getting bigger tank questions

TravelinGal

Turbo Snail
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#1
I found a great deal on a complete tank (with skimmer and sump) online and the only problem is that it will need to go right where the current tank is so I can't set it up and wait for a while for it to cycle.

What are the proper steps to upsize when same spot is needed?

Going from 46G to 135G.

Also, how do I hook up and use the skimmer and sump? I've been running my current tank with a canister filter only.

Thanks!!
 

SynDen

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#2
So What I would do would be drain enough water out of the 46g so that you, with help from someone else, could lift the corners just enough to slide so furniture movers in under each of the four corners of the stand. Then slide the tank and everything over to another spot out of the way. Take the furniture movers out from under neath and then put the water back in the tank.
This will clear the spot for the new tank. You can then setup the new tank in the spot you want, put in the new sand and rock and get it running. It will need to cycle though, you really wont be able to avoid that, but you can speed it a bit by adding some Dr. Tim's One and Only bacteria, or something similar. But since the other tank is still up a running it will afford you the time to get the new tank setup and let it cycle properly. Once the cycle is complete you can then move all the inhabitants from your 46g into the new tank

For setting up the sump and skimmer: Is the tank reef ready or will you need to use an overflow box? Either way you will run the drain line down to one end of the sump. The skimmer should go in the first chamber (same chamber the tank drains into) and then you put the return pump in the last chamber of the sump and run the return line back up to the tank. Actually fairly similar to the canister setups in that fashion. If the tank is reef ready you can either use pvc piping for the drain and return lines or you can use vinyl tubing. For an overflow box you will want to use vinyl tubing.
The skimmer is fairly simple, you will just plug it in and then you will need to adjust it to get the bubbles to the right spot in the column. Also most skimmer work best at a certain depth in the water so you want to use something under the skimmer to raise to the right depth level. Many use egg crate stacked up. I made a glass box that my skimmer sits on to get it at the right height.
 

SynDen

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#4
Really nice system and it is reef ready which is nice. That sump looks a bit small but hard to tell from the pics. The rest of it looks pretty solid though. You could easily do a different sump with that, with just a 55g tank or something and make your own baffles and add a refug. That skimmer is an external skimmer though instead of an internal, will prolly work fine, but I have never used an external one. Some others may be able to provide more input on how those ones work
 
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SynDen

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#5
That tank alone, with the stand and the lights in the canopy is well worth the price. That looks like the same retrofit kit that I use on my 75g and they work great. You will likely need all new bulbs and stuff though
 

jda123

Dolphin
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#6
2 stout people should be able to move your current tank if you take most of the water out of it. The coral will be fine out of water for 20-30 minutes. Put the same water that you took out back into the tank.

Only you can decide if Acrylic is right for you. If you are careful, then you will be fine. If not, then it could get worse.
 

SynDen

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#7
ya thats a good point, but Acrylic does taken some special care to keep the surface clear and scratch free. It can be a great thing as acrylic is much clearer then glass but it also very soft and easily scratched which will then make it lose its clear-ness
 

TravelinGal

Turbo Snail
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#8
sigh - Wayne got freaked out about buying off Craigslist - convinced the guy delivering it would slay us.... seriously sometimes he makes me CRAZY!!!!
I'm still searching for a decent deal on a larger tank. We'll see what turns up.
 
#9
TravelinGal;321241 said:
sigh - Wayne got freaked out about buying off Craigslist - convinced the guy delivering it would slay us.... seriously sometimes he makes me CRAZY!!!!
I'm still searching for a decent deal on a larger tank. We'll see what turns up.

haha... Craigslist killer Colorado edition. Just saying... Happened in Ohio once... Or well a few times from what I read :p just make sure the dudes not a buckeye and you're straight!
 

TravelinGal

Turbo Snail
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#12
charleshardy5;321254 said:
haha... Craigslist killer Colorado edition. Just saying... Happened in Ohio once... Or well a few times from what I read :p just make sure the dudes not a buckeye and you're straight!
bwahahahahaha..... Yeah, my hubby gets paranoid about weird stuff. But for me the original tank I was looking at ended up being too long at 72" and hubby didn't want to move the TV off center. So instead of saying that, he goes to the extreme...

LOL

SynDen;321259 said:
This is a beauty of a tank http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?25241-Custom-180-fs
you would need a skimmer skimmer, but has a sump and most of what you need plus a very nice stand and good lights
cool! I replied to the post... 180 would be amazing with that smaller footprint. (although I have no earthly clue how I, at 5'4", will reach the bottom of the tank!)
 
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