Ok so here's the question I been struggling with the last few days. I want tk upgrade to a 90 gall and use my 55 as a sump! Awesome idea I know lol. Now, how the hell do you switch everything over without ruining shit? Like I have corals that have spread between rocks and I'd have to pull them off to move em. An as far as the sand goes what do you do there? I wanna upgrade but I'm beginning to think it's not worth the trouble.....
Upgrading tanks
- Thread starter Krazykarl
- Start date
- Status
Blob-79
Super Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2017
- Location
- Tillsonburg
I just switched tanks last weekend, man was it alot of work 
S
shayneh
Guest
I still have everything in my sump waiting for the display to arrive so I can start plumbing etc....I figure I might lose some corals but in the end it will all be worth it. ;D
Blob-79
Super Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2017
- Location
- Tillsonburg
you still havnt gotten your tank?
S
shayneh
Guest
LOL not yet.....supposed to be completed on Monday. They are only 5 days over the anticipated 10 day build and they did call me to let me know that some urgent jobs came in and for a discount I gave up my spot. I'm still trying to figure out how to plumb it all with everything in the sump. That or I might install the bulkheads and then block them and move everything up to the DT while I finish plumbing......a smarter man would sell the livestock and start fresh!
Krazykarl I would recommend you use new sand as you'll be stirring up a lot of nasty crud and the resulting die off could wipe out your tank.
Krazykarl I would recommend you use new sand as you'll be stirring up a lot of nasty crud and the resulting die off could wipe out your tank.
Blob-79
Super Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2017
- Location
- Tillsonburg
ya, as far as moving everything, if things have grown between rocks, you kind of have to cut the coral in half. Substrate, I agree with shayneh, I would replace it. or your going to have to spend hours cleaning it.
what I did shayneh when I switched over is basically what you have now,put all my livestock in my new sump. put the stand in place along with display, plumbed everything down to under the stand, and put valves on everything. I stopped plumbing and began to fill the tank. and got everthing ready to move livestock. before I moved my live stock, I jerry rigged a system to allow me to slowly cycle the new water from the display down to the sump and back up. This way everything was slowely acclimated. After a day of doing this I just moved everything over, drained the sump and put in in place, then finished the plumbing
what I did shayneh when I switched over is basically what you have now,put all my livestock in my new sump. put the stand in place along with display, plumbed everything down to under the stand, and put valves on everything. I stopped plumbing and began to fill the tank. and got everthing ready to move livestock. before I moved my live stock, I jerry rigged a system to allow me to slowly cycle the new water from the display down to the sump and back up. This way everything was slowely acclimated. After a day of doing this I just moved everything over, drained the sump and put in in place, then finished the plumbing
Holy hell. That seems like waytoo much headache. Fuck. Lol. Sorry for the language but man... All for a bigger tank? Hmm.... Gonna give this some thought cuz now I'll have to upgrade my skimmer, flow, heaters, more water, etc... Wow. Starting to seem almost not worth it. Maybe I'll set up a fowlr tank with triggers and whatnot separately lol... Keep the 55 with the corals...
Blob-79
Super Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2017
- Location
- Tillsonburg
ya its alot of work. If you want to see my change over process and build I have a thread going on the KWAS forums
http://www.kwas.ca/forum/showthread.php?19327-blob-79-s-75gallon-build!!
If you decide to get some triggers let me know, I still have a clown, picasso and a niger
http://www.kwas.ca/forum/showthread.php?19327-blob-79-s-75gallon-build!!
If you decide to get some triggers let me know, I still have a clown, picasso and a niger
iantower
Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2010
- Location
- Sarnia, Ontario
Oh its fun buddy, you will break a sweat and swear a few times but in the end it's worth it.
All I did was first plan... write it down... draw pics if you have to... have a timetable...
i cut corals that had grown between rocks or on rocks that I knew I wanted to move in the new setup (planning).
I had about 10 5gal buckets for the transfer and this is what I did....
Filled as many buckets as I needed with water and placed corals in them, depending on sensitivities I decided which ones would be in buckets longest.
Now with all the corals out of the tank I had fish and base/live rock left.
(During the process I had an air pump running that I kept moving from one 5gal bucket to the other to keep water oxygenated and had my tank heater switched every 10mins or so from one to the other as well)
Now I removed all my live rock and aquascaped the base (the live rock that had corals on it that are in the buckets are going to be the main pieces)
Now I took out as much water as I could from the old tank, with out siphoning any of the substrate, and filled the new tank as much as possible.
With little water left in the old tank I removed all the fish and placed them in the new tank, they will hide for the rest of the day lol.
Then I removed the rest of the water, will need a mug for this.
