I love my dsb, but like my back more...

[Fishotch]

Well... I always suspected it wouldn't work out. My tank has been set up for about 6 months. 29 gallon mini reef with a 4 inch dsb and about 25 lbs of LR. two percula clowns are the only fish inhabitants. I'm a colledge student, and I need to move the tank about 4 times a year for the next 2 years (back and forth between OH and PA at the begining and end of each semester) I've already moved it once without losing anything, but to do that I had to leave the sand bed in the tank with some water and a battery pump, and while that was very successful, and I have no detectable nutrients in my water despite low quality skimming from my prizim, I think the sand needs to go, as moving it is very very difficult. Do you think that the lr will be able to support the bio load of the tank? should I remove the sand bit by bit, or all at once? I'll probably get some extra rock for the tank to help... should I add that before moving the sand (to help ease the extra bio load of some possibly not totaly cured rock comming in and then have the rock ease the load of the sand going out?) really, what advice do you have?

since that was too long, I'll summarize... How should I remove my sand bed, and what concequences should I expect?

also, Is anyone interested in about 60-80 lbs of southdown that I seeded from 4 different sources of live sand and my lr. full or worms etc. i'll ship if you'll cover the shipping and send a frag or two my way. or locally i'll be glad to trade. I'll split it up etc etc, as i'm going to have to throw it out at the end of august if I don't find anyone who wants it.

thanks for your time and advice.
Nick

[yrureefing]

If I were you I would get a smaller tank. It must be a pita to move it. If you get rid of the sand then you could add some more lr.

[Fishotch]

thanks for the idea. I considered a smaller tank, but thought it would be silly to downsize the 29 when I refuse to downsize the 55 freshwater I keep lugging about. but really the sand made all the difference without it the tank is light (relatively)

thanks again for any advice.


btw, I had one offer to trade some frags for the sand, so hopefully that will work out, but otherwise I may still have it available.

thanks again

[gooch]

I would assume you are moving your tank in one day?

Just put the sand in two five gallon pails. I have moved 4 tanks with deep sand beds(once in january in wisconsin). I just shoveled out the sand and put it back in when I got the tank in place. Never had a problem with any of my moves. Except a broken tank. Plastic totes work ok also.

gooch

[hiddendragonet]

What I would do is rig up a 10 gallon refugium, and keep a dsb in there. That wouldn't be so hard to move, and would still offer you the rewards of a sand bed.

[Fishotch]

you didn't have problems with disturbing the sand bed? I was afraid to do so on a regular basis.

I though about a refugium, and even constructed one, but worried about my plumbing skills given their somewhat limited nature, and the complexity that that added to my fishtanks, as i'm at the point where I can't add anymore or it woln't be fun cause I have to keep moving things. If i could figure a simple refugium I'd do it, but each design seems to be fairly complex. (note, during part of the year, while I'm at school the tank lives under the 55 gallon tank, so space is limited for a refugium)
thanks again for the advice.

anyone else interested in the sand drop me a line just incase.

[gooch]

Think about what happens in nature, storms, huricanes, tides. Do you think the sand bed ever gets disturbed then. If you are too worried about it just scrape the sandbed off in layers and put it back in the tank the same way. And by the way all my tanks are skimmerless.

gooch

[Fishotch]

Yeah? thats a good point. Thanks.

Yeah, I plan to be skimmerless in the future when I set up a larger tank. Prolly build an ATS of some sort to help, but that comes later.

[johnydart]

I'm a colledge student
... Oh boy, I hope you're not an english major.