jolliolli Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 Hey guys, Well i've been browsing the salty section for a couple of months now and am thinking about buying a marine setup and need lots of advice as i'll be completely new to the saltwater side of things. Currently i have two freshwater tanks, a Juwel Rio 300 4ft Community tank and a Aqua One 180 Discus tank. i'm looking at buying an existing marine reef setup (400L) which has been running for around 2 1/2 years and comes with all the appropriate gear (skimmer, pumps, lights ,sump, corals and fish). My biggest question is how will I go about transporting the livestock etc. Ideally i'd like to clean the tank up prior to setup and also change the coarse coral sand over to a finer sand, but i'm worried about what i would do with the corals, fish and livestock during this time. Would i be ok to put the liverock and corals in to a large bin of saltwater temporarily. Do I need any sort of pumps/circulation running on it and how long would i be ok to keep the liverock like this. Then there are the fish... what to do with them there are a couple of clowns, clam, tang. I have spare small tanks with built-in filtration, could i fill this up with existing salt water run it as a bare-bottom tank and put the fish in there short-term? I'm going to the library today to try and find any helpful books on setup but if anyone has any advice that would be great . At the moment its still only a possibility but if i do decide to take the plunge i want to be prepared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 Provided that the bins have heaters and CIRCULATION, they should be fine. Our flatmate left fish in bins with LR for about two weeks while he was moving. Corals - Make sure they have light, or they will start to die off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 Yep, as markoshark said, make sure the bins are kept at temp, and have lots of circulation. The rock will be fine in the bins, and the corals will be sweet in the bins for a little while as long as you have light on them, so id just chuck the rock in, and make sure the rock with corals on it is at the top. As for the fish, you could either put them into another bin with a heater and powerhead, or if the rock bin is big enough (and theres enough spare space for them) then you could just put them in there. Id aim to not have everything in the bins for more than 24 hours though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 I'm going to the library today to try and find any helpful books on setup but if anyone has any advice that would be great . At the moment its still only a possibility but if i do decide to take the plunge i want to be prepared! i took back a lot of marine books last night so they should have them if you have to take a few days to set up the tank try and find a chch reefer that dosnt ming looking after them good luck its nice to see a extra chch reefer :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Hey guys thanks for the advice, at the moment its still only a possibility, depends mainly on price etc.. but its very tempting . Went i and picked john's brains at organism today as well and he was extremely helpful (as always). well i'll probably know by the end of next week if its a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 picked up some good books form the library on setup etc, one called the marine aquarium problem solver and one called the questions and answers manual of marine aquariums. I'm going to study them now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camnbron Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Wilsons suggestion is on to it. If you were to contact some Reefers in the Christchurch area, they may be able to look after the corals and the fish while you get prepared. Also, that would enable you to meet another local reefers and learn from them. There seems to be quite a few people with marine tanks in your area, and no doubt they would be keen to help you. Good luck with your decision making! And if you do make the move, don't forget your other tanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Hey guys thanks for the advice, at the moment its still only a possibility, depends mainly on price etc.. but its very tempting . Went i and picked john's brains at organism today as well and he was extremely helpful (as always). well i'll probably know by the end of next week if its a go john is a very good at answering marine questions did he talk about his goby shrimp combo :lol: i was in this morning very funny :lol: if you ever want to trade frags give me a pm ( i dont have much now as im olny just setting up my tank also) :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 One way to do it would be, if you can get a large plastic bin, at least 200 litres but preferably more, put this at home right next to where you want to set up the tank. You need to beg, borrow or steal some CLEAN 20 liter containers or similar, and use these to transport water from the tank you are buying to your place & put it in the plastic bin. Take all the rocks and corals from the tank, and put them in a plastic bin or similar for transporting. Don't fill the bin with water, just keep them damp by putting a towel soaked in tank water over the top, long as they stay damp all life will be safe for at least a few hours till you get it home and put the rocks in your bin. Make sure to place corals where they are going to get enough light. Bring the fish home and put them in, do this after all rocks are positioned. This is because the fish will at first tend to hide and can easily be crushed if you are still moving rocks. Put a pump or two from the tank in to make some circulation, and if possible but not essential, the skimmer. Use the light from the tank, set it over the bin. The light is essential, keeping the corals in poor light will be exactly like keeping plants in poor light, they will die. Your livestock is now safe for a few days, if no skimmer, or a few weeks if there is a skimmer, so you can now clean & futz around with the tank & set it up at your leisure. Remember the skimmer is not just for cleaning, it also aerates the water & maintains pH, wouldn't go too long without it even in the bin. If the bin is close to where you set the tank up, it will make it easier to transfer stuff back in to the tank once the time comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Thanks everyone thats exactly the sort of info I was after. I will try to transport as much of the existing water as possible, is there a minimum amount I should aim for? Obviously i will need to mix up some replacement water for the tank. Should i try and make the water identical in chemistry to the existing water, or should i try and make the water the 'ideal' parameters. If so is there a list somewhere of the values i should i aim for in terms of calcium, magnesium, pH etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Corals are not a problem to transfer to different water they don't mind, provided the water is liveable, obviously. For fish the main thing is getting the salinity fairly close. Other parameters are less important (as far as introducing fish), but typical reeftank parameters are salinity 1.025, calcium 400, and kh 7 - 11. If aerated properly this will result in a pH of 8.0 - 8.3 or so. But I would try to get as much water from the tank as possible, at least 50%, then mix that with your own water, provided the above parameters are similar in both waters you will have no problem. I don't know which tank you are buying but it is possible the water in it has wrong parameters, but the fish are adapted to it. A sudden change to normal water can shock them. That is why use the water from the origional tank for a start. Longer term you should do a monthly water change of around 10 - 25%, depending on bioload. This will gradually bring water parameters in line with the water you are using. There is debate about which is best, real sea water (collected at the beach), or artificial salt mix you buy at the pet shop. I have used both with equal success but some people have strong opinions one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 i would take as much old water as you can then do as wasp said with the waterchanges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted August 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 woohoo, :bounce: well looks like its confirmed and i'll be picking up the tank next weekend so that gives me a week to get organised. Ill need to store 200Litres of salt water if i'm to keep half the tank water. Does anyone know where i can buy a container that can hold this volume. Does the container need to be food grade? i've heard that term thrown in regards to storing tank water. How would i identify a food grade container? is something like this useable or is it a no-go due to it being "reconditioned" http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farmi ... 95.htm?p=3 secondly would anyone be able to look after my livestock for a few days while i set up the tank (bats her eyelashes). ill be picking up a couple of clownfish, tang, blenny, mandarin fish, 2 x cleaner shrimp and clam, if anyone is able to offer a temporary home that would be fantastic. can't wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 pity you're down in chch, i was going to say you could possibly get a food grade container free from here http://www.nothrow.co.nz/wastex/materia ... =Available all sorts of sizes. just need to ask whats been in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 secondly would anyone be able to look after my livestock for a few days while i set up the tank (bats her eyelashes). ill be picking up a couple of clownfish, tang, blenny, mandarin fish, 2 x cleaner shrimp and clam, if anyone is able to offer a temporary home that would be fantastic. i would if i could im setting my tank up 2morrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 pity you're down in chch, i was going to say you could possibly get a food grade container free from here http://www.nothrow.co.nz/wastex/materia ... =Available all sorts of sizes. just need to ask whats been in them. hmm yeah- make sure no sorbitol eh Chimera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted August 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 bet you're as excited as me . Are you starting from fresh or buying an existing setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 make sure no sorbitol eh oh that was a low shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 im starting fresh although i did get some live rock i carnt wait :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted August 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 Looks like i should be able to borrow some 60L plastic drums that have been used to store feed. I intend on washing htem out thoroughtly and using these to store/transport the water, will this be OK? If i can't find a temporary home for the fish i was thinking i will store the livestock in my existing 180L tank ex-freshwater tank. Can i just connect this up to the skimmer and store the corals, some live rock and livestock in this tank for the interim? The tank won't have a sump, will that matter short-term. Alternatively should i use the cannister filter thats currenly on that tank and instead connect the skimmer to the plastic drums that will house the extra live rock. Should i leave the corals connected to the liverock or try to remove them? so many questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 60 L drums should be ok just dont use chemicals to clean it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerpeller Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 oh that was a low shot! Very low... but informative. Looks like i should be able to borrow some 60L plastic drums that have been used to store feed. I intend on washing htem out thoroughtly and using these to store/transport the water, will this be OK? Could be a bit extreme moving them around. thats if your planning on using them to transport some of the original water to your place... otherwise they would be good for storing stuff in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 it wan't meant to be low! thats why I put the Cry emoticon at the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 hmm yeah- make sure no sorbitol eh Chimera i didnt take that as a low blow - informative indeed and a very valid point! ensure you FULLY clean out all residue in any container you purchase. dont make the mistake i did and cause casualties in 2 tanks because i didnt spend 10 minutes rinsing it out :-? costly mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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