Upgrading fish tank

[marine_pheonix]

HI. I have a 2ft tank and i am now upgrading it to a 3ft one. Need some help on how to upgrade my tank.... BTW, my new tank is still in the process of cyclng and it is now full of brown algae...(has been set up for 2 weeks)

1) How do i transfer my livestocks in my old tank to the new one?
2) Should i reuse e LR? (They are covered in hair algae and i am not sure wat to do with them...)
3) Do i need to change my lighting system?

Thks!!!

[Poseidon]

Just move the entire contents from one tank to the next, being that your tank is new you are not really going to disturb anything. I would use the substrate and the water, but if your rock is already covered in hair algae, something is really really wrong with your tank. Did you fill it with well water? You will have to decide that on your own, I might scrub it with a toothbrush ( new one) and try and remove as much of the hair algae as possible.

As far as your lighting goes, you didn't say what you have, so I can't answer that!

[marine_pheonix]

Thks for the reply!!!

I dun really know what is happening to my LR but this happens shortly after i remove my protein skimmer.... Is this why the algae are growing?
BTW, my lighting unit is those clip-on ones and i have been using it for a year or so....
Another question....i have this damsel in my tank and it is a BIG BULLY!!! My
bi-colour angel has just been killed by it and it is always chasing my other fishes.... Now, i am wondering whether should i put it in my new tank anot?
My parents are encouraging me to release it into the sea but i think doing this would kill it.... So can anyone out there tell me what to do with it....PLS.....

[Poseidon]

You're Welcome!

Yes, removing a protein skimmer can contribute to an algae problem. The skimmer removes Dissolved Organic Wastes that can otherwise be used as food for algae.

I don't know what light you are talking about. Is it a general purpose light? Lights not meant for the trade can also contribute to an algae problem.

And YES damsels can be a serious pain in the butt! They will often harrass much larger fish, eventually they die from stress of being chased around. I wouldn't recommend releasing it to the sea, hobbiests from the states have caused some pretty serious ecological disasters by introducing non-native species. California has a ban on several types of Calurpa algae, and Texas has a S. American cichlid starting to be caught as a game fish. I see you are from the Singapore, but I don't know what damsel you have, or if it is from your local area originally. I would be on the safe side and just give it to a Local Fish Store (LFS).

[marine_pheonix]

Sorry, i really dun have any idea what lighting system do i have... But i bought it from a LFS, so i think it should be suitable to use... I am thinking of changing my lighting system duh....Any recommendations?

I forgot the name of my damsel and i can't find seem to id it, but this is how it looks...Its red and it has this blue spot near the tail...Hope this helps... However, i tried talking to many LFS abt giving them the damsel but no one seems to be interested in it... What can i do?

You've mentioned that i should use my substrate and water in my old tank for my new one. But i've already put in new sand and water in my new tank... So what can i do? Is it necessary?(BTW, my sand is really dirty and i hope that i do not need to move it over...)

Thks!!!

[sonnyg]

you sure its not just brown diatoms normal in the cycling process?

HI. I have a 2ft tank and i am now upgrading it to a 3ft one. Need some help on how to upgrade my tank.... BTW, my new tank is still in the process of cyclng and it is now full of brown algae...(has been set up for 2 weeks)

1) How do i transfer my livestocks in my old tank to the new one?
2) Should i reuse e LR? (They are covered in hair algae and i am not sure wat to do with them...)
3) Do i need to change my lighting system?

Thks!!!

[Ninong]

HI. I have a 2ft tank and i am now upgrading it to a 3ft one. Need some help on how to upgrade my tank....

What are the exact dimensions of your new 3' tank? In particular, how tall is this tank?

BTW, my new tank is still in the process of cyclng and it is now full of brown algae...(has been set up for 2 weeks)

Brown diatoms are a natural part of the algal progression during the cycling process of a new tank. This usually goes away on its own after about two weeks.

1) How do i transfer my livestocks in my old tank to the new one?

That depends on what livestock you're talking about. Livestock such as snails and most other clean-up critters could be transferred as soon as your ammonia and nitrite spikes are over and done with.

Once your nitrite numbers are down below 0.25 ppm (mg/l) and your nitrate numbers are no higher than 50 ppm, you could consider transferring any hardy fish, such as damsels. It really isn't safe to transfer some of the more delicate fish species, such as dwarf angelfishes, until the tank as been up and running for several weeks or longer.

Do you have any corals in your old tank? If so, what do you have? When you could transfer these depends on exactly what you have.

2) Should i reuse e LR? (They are covered in hair algae and i am not sure wat to do with them...)

