Questions about Upgrading

[marleesan]

I currently have a non drilled 37 gallon and want to upgrade with a 40 breeder with a sump. I do have some questions
1. What is the best return pump for this tank?
2. How much more live sand and rock do I need to buy for the tank?
3. And most importantly, the new tank will be in the same space as the current tank. What is the best process to switch the two tanks?

[brett559]

3 gallon upgrade?! Boooo!

If you're going to do all the work of an upgrade, make it worth it.

[marleesan]

The upgrade is to give me a sump and a better footprint. Any advice on the new tank?

[drummerboyevil]

At least move up to a 75. Opens up a lot of fish options. 120 is even better.


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[nereefpat]

1. Submersible or inline? It seems most folks on this board run about 5x per hr through the sump. I do a little more. 200-300gph might be something to shoot for. Keep in mind head pressure.

2. You probably won't need anymore rock. It's more an aesthetic thing that is up to you. Most people won't recommend reusing the sand.

3. Can you drain the current one, then scoot it out of the way, the refill it while you set up the new one? Is there a lot of livestock involved?

[thegrun]

1. I like the tried and true Eheim 1260 return pump.
2. If the tank is 6 months old or older I would not reuse the sand. I doubt you need more rock, you are only adding 3 gallons of water to your display tank.
3. Start fresh with dry sand. Be sure to wash the sand well before using it. To wash the sand place 5 pounds or so at a time in a 5 gallon bucket. Use a garden hose at full flow to agitate the sand. The finer grains of sand will overflow the top of the bucket, leaving the larger grains behind. Continue to agitate the water until it runs clear. I would not use "live" sand as it can contain more dead than live organisms and has the potential to start a new cycle (and cost more to purchase since you are paying for water). Try to reuse as much clean water from the old system as possible to lessen the shock of new water chemistry on your livestock. Once the water from the old tank starts to get murky from stirred up detritus, don't reuse that water. Have plenty of new premade and preheated saltwater on hand to make up for the lost water. I would plan on pre-making 50% of your display tank's volume and have it ready for use. 5 gallon buckets with lids are your best friend for a tank move. Anything larger becomes very heavy to move. Start by filling three buckets 1/3 with water from the tank and then add the rock from the system to one of the buckets. Continue filling buckets first with water, then rock until you have removed all the rock. Save a couple of half full buckets of clean water from the tank for the fish. Once all the rock has been removed, the fish should be easy to catch. Some fish will burrow into the sand to hide so if you come up short on your fish count you may need to sift through the sand to find the missing fish. Once you have removed the old tank and the have the new tank in place, first set up your rock. Try to minimize the amount of time the rock is out of the water. If aquascaping the rock takes you awhile, pour some of the saltwater from the old set-up on the rock to keep it wet. Once the rock is set fill the tank with all the old water and whatever new water is necessary. You can just dump the fish directly from the buckets into the new tank to prevent injuring the fish or adding stress to the fish by netting them. Then start circulating the water, get the heaters running and the rest of the equipment. Tank moves take much longer than one would first suspect. Plan on a very long day. Best of luck and keep us posted with your results!

[Ron Reefman]

+1 for what thegrun said

Except I would opt for a DC return pump that has multiple speeds. On a budget? The smallest Jebao DCT pump should work great. I had 2 older versions in my 180g tank and they worked perfectly for years.

[ReefsandGeeks]

I know most people recommend new sand, But I've had good luck reusing my sand. When I do a move, I rinse the sand really well until the water runs clear, almost drinkable looking. I get all sorts of very dark crap from the sand, my guess is broken down detritus. Either way, I rinse well just the same as you would with new sand and it works great for me. For me, I figure there's nothing wrong with the sand, and I doubt it has built up nitrates or phosphates because I run my tank with almost no nitrates and phosphate. It's never caused me a problem, but if getting new sand gives you peace of mind and if others have a compelling reason to do so, than go ahead and replace.

