Miz26 tear down?

[MizTanks]

I'm having some anxiety about this guy coming tomorrow to tear down my tank. I'm worried about him housing my livestock & corals, especially my clam. He seem's professional in an armature sort of way. Says he's going to put everything in his personal tanks. He's running MH versus my T5's.
His web sight is Maintenance (http://www.boschaquatics.com) The SW shown on sight I'm not impressed with. I'm also worried of getting ripped off. I'm giving him all my rock, shrooms & zoas. Plus paying him $200 (or more) for his services. Which includes sump build, tank drilled and tear down.

Am I doing right?

[FlynnFish]

Why are you having someone watch your tank?

[MizTanks]

Nobody's watching my tank. He's going to house only that which I'm keeping. The 40 isn't up yet and won't be ready for 4-8wks. New lights haven't even shipped yet.
I want the 26 down because I'm tired of fighting the cyano and most of all the Shrooms have taken over ALL the rock.
They've smothered out my RADE's, they're now on the rock with my Blasto Meriletti, covered the rock with my new Favia and Acan. I have no room on my SB to put any of these.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

I'm having some anxiety about this guy coming tomorrow to tear down my tank. I'm worried about him housing my livestock & corals, especially my clam. He seem's professional in an armature sort of way. Says he's going to put everything in his personal tanks. He's running MH versus my T5's.
His web sight is Maintenance (http://www.boschaquatics.com) The SW shown on sight I'm not impressed with. I'm also worried of getting ripped off. I'm giving him all my rock, shrooms & zoas. Plus paying him $200 (or more) for his services. Which includes sump build, tank drilled and tear down.

Am I doing right?

No one will take care of you animals as well as you do. I would NOT do this. Drilling the tank... sure, building a sump... OK, watching my corals, fish, and clams... NEVER! I might let a reefer friend do it but not someone I don't know. I guess the exception would be if they have a legally binding contract that guarantees 200% replacement for any/all animals lost.

Tom

[jimsflies]

I'm confused about why you're taking your tank down?

It seems like you would get your new equipment setup and move your livestock into it. Am I missing something?

[FlynnFish]

I was thinking the same thing Jim.

[MizTanks]

My 26 is trashed!! Just about every piece of rock space is covered with shrooms. They cyano is totally out of control. No matter what I do! ChemiClean, 3 day black out, PhosGaurd changed every 4th day and WC after WC, and it's getting worse! I don't want to sink any more $$ into it.
Oh and where the 26 is, is where I "have" to put the 40. There's no place else to put it :(
As for housing my live stock I really don't have much of a choice. I don't know anyone else here who keeps SW, period! (Brian) of BoschAquatics says he is 100% insured/covered against damages & loss. He's also a licensed seller. My options are limited you see. Not like I have friends down the street who can keep things for me :(

[jimsflies]

Why wouldn't you get the tank and equipment in hand, then move your livestock to a rubbermaid tub, then remove the old tank, setup the new tank, and move your stuff to the new tank that you want to keep?

Not to mention save yourself $200 and a potential fight if something dies.

You could keep your livestock in a large rubbermaid tub for a month if you had to.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

My 26 is trashed!! Just about every piece of rock space is covered with shrooms. They cyano is totally out of control. No matter what I do! ChemiClean, 3 day black out, PhosGaurd changed every 4th day and WC after WC, and it's getting worse! I don't want to sink any more $$ into it.
Oh and where the 26 is, is where I "have" to put the 40. There's no place else to put it :(
As for housing my live stock I really don't have much of a choice. I don't know anyone else here who keeps SW, period! (Brian) of BoschAquatics says he is 100% insured/covered against damages & loss. He's also a licensed seller. My options are limited you see. Not like I have friends down the street who can keep things for me :(

My guess is that the sand bed is loaded with detritus and that is feeding the cyano. Moving everything into a tub would help. Even if you just take the tank down and set it up on the other side of the room you could remove the sand and be better off. Of course this is my opinion based on being hundreds of miles away... But even if I'm wrong about the cause the tank switch methods are solid.

Tom

[MizTanks]

What about cycling the new tank? I'm using all new reef saver dry rock, new live sand. My new lights won't be here for at least 4-6wks.

But I did just tell Brian I'm going to keep the 26 running til the 40 is ready. You all got me scared!!! Lol Not that I wasn't having doubts already :)

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Cycle the new tank without lights?

[MizTanks]

That's my plan :) Figured by time the lights arrive tank should be ready for corals.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Sounds like you're ready to go! Be sure to take pics of the dismantling of the 26... and share them with us.

Tom

[MizTanks]

Will do Tom. Thanks everyone for the input. I'm pretty sad about the condition of the 26 :( But lessons learned. I do believe I may incorporate cleaning my sand bed once in a while.

[FlynnFish]

Every time I do water changes, I siphon out the gravel in my 180.

[skuttduck]

Every time I do water changes, I siphon out the gravel in my 180.

I did that in my 75 gallon, but as Tom can attest from helping me a couple weeks ago, there was a spot we found that was so anaerobic that it had black gunk in it. It was 10 years worth of stuff. Now the drilled 75 is bare bottom.

The new tank after a week or so had some nitrates but only about 2 or 3.

[binford4000]

Cycle the new tank without lights?

Lights are not really needed to cycle a tank. I would suggest you do cycle the tank with a enzyme product that also encourages an ammonia spike. I used enzyme 9 from Marcos rocks worked awesome !

[binford4000]

Every time I do water changes, I siphon out the gravel in my 180.

++1 I siphon mine every month !! Great advice

[ALWAYSFISHIN]

^+1. On getting the rubber maid tub . Do it yourself , you'll be better off in the long run. 150$ will get you bucket of salt and rubber maid tub