Ready for a bigger tank.

johannas

Member
Hi Iam thinking of getting a bigger tank.My 29g Bio cube is doing well,but i would like some more fish of course.
What would be the best way to move stuff over. New water first and cycle or old water first with everything in it and add new water after ?
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank#post_3524558
Hi Iam thinking of getting a bigger tank.My 29g Bio cube is doing well,but i would like some more fish of course.
What would be the best way to move stuff over. New water first and cycle or old water first with everything in it and add new water after ?
LOL...you got the bug!
IF IT'S JUST A SWAP>>>>You only need to set up the new tank and add everything from the old one...add the amount of new sand first, (after the rock) so the older sand is on top to seed it. You won't have to worry about adding the extra the water, most of the good bacteria is on the rock and sand. The bacteria is already enough for the fish you have, so moving them won't be a problem either.
New rock...if the new rock you add is fully cured, you're good to go, otherwise put new rock in a tub and cure it that way, before adding it to the new tank to prevent a mini cycle.
I would not add any new fish directly into the new display, use your old smaller tank as a quarantine....Soooo.... how big of a new tank are you going for?
 

johannas

Member
Thanks so much for the info.Not sure yet what size I will get.
I have limited space.Hopefully 50-60 gal.
I have to say the Bio Cube was a great starter for me.I learned alot from it.
Now I guess I will have to watch out and not add to big of a fish or my little guys will be eaten lol.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank#post_3524621
Thanks so much for the info.Not sure yet what size I will get.
I have limited space.Hopefully 50-60 gal.
I have to say the Bio Cube was a great starter for me.I learned alot from it.
Now I guess I will have to watch out and not add to big of a fish or my little guys will be eaten lol.
The 56g column is an awesome tank, half the space of a regular 55g. Corals in the lower depths would have to be the type that doesn't require strong lighting... It's hard to get strong light down that deep. You would have to stock the tank with fish that like to swim around and through the rock, since there isn't much long space. A dwarf angelfish would be very happy in such a tank. Seahorses need height, and that's why I purchased mine.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank#post_3524694
Thank youFlower. How long have you been doing the salt water thing? Been 2 years for me now.
LOL...it's supposed to be a fun hobby, you make it sound like a prison sentence.

I kept freshwater tanks since I was 15. I got a job at Taco bell and my first paycheck was spent on a little 10g tank. I started my first saltwater tank in July of the year 2000, so that's 13 years, since July begins next Monday. I joined this site in Feb 2009, and I learned more in one month here, then the 9 years before. I'm still constantly leaning stuff. Saltwater tanks make me feel young again, the discovery of something new never stops....I don't have to do a thing, the tank just morphs as it goes. I have been keeping seahorses for the last couple of years. I have enjoyed seahorses more then any fish I have ever kept.
Since we are sharing info... I have a 90g that I changed from a reef to a cold water potbelly seahorse tank, and I have a 56g in my bedroom with Kuda seahorses. I have a brand new little 15g in the garage, but I can't find any room in the house for it....I WAS going to try and raise SH babies, but I can't take care of the tanks I already have set up. I hired a lady to come help me with water changes since I can't climb safely on a step ladder anymore.
 

johannas

Member
Sea Horses that's amazing.LOL,no it's not a prison sentence.I am loving my tank.
Guess that's why the bigger one.Kind of addicting lol.
Thanks so much for your input.
 

johannas

Member
Morning Flower
I have a problem,hoping you can help or give me some insight.
I am ready to purchase my new tank. However I have been battling with Aiptasia for a while now.
I have used AiptasiaX several times and it's not working to great.I know I could remove the live rock it is on when I change tanks.
The issue is my cony anemone is on the same rock.
Any ideas?
thanks Jo
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank#post_3525389
Morning Flower
I have a problem,hoping you can help or give me some insight.
I am ready to purchase my new tank. However I have been battling with Aiptasia for a while now.
I have used AiptasiaX several times and it's not working to great.I know I could remove the live rock it is on when I change tanks.
The issue is my cony anemone is on the same rock.
Any ideas?
thanks Jo
Hi,
Zap the big ones with aptasia X, and get you some peppermint shrimp to eat the little ones that crop up later. Those little buggers are awesome! Not too long ago, I was overrun with aptasia as well. Anything you do near them causes them to spread like fire. You certainly don't want to swap it out and put into another tank, don't even touch that rock until it's aptasia clear. The aptasia X is poison to your wanted anemone as well. Be very careful, and make sure you only squirt the aptasia X right into the open disc, and not let any as much as possible float away towards the good anemone.
 

