adding another Vortech mp40, Carbon Reactor, Dosing Device (advice?), Vectra M1 & Apex
The best case scenario is that this will be done in one afternoon, in a few hours, after the Reefer is built, leak tested and dry.
Ideally it goes like this in my head, once the Reefer is ready.
Unmount Kessils & Vortechs & Skimmer.
Remove as much water as possible from old system and move it out of the way, with fish and coral inside still.
Place the Reefer 425XL in place and level it. (I have uneven tile flooring so this will be tricky).
Aquascape 425XL & sand it. Mount Kessils, Vortechs, Skimmer and rest of equipment.
Fill 425XL and add BioSpira.
So far so good? This is where I get lost... I think.
How long should I wait after the BioSpira to add my fish?
I currently have:
2 Clownfish (1Flurry+1Onyx)
2 Female Bipartitus Wrasse
1 Blue Hippo Tang
1 Powder Blue Tang
2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp
4 anemones + several coral pieces.
The main reason I am stumped is because I want to avoid using the rock in my current system as it is full of some slime/bacteria that continues to grow and infest the tank, making my coral not grow and just survive as frags. Of course my wife dislikes this idea since many coral will be lost if we discard the current rock. I have tried dosing Dr. Tim's Re-Fresh and Waste Away, it has helped a little but I can never know if I am doing anything wrong.
Will pressure hosing the rock and dipping it in Peroxide remove it 100%? I tried a peroxide dip already on some of the rocks I was able to take out of the tank, but most of the slime grew back onto the dipped rock despite my efforts to baste it away. I would hate to lose the few sps I have encrusting on the rock. Also, how do you remove anemones from the rocks they are attached to?
Can I use the old system as a quarantine tank and just dose Copper in there for a couple of months keeping all the fish in there? What is the right or proper thing to do? Where should I place all the rock/coral meanwhile?
I would love to keep my same fish and my anemones.
I have had a 50 gal reef for 18 months or so. I was never in love with the tank itself and it is finally time to upgrade to a Red Sea Reefer 425XL in November/December
I need advice on how to transfer the tank since it will be placed in the same spot as the 50. I will be using all new 90ish pounds of CYCLED Rock from my LFS to speed up Cycling. Sand will be all new.
Current equipment:
2 Kessil A360WE
1 Vortech mp10
1 Vortech mp40
Octopus Skimmer 150NWB
Eheim 1260 Return
GFO Reactor
Was thinking of adding another Vortech mp40, Carbon Reactor, Dosing Device (advice?), Vectra M1 & Apex
The best case scenario is that this will be done in one afternoon, in a few hours, after the Reefer is built, leak tested and dry.
Ideally it goes like this in my head, once the Reefer is ready.
Unmount Kessils & Vortechs & Skimmer.
Remove as much water as possible from old system and move it out of the way, with fish and coral inside still.
Place the Reefer 425XL in place and level it. (I have uneven tile flooring so this will be tricky).
Aquascape 425XL & sand it. Mount Kessils, Vortechs, Skimmer and rest of equipment.
Fill 425XL and add BioSpira.
So far so good? This is where I get lost... I think.
How long should I wait after the BioSpira to add my fish?
I currently have:
2 Clownfish (1Flurry+1Onyx)
2 Female Bipartitus Wrasse
1 Blue Hippo Tang
1 Powder Blue Tang
2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp
4 anemones + several coral pieces.
The main reason I am stumped is because I want to avoid using the rock in my current system as it is full of some slime/bacteria that continues to grow and infest the tank, making my coral not grow and just survive as frags. Of course my wife dislikes this idea since many coral will be lost if we discard the current rock. I have tried dosing Dr. Tim's Re-Fresh and Waste Away, it has helped a little but I can never know if I am doing anything wrong.
Will pressure hosing the rock and dipping it in Peroxide remove it 100%? I tried a peroxide dip already on some of the rocks I was able to take out of the tank, but most of the slime grew back onto the dipped rock despite my efforts to baste it away. I would hate to lose the few sps I have encrusting on the rock. Also, how do you remove anemones from the rocks they are attached to?
Can I use the old system as a quarantine tank and just dose Copper in there for a couple of months keeping all the fish in there? What is the right or proper thing to do? Where should I place all the rock/coral meanwhile?
I would love to keep my same fish and my anemones.