This is a difficult question to deal with because you may need to keep most of the live rock in your old tank until after you have transferred most of your livestock to the new tank. It might be better to start out with fresh live rock if your old live rock is in really bad shape. Again, so much depends on exactly what livestock you have that needs to be transferred to the new tank. I wouldn't place live rock that is already covered in hair algae in a new tank. If you didn't have "livestock" in the old tank, you could turn off the lights on the old tank until the hair algae died off. That way you are still preserving the beneficial bacteria inside the live rock. Obviously this would kill off any photosynthetic life on the surface of the live rock.

As you can see, there is no way to answer your questions without knowing exactly what you have.

3) Do i need to change my lighting system?

You need to tell us exactly what you have right now. Start with telling us whether the lighting consists of fluorescent tubes or metal halide lamps. Then tell us the wattage of each lamp and how many lamps. Then tell us the Kelvin rating (if you know it). How much light you need depends on how tall your water column will be and exactly what livestock you plan on keeping.

[marine_pheonix]

Thk u for the replies.

My tank is 60inches high but i am intending to keep the water level at around the 53 inches mark.

I do not have any corals except for some mushrooms attached to one piece of rock...

As for the LR, i dun intend to keep most of them.(except for the one with the mushrooms) I've also bought new ones already and they are now cycling in my tank.

My lighting unit consist of flourescent tubes and one bulb. I am not sure of its wattage and kelvin rating because i lose the box of the light... Sorry... But i would like to change one... Any recommendations? (intending to have a mini reef tank)

Thks!!!

[Poseidon]

Do you mean 60 cm? Because 60 inches is 5 FEET tall! I have not seen any tanks that tall!

How about a picture of your light fixture? Could you take one, or find one on the net to show us? I don't think we can really answer your lighting questions until we now the answers to these 2 questions I posted. ;)

[WHOSYOURDADDY]

Do you mean 60 cm? Because 60 inches is 5 FEET tall! I have not seen any tanks that tall!

How about a picture of your light fixture? Could you take one, or find one on the net to show us? I don't think we can really answer your lighting questions until we now the answers to these 2 questions I posted. ;)

The lighting you speak of what type of bulbs do you plan on using?
What is the source for your water? Also, check your water for phosphates

When it comes to algae it usually is a several things that add up, typically poor lighting conditions with poor water quality and dissolved nutrients in the water itself for the algae to feed on, contribute to the growth of bad algae.

[marine_pheonix]

Haha, i just found the box of my lighting unit!!! The box reads: 60watts flourescent light... I only have one bulb... I think this is the best information which i can give...

And by the way... my tank is 60cm high...

[Poseidon]

Okay that makes a little more sense! You will only need to change if you plan to keep corals, or clams. If you want a fish only then your light will be fine. So your tank is 3 ft long, and about 2ft high? What is the width, we can show you a calculator that will tell you how many gallons it is. Have you moved your livestock yet? What did you decide about your live rock?

[Ninong]

A 60w incandescent lamp is not acceptable for a saltwater aquarium of any kind because the Kelvin rating is much too low. It will promote the growth of nuisance algae. You need to replace this with fluorescent tubes of some sort. The correct total wattage and Kelvin rating will depend on what you plan to keep in your aquarium.

[marine_pheonix]

Well, the width is 40cm...BTW, i would like to keep some corals.... So wat kind of light should i use?

I haven't move my livestock over... It is still in the 3rd week of cycling... Going to put abt 10 snails in my tank e following week... Is that possible?

I'm still not really sure wat can i do with my rocks.... Any sugestions?

BTW, can i don't install a heater in my tank? As u know, S'pore is a HOT country and i think i'll just need a cooler rite?

[Poseidon]

I have not heard of a 60W flourescent bulb, I would suggest a much more intense light for corals. Something like this or maybe this otherwise you will doom the corals to a slow death.

With the dimensions you gave me, I calculate about 60 gallons. Are you sure about the 40cm width though? Usually tanks over here are either 30 or 45cm wide.

I would hold off on the snails until the cycle is complete, no sense rushing things.

[WHOSYOURDADDY]

Here are a couple of links that will help with your decision.

Choosing the right Reef Aquarium Lighting:
http://www.marineandreef.com/Info/infolighting.html

Hood Lighting Chart: http://www.marineandreef.com/Info/li...hart_hood.html

[marine_pheonix]

Yes, my tank is definitely 40cm wide.( My uncle makes and sell fish tanks....he made that for me....IT'S SPECIAL!!! )

BTW, can anyone tell me what i can do with my damsel....... It looks like it is trying to attack my tomato clown now......

[saltjunkie]

take him back to the store

[marine_pheonix]

I know.... But the LFS in S'pore doesn't seems to be interested in it...

[Poseidon]

Can you give him to a friend? Or maybe just isolate him using one of those "fish breeders" the LFS usually sell for f.water mollies and such. Since you have the other tank almost cycled you could move the clown to the new one, and leave the damsel in the old one. After the cycle is complete anyway.