Hiya folks,
firstly, i've been reading rc for a while & therye are alot of really interesting reads. I wish i had even half your enthusiasm & motivation... maybe that will come, so far its all fear & dread !!! (maybe just a little excitement!!
)
I am buying a 2ndhand reef setup, complete with soft corals, fish, live rock, refugium & deep sand filter (sump not fluidised)
I would really really like any advice on
a/. moving it all from current location to my house (1.5hr drive)
b/. setting it up at mine
c/. crash course in getting it right as i will have living fish, rock, corals etc & would like to keep them (happily)
I realise before anyone gives me the third degree that this isnt really the way to do things, although no local pet shop near me or the seller can take the fish as theyre over stocked at the start of the season & have "boarders" already in theyre customer holding tanks, (we have checked)
I have organised some 40gallon water butts to take his matured water with me to re-use but am not sure this will be sufficient. I have heard that fish & corals dont like being caught in a net & bagged after being taken out of the water & into open air, is this true? would leaving the bags of fish in the top of the tank & mixing water every 10mins be enough after 3hours out of the tank?
I know this sounds stupid, but how would i know how much salt to mix with the RO water? anyone know where a link on how to use kalk is i can read? I am buying a refractometer & tds meter this week.
theyre is alot of places that say add ro premixed water, then sand, then live rock, then turn on filters, pumps, heaters etc & leave to mature, but nowhere says keep the rock moist or how much salt to add per litre, how to measure, when to stop.... or the best way to mix the stuff, or if you have bought a setup 2ndhand then how to move the da*n thing without killing everything !!
I will have the following kit
4x 4ft actinic t8 tubes on tank
4ft x 2ft x 1.5ft tank drilled
4ft x 1.5 x 1.5ft sump
1x ehiem professional 2 (for uv)
1x 25w UV
1x eheim hobby pump (return from sump)
1x deltec AP600 skimmer
degassing kit
4x powerheads
1x 4stage RO/DI unit
1x nitratereducter canister with bioballs
1x heater
25kg live rock
4" live sand in sump
1x 4ft light in sump
lots of macroalgae in sump
An emporer angel (juvenile), a purple tang, 2 clowns, 3 green chromis, an Anthias, a mandarin and a goby. Oh and a big spiny urchin, also 25 hermits, 3 Mithrax crabs, 2 serpent stars, sand shifting starfish, shrimps & crabs....
I will be honest & say i havent got a clue, no matter how much reading i do i still feel like i dont know anything & i have been keeping tropical community tanks for about 15yrs !!
ANY help would be appreciated, the move is this saturday coming ..... aarrgghhh
