progress report on tank move: bummer

Sk8r · 04/05/2007, 08:58 AM

I couldn't get my sump until the day before the move, so it took that long to discover the lines I'd drilled through my living room floor didn't fit as planned. So I replaced one. But this meant simultaneously breaking down the tank and refitting the lines---time, in mid move involving, count 'em, two moving vans.

I got my fish and corals safely to the lfs, took many of the inverts and rock in buckets to the new place, and planned to set up on the following day.

Wrong. Connectors couldn't be had. There were problems with the move. And I couldn't just get the lines connected. I ran 32 g of ro/di and accidently knocked a cleaning sponge off into the barrel and had to start over. I'd never made that much salt water and had trouble getting the right salinity and getting the temperature up. I worked and sweated and sliced and connected and made trips to the hardware until I had something that worked, but by then the buckets were in bad shape.

On the third day, instead of overnight, I got the water in and leak-tested with my real water. Thank goodness my plumbing was better than other parts of the operation---only one microleak. And I hauled rock out, which was dripping with the slimy, decaying remains of my favorite bristleworms, my crabs were dead, no sign of dusters, nothing but crap. The live rock was effectively cooked.

I was so bummed out I didn't want to post. That was beautiful rock. Naturally with new sand and raw salt I can't see anything going on in the tank. But it doesn't matter much. The stench was so bad I put the skimmer into operation on a cycling tank---there's biological activity, and then there's beach at low tide smell.

Two days later, on Monday, the water had fairly cleared. And something moved. This minuscule micro hermit crab was up atop the rocks, twitching his little antennae. I start feeding a pinch of fishfood a day, figuring he needs something better than rot to eat.

By Tuesday, one aiptasia showed up.

By Wednesday green algae has started on one piece of raw dead coral.

Life is pretty darned resilient. I'm feeling better now. And the new system will be good: 4" new Aragonite fine sandbed, two 1/2 inch sea swirls mounted across the wedge from each other on a 54g bow, a 30g sump with refugium in the basement, an Iwaki 100 pump delivering quite a bit of flow through 14 feet of line, and an Aqua C EV120 skimmer, my autotopoff now connected to a Brute trash can full of ro/di and a better heater, which can keep up with the yearround chill in the basement.

Feeling better now. The cycle should be short, and I can bring my critters home to something like a living tank.

drummereef · 04/05/2007, 10:27 AM

Wow, that sounds like quite an adventure. Looks like things are tanking a turn for the better. I'd love to see the tank, are you going to post some pics?

rooroo · 04/05/2007, 10:28 AM

Sounds like a rough move. Glad you had some life come back though! Good luck and you need to post some pictures when things get better or of all your hard work at plumbing.

Frick-n-Frags · 04/05/2007, 10:42 AM

......and the phoenix rises from the ash..............

Sk8r · 04/05/2007, 05:39 PM

Phoenix, indeed: I did take pix, and as soon as I get organized I'll post. The rig is laughable, literally strung together with macrame cord [holding hose from sagging]---but it runs and it doesn't leak.

04/05/2007, 08:58 AM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	progress report on tank move: bummer I couldn't get my sump until the day before the move, so it took that long to discover the lines I'd drilled through my living room floor didn't fit as planned. So I replaced one. But this meant simultaneously breaking down the tank and refitting the lines---time, in mid move involving, count 'em, two moving vans. I got my fish and corals safely to the lfs, took many of the inverts and rock in buckets to the new place, and planned to set up on the following day. Wrong. Connectors couldn't be had. There were problems with the move. And I couldn't just get the lines connected. I ran 32 g of ro/di and accidently knocked a cleaning sponge off into the barrel and had to start over. I'd never made that much salt water and had trouble getting the right salinity and getting the temperature up. I worked and sweated and sliced and connected and made trips to the hardware until I had something that worked, but by then the buckets were in bad shape. On the third day, instead of overnight, I got the water in and leak-tested with my real water. Thank goodness my plumbing was better than other parts of the operation---only one microleak. And I hauled rock out, which was dripping with the slimy, decaying remains of my favorite bristleworms, my crabs were dead, no sign of dusters, nothing but crap. The live rock was effectively cooked. I was so bummed out I didn't want to post. That was beautiful rock. Naturally with new sand and raw salt I can't see anything going on in the tank. But it doesn't matter much. The stench was so bad I put the skimmer into operation on a cycling tank---there's biological activity, and then there's beach at low tide smell. Two days later, on Monday, the water had fairly cleared. And something moved. This minuscule micro hermit crab was up atop the rocks, twitching his little antennae. I start feeding a pinch of fishfood a day, figuring he needs something better than rot to eat. By Tuesday, one aiptasia showed up. By Wednesday green algae has started on one piece of raw dead coral. Life is pretty darned resilient. I'm feeling better now. And the new system will be good: 4" new Aragonite fine sandbed, two 1/2 inch sea swirls mounted across the wedge from each other on a 54g bow, a 30g sump with refugium in the basement, an Iwaki 100 pump delivering quite a bit of flow through 14 feet of line, and an Aqua C EV120 skimmer, my autotopoff now connected to a Brute trash can full of ro/di and a better heater, which can keep up with the yearround chill in the basement. Feeling better now. The cycle should be short, and I can bring my critters home to something like a living tank. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/05/2007, 10:27 AM	#2
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	Wow, that sounds like quite an adventure. Looks like things are tanking a turn for the better. I'd love to see the tank, are you going to post some pics? __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

04/05/2007, 10:42 AM	#4
Frick-n-Frags Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: north central OH Posts: 10,740	......and the phoenix rises from the ash.............. __________________ Only Dead fish swim with the current. Current Tank Info: 2 50 gal tanks, sump, still BB

04/05/2007, 05:39 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Phoenix, indeed: I did take pix, and as soon as I get organized I'll post. The rig is laughable, literally strung together with macrame cord [holding hose from sagging]---but it runs and it doesn't leak. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/05/2007, 10:28 AM	#3
rooroo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Market, MD Posts: 406	Sounds like a rough move. Glad you had some life come back though! Good luck and you need to post some pictures when things get better or of all your hard work at plumbing.