johannas

Member
I have used aiptasia x,at least 4 times now on the larger one.Has not done one bit of good.
Sucker does not want to die.I really don't want to bring this stuff to my new tank.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Have u tried hot water? I took my piece of lr out of the tank w the apatasia on it. Then poured hot water on it. No more apt!!! Lol I wouldn't do the whole rock but just where it is.
 

johannas

Member
That would be good if my cony anemone wasn't on the same rock lol
Think I will try the X again. Get some shrimp...........now there is a whole other ball of wax.
I have had shrimp several times. They do really well until they molt then they die.Shaking my head. lol
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Same w me!!!! Lol do u find them? Or do they just disappear? Also if your water is good the copper banded butterfly loves apatasia.
 

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Molt then die? Ouch! Molting is usually a good indicator that the shrimp are growing. Do you have good caves for them to hide in while the new shell hardens? They are very vulnerable immediately after molting. My shrimp molt almost monthly, and I don't see them for a couple of days after spotting their empty shells because they are backed way up in a small "cave" where predators can't get to them. I have two skunk cleaners and two peppermint shrimp, so there's a lot of molting going on in my tank. Not all peppermint shrimp will eat Aiptasia, but most can be trained to do so if they won't do it on their own. Feed them flake food for about a week or two, then stop for a few days. Then feed the Aiptasia as much flake food as you can. Once the shrimp get a whiff of the flake food, they'll shred the Aiptasia to bits to get at the food. Once they get a taste of the Aiptasia, you won't have a problem with it anymore. It worked for me.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Good idea lol. Idk what was whacking my shrimp post molt. But now the 4 I have ,have molted w out issue so idk
 

pegasus

Well-Known Member
If they make it past the first molt, they should be fine. Glad to hear they're doing good. If you have any peppermints, I hope they solve your Aiptasia problem, too. Copperbands are beautiful fish, but not too reef friendly.
 
You can do this in whatever way you want, but it would better to have all old one first and new after this, but the older sand after the new sand will be even better and I do not see any issue with that.
 

johannas

Member
Well Flower I did it.Got a new nuvo aquarium....38gl.
Took us about 9 hrs to get everything changed over from my bio cube.
All my fish lived through the trauma.I was amazed.
Been 3 weeks now still have alot of stuff floating in the tank,I now have a skimmer.
I have no idea what I am doing with it.One person says you need to see bubbles another says no ?????
Another thing that is bugging me is how fast the water evaporates. I know with the back open it happens,
but it goes down fairly quickly.
think I am not liking the filter baskets and medium that came with the tank.
So the jury is out on my new tank.Any suggestions.
 

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Good to hear your fish survived. Yes, your skimmer should have bubbles. LOTS of bubbles, as this is what pulls the particulate out of the water. Some may have different opinions, but I've found that smaller bubbles in high volume will remove more than lots of large bubbles. You will have to adjust the water level to about 1 1/2 - 2 inches from the top of the tube. With a little practice, you will be able to distinguish where the water level becomes separate from just bubbles. The bubbles should not reach the top of the tube until they start taking on a brown tint. If clear, white bubbles are reaching the top and the water in the collection cup is light brown, lower the water level just a touch. Darker is better, because you're removing more particulate without taking any more water than necessary. It may take a day or two (or more) to dial it in, but once you find that sweet spot it'll be easier to find it afterwards. The key to skimmer efficiency is to tune it to the max, and keep it CLEAN. The top of the tube will become coated with gook, and this will lessen it's effectiveness. I think many will agree that cleaning the tube and collection cup twice a week is the norm.
 
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