Suggestions for replacing a tank

[Peterkennett]

I have a 40 gallon reef tank that has been doing great for three years. But today I noticed a crack in the top corner, above the waterline. I'm afraid it will propagate over time, so I want to replace the tank with a new one soon. I added some JB weld to the corner to help slow the cracking down, but of course that's just a short term fix.

My question for the group are some best practices for replacing the tank, in the same location.
- Do I grab some plastic bins to hold all the rock, corals and fish while replacing the glass tank?
- If the sand will all be disturbed, do I need to take any precautions in the new tank until the microbes in the sand reestablish?
- Should I establish a new tank first fir a few months, and then do the move?

And and all ideas and suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Crustaceon]

I have a 40 gallon reef tank that has been doing great for three years. But today I noticed a crack in the top corner, above the waterline. I'm afraid it will propagate over time, so I want to replace the tank with a new one soon. I added some JB weld to the corner to help slow the cracking down, but of course that's just a short term fix.

My question for the group are some best practices for replacing the tank, in the same location.
- Do I grab some plastic bins to hold all the rock, corals and fish while replacing the glass tank?
- If the sand will all be disturbed, do I need to take any precautions in the new tank until the microbes in the sand reestablish?
- Should I establish a new tank first fir a few months, and then do the move?

And and all ideas and suggestions are appreciated!

Transferring to a plastic tote/brute can is standard procedure here. The most dangerous part is moving the sand and I highly recommend removing it and thoroughly rinsing it with tap water and a final rinse in rodi before adding it to the new tank. I usually do this on my back patio using a 20g trash can and a garden hose (rodi rinse is just poured in and the trash can is tip-emptied). It's going to require a lot of filling and stirring with the end goal of having perfectly clear water when you swish the sand around. After getting everything up to proper temperature and drip acclimating your fish to the additional 75% new saltwater you'll have to mix, put everything into the new tank. You'll likely get a very light cycle for a day or so but it shouldn't cause any problems with your livestock.

 

[fishguy242]

Hi, welcome to the reef ,
yes exactly bins , buckets , 75% new water , but rinse sand in buckets of existing water before adding to new
dip swish clean rocks in buckets of old water ,
would have place to keep fish 24- 48 hrs , while monitoring new tank params
should instacycle ,ready for fish when dust settles
dips done in 3 stage buckets

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 40 gallon reef tank that has been doing great for three years. But today I noticed a crack in the top corner, above the waterline. I'm afraid it will propagate over time, so I want to replace the tank with a new one soon. I added some JB weld to the corner to help slow the cracking down, but of course that's just a short term fix.

My question for the group are some best practices for replacing the tank, in the same location.
- Do I grab some plastic bins to hold all the rock, corals and fish while replacing the glass tank?
- If the sand will all be disturbed, do I need to take any precautions in the new tank until the microbes in the sand reestablish?
- Should I establish a new tank first fir a few months, and then do the move?

And and all ideas and suggestions are appreciated!

As I did a tank transfer and upgrade in Dec (see pics), I placed everything in tubs, put the new tank in place, added sand, filled 3/4 full and added salt the ran pumps. 6 hours later added rocks as tank cleared a little and next day added livestock back in.

 

[Devaji]

if you dont want to put all the work in to the sand you can gt new. with the LR you have and other bio filtration you *should be good.
I would have extra SW mix just in case you need to do more water changes.
also some of that ammonia lock stuff might not hurt either.

make sure you have water movement and heat in the bins.
I bet ppl in your area might have a 40br or other tank you could use while doing this.

 

[Crustaceon]

but rinse sand in buckets of existing water before adding to new

This

 

[JC1977]

Could be a good chance to ditch the sand altogether and go bare bottom!

 

[907_Reefer]

I just moved my tank to our new home - all rock, coral and livestock lived in 30 gallon totes with a heater and pump for 6 days. Re-used about 50% old SW and 50% new. I used new sand also, otherwise would agree to thoroughly rinse the old sand if you re-use.

 

[Idech]

I would start with new sand. It eventually needs to be replaced after so many years, so you’re adding time to your setup before you need to.

If you choose to rinse, make sure you do it until it runs clear. Do little buckets at a time. It might take you a whole hour of just rinsing, if not more. This the appeal of new sand.

 

[Spare time]

If you go with new sand, take some scoops from the top layer to bring some zooplankton over. The only concern with re-using sand is if your sandbed is nasty and/or has lots of hydrogen sulfide pockets.

 

[KrisReef]

I have a 40 gallon reef tank that has been doing great for three years. But today I noticed a crack in the top corner, above the waterline. I'm afraid it will propagate over time, so I want to replace the tank with a new one soon. I added some JB weld to the corner to help slow the cracking down, but of course that's just a short term fix.

My question for the group are some best practices for replacing the tank, in the same location.
- Do I grab some plastic bins to hold all the rock, corals and fish while replacing the glass tank?
- If the sand will all be disturbed, do I need to take any precautions in the new tank until the microbes in the sand reestablish?
- Should I establish a new tank first fir a few months, and then do the move?

And and all ideas and suggestions are appreciated!

I hope you are going to rinse your sand until it pours out clear, as that will keep your move on target for no issues. The live rock in the tank should be enough to handle the rinse sand + live rock moved into the new tank, without issue. A bottle of bacteria is great for moral support but that should not be necessary to transfer into a new glass box.

You have already established the tank, and the sand will have hold lots of nutrients that are best removed during the move to avoid any problems hiding there. Waiting for a new tank to cycle with fish and coral and rocks in buckets is a completely risky move and should be avoided.

Set up bins, siphon water into them from the tank, add fish and a circulation, along with a heater set up if your water will get cold sitting in the bins. Pull the rock and set it in clean water in a seperate bin, maybe one rock in with the fish to help with the biological load. Rinse the rocks by swishing in the old tank as you move them. Pull the sand and rinse that as mentioned. Pull the old tank, chuck it off the balcony and put the new tank in its place. Put the rinsed sand in the tank, add fresh salt water. put the rocks in (watch out for displacement on this step). Get the new water up to temperature, and circulating and bring the fish home. GL