Now depending on the upgrade you may need to have to add some makeup, I had 50gals pre-made and close to temp (around 75 and tank runs at 80) but I didnt need any at this point.
I took my first coral bucket and placed rock/corals in tank and poured in water.
So on and so on till everything was in.
Topped off the display with about 25gals of water.
Plumbed my sump and unhooked and hooked up all electronics to new tank. Positioned powerheads. Put all heaters in main display until sump was complete. Added stress coat. Put a air stone in display until sump was done.
After plumbing and equipment was hooked up in sump I filled with all new makeup water.
Started all equipment.
My return pump was pinched off to main display to allow slower mixing and diverted the rest to inlet of sump.
After about an hour of this I I put everything to normal operation and put all equipment were I wanted it to remain.
Left it for the night.
the next day when the water had settled (I added some clarity stuff the night before) I did a little rearranging of aquascaping until I was happy (we are never completely happy) and enjoyed the first day of my upgrade.
Now the clean up of the old system lol.... thats not fun.
Hope this puts it a kind of perspective.... be organized and have enough time to complete it because once you start you cant stop... I guess you could eat some pringles to while your at it lol.
Cheers!
All I did was first plan... write it down... draw pics if you have to... have a timetable...
i cut corals that had grown between rocks or on rocks that I knew I wanted to move in the new setup (planning).
I had about 10 5gal buckets for the transfer and this is what I did....
Filled as many buckets as I needed with water and placed corals in them, depending on sensitivities I decided which ones would be in buckets longest.
Now with all the corals out of the tank I had fish and base/live rock left.
(During the process I had an air pump running that I kept moving from one 5gal bucket to the other to keep water oxygenated and had my tank heater switched every 10mins or so from one to the other as well)
Now I removed all my live rock and aquascaped the base (the live rock that had corals on it that are in the buckets are going to be the main pieces)
Now I took out as much water as I could from the old tank, with out siphoning any of the substrate, and filled the new tank as much as possible.
With little water left in the old tank I removed all the fish and placed them in the new tank, they will hide for the rest of the day lol.
Then I removed the rest of the water, will need a mug for this.
Now depending on the upgrade you may need to have to add some makeup, I had 50gals pre-made and close to temp (around 75 and tank runs at 80) but I didnt need any at this point.
I took my first coral bucket and placed rock/corals in tank and poured in water.
So on and so on till everything was in.
Topped off the display with about 25gals of water.
Plumbed my sump and unhooked and hooked up all electronics to new tank. Positioned powerheads. Put all heaters in main display until sump was complete. Added stress coat. Put a air stone in display until sump was done.
After plumbing and equipment was hooked up in sump I filled with all new makeup water.
Started all equipment.
My return pump was pinched off to main display to allow slower mixing and diverted the rest to inlet of sump.
After about an hour of this I I put everything to normal operation and put all equipment were I wanted it to remain.
Left it for the night.
the next day when the water had settled (I added some clarity stuff the night before) I did a little rearranging of aquascaping until I was happy (we are never completely happy) and enjoyed the first day of my upgrade.
Now the clean up of the old system lol.... thats not fun.
Hope this puts it a kind of perspective.... be organized and have enough time to complete it because once you start you cant stop... I guess you could eat some pringles to while your at it lol.
Cheers!
S
shayneh
Guest
LOL I already planned on it taking a 12pack of Corona to complete..... (per 24hr period).
F
fishit
Guest
not that bad the worst part is getting your rock to the Way you want it !! i just switched from a 55 to a 110 and not a big deal didn't even loose a coral or a fish! all i did is had the 110 ready and plumbed then made up some salt water and fild the tank half way with heaters then switched all my live stock to the 110 display and transherd all the water from the 55 to keep the parameters kinda close i think it was kinda the same idea as doing a 50 percent water change!! then the sand get a container and scoop it up not a bad job then just build your sump the display will b OK with no sump for a little while just keep it aerated and heated
lewis844
Member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2010
- Location
- Wallaceburg, Ontario
have fun with the move hope you have helpful friends to help you ( and a case of ice cold beer)
Hey fishit you said you put your fish and corals directly into the new saltwater u made? Then added the water from the 55? I was toldnot to add the sand from old tank to new.... Any thoughts or problems? Gonna be doing a 180 soon! After I build a stand and figure out plumbing and overflow. Might be a while lol
M
mxdan
Guest
I whent to wallmart and got a couple of those big round buckets with the rope handles. And kept my fish and live rock in those with the tanks water, until the display tank was ready. I also used my original sand and added to it. Just make sure you test and use as much of the original water you can. My fish lived in those buckets only for 4 or 5 days.
- Status