# getting my new 75 gallon reef tank this sat.



## ryanimpreza (Jul 19, 2006)

I am getting a complete 75 gallon already established reef tank. I have a general idea on how they work but if anyone has tips that would be great. I will post more pics as soon as I get them.


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## Ægir (Jan 21, 2006)

Ok, im not going to get into detail here but you need to be EXTREMELY careful when you break down and move this tank... You are going to be facing several major hurdles to keep it running once you get it home. It would be great to know more about the filtration and other equipment with the tank.

Major concerns i see are:

Sand bed, will need to be replaced once disturbed... you will be releasing a plethora of toxins that have accumulated in the aerobic and anaerobic levels of the sandbed that will cause nothing but a lifetime of problems. You should keep a few small tupperwares to seed your new sand bed once you get it home.

Livestock, looks grown together and fairly dense... Tearing things apart will most likely cause warfare between corals and mushrooms so you will need to be delicate and extremely careful, dont stack or tightly pack rock when moving. Be prepared to run carbon and skim wet for a few days. If you dont know about coral toxicity you should read the sticky in the saltwater forum... many zoas and mushrooms can KILL YOU

Water to refill tank... You will need to have enough RO/DI water and salt on hand to refill the tank, i am guessing around 50 gallons total... You will need to mix the water for 12-24 hours to allow proper oxygenation and PH balance

Really the best way i see to do this would be: Remove livestock and place in a rubbermaid with skimmer running at your house, remove all the sand and scrap it (save 4-6 cups), move everything outside for a cleaning and salt-creep removal, setup at your house, add new sand and water, its ok to use 20 gals of older water or something... Add any rock rubble or rock with no coral/zoa/mushroom growth... Get the system running without the skimmer and livestock and watch it for a day to make sure its stable (PH, alk, calcium, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, salinity should all be tested!!!) and then add your livestock and rock with things on it...

Things i cant enforce enough: 
RO/DI water and good salt mix
Test kits
Gloves for handling live things
Take your time
READING EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT SALTWATER AQUARIUMS

Good luck man!


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## ryanimpreza (Jul 19, 2006)

damn....good info..thx.. when you said "You should keep a few small tupperwares to seed your new sand bed once you get it home." Im guessing you mean use some of the old sand. Also It is safe to keep the fish and coral bagged up for 24 hours. I ordered my R/O 4 stage 50 gal. per day it should be here before the weekend so I will get started on that. Give me as much info as possible. I have been checking out youtube for the past week "LAfishguy" learning as much as I can. thxs again for the info please keep it coming.

ps it is a 4 hour drive to get it home. I am renting a uhaul covered trailer and I will pack the coral/fish in separate containers then place then in ice chest with original water around that. Any other ideas of transporting. I also will have 32 gal. tubs to transport rock and water.


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

I dont like that lafishguy. He calls R/o systems and refractometers "toys that he doesnt have time for". Plus he uses a dam swing arm and checks salinity before the entire salt in his vats has had time to dissolve, and this guy apparently is an aquarium service men.

Check out this guide for moving a tank he has pics too :

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=205722


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## Ægir (Jan 21, 2006)

Yes, i did mean a few scoops of the old sand to seed the new stuff...

If its a 4 hour drive you shouldnt bag anything... take 2 rubbermaid bins with secure lids, one for the rock and one for the fish. Put them in the trailer where you want them and use 5 gal buckets to transport the rock. You could fill each bin up half way or something and then add the rock and fish. I dont know what your weather is like there so heat/cold could be a problem, but not likely. I find it helps to put a tiedown around the top of the rubbermaids to keep them from bowing really bad and makes it easier to get the lid on.

You will want to bring lots of blankets to put under/around the tank, as i am sure that those trailers arent the smoothest ride. And you can never have too many 5 gal buckets to transport crap. If possible when you get home hook up your skimmer on the rock tank, and add 5 gals of pre mixed saltwater to the fish bin to top it off, with a powerhead (pointed at the surface somewhat), heater and thermometer. I find its easy to place them in a bathtub out of the way, and incase of spills =)

Then you would start setting things back up... Add your new sand and water on and on

For information i would recommend you check out this link :CLICKY mainly the "new to the hobby" section, but as much time as you have to read anywhere else will help as well!! I couldnt tell you how many 1000s of hours i have spent reading topic after topic

If you have any more questions let em rip


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