I think the 40B would be much nicer, I used to have a 37 tall like you and wished I started with a 40B. Now I have a 65G and am very happy with it. Personally I'd suggest a 65+ gallon if putting in the effort and money to upgrade, but if you are getting a great deal on the 40 than I think It would still be worth the effort, just not the money to upgrade. Just my 2 cents

[JohnnyRedd]

Originally Posted by marleesan

I currently have a non drilled 37 gallon and want to upgrade with a 40 breeder with a sump. I do have some questions
1. What is the best return pump for this tank?
2. How much more live sand and rock do I need to buy for the tank?
3. And most importantly, the new tank will be in the same space as the current tank. What is the best process to switch the two tanks?

I started 7 years ago or so with a 55. We're moving into a 240 hopefully starting this weekend so I have done this a few times and IMHO the worst part is in the livestock end of it. But. Each of our moves have been literally across the room. This last time we combined the 125 into the 180 and it's just not optimal. Have the plan for the livestock transition in place. Think 3 days longer than you anticipate for that thing that is going to come up. Large plastic totes work well but you you still need to provide water flow. I am also hard headed and start over with new sand and new rock each time. I would (as most will) recommend new sand. There is just so much that gets trapped in there but you can rinse (and rinse and rinse) until yours flows clean.

I agree with thegrun on the Eheim 1260 return pump. Well established pump that we had on the 55.

[marleesan]

Originally Posted by thegrun

1. I like the tried and true Eheim 1260 return pump.
2. If the tank is 6 months old or older I would not reuse the sand. I doubt you need more rock, you are only adding 3 gallons of water to your display tank.
3. Start fresh with dry sand. Be sure to wash the sand well before using it. To wash the sand place 5 pounds or so at a time in a 5 gallon bucket. Use a garden hose at full flow to agitate the sand. The finer grains of sand will overflow the top of the bucket, leaving the larger grains behind. Continue to agitate the water until it runs clear. I would not use "live" sand as it can contain more dead than live organisms and has the potential to start a new cycle (and cost more to purchase since you are paying for water). Try to reuse as much clean water from the old system as possible to lessen the shock of new water chemistry on your livestock. Once the water from the old tank starts to get murky from stirred up detritus, don't reuse that water. Have plenty of new premade and preheated saltwater on hand to make up for the lost water. I would plan on pre-making 50% of your display tank's volume and have it ready for use. 5 gallon buckets with lids are your best friend for a tank move. Anything larger becomes very heavy to move. Start by filling three buckets 1/3 with water from the tank and then add the rock from the system to one of the buckets. Continue filling buckets first with water, then rock until you have removed all the rock. Save a couple of half full buckets of clean water from the tank for the fish. Once all the rock has been removed, the fish should be easy to catch. Some fish will burrow into the sand to hide so if you come up short on your fish count you may need to sift through the sand to find the missing fish. Once you have removed the old tank and the have the new tank in place, first set up your rock. Try to minimize the amount of time the rock is out of the water. If aquascaping the rock takes you awhile, pour some of the saltwater from the old set-up on the rock to keep it wet. Once the rock is set fill the tank with all the old water and whatever new water is necessary. You can just dump the fish directly from the buckets into the new tank to prevent injuring the fish or adding stress to the fish by netting them. Then start circulating the water, get the heaters running and the rest of the equipment. Tank moves take much longer than one would first suspect. Plan on a very long day. Best of luck and keep us posted with your results!

Thanks so much for the help! So after I put the dry sand and rock in the new tank, can I add my fish in right away or will there be a cycle? And if I have five fish (Valentini puffer, cherub ange, clown, blenny and hawkish) how many can I put in each bucket?

I plan to buy the tank around Black Friday and will hopefully do move around then

[marleesan]

Also, how many pounds of sand do I need to create. 1-1.5 inch sand bed?

[A sea K]

Handy dandy sandbed calculator from our home page http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php...bed-calculator

FWIW I have always reused my sand and have yet to have an issue(rinsed very clean of course).
IMO the 1260 is too much pump for a 40 and likely much smaller sump. I have had very good luck with their smaller "compact" line of pumps.

[A sea K]

Something else to think about. They make a 30, 40, 50, 57, and 65 gal all in the same 36x18 footprint.
Here is a nice tank dimension and manufacture chart.
http://www.aquariumdimensions.com/