demo/rebuild questions

[jammerz]

hey all its been a bit.

ok after a year and half of my tank being set up I have decided to tear it down and do a few things. The stand i currently have only allows my 29g sump to stick out of the back, so I have built a new stand so that i can run my sump parallel to my display, this is one reason i have to tear down. Also when I was super newbe i scratched the front of the tank bad with my mag float, so i though when I have the tank tore apart I should flip it around to use the non scratced back to be my new front,and paint the background black, with some super fast drying paint and then just be carefull setting it back up. And lastley I have never really liked my sandbed/or rockwork so i want to redesign it. I will have a team of tanker bros ready to help me, and I plan on doing this in one day. FWIW i have done the tear down thing and put together thing and am aware of what i will need to do to keep all my corals and fishes alive during this. I have alot of buckets and containers that i will save all of my water with. hopefully I can find my nudibranch before i tear down.

as of now I have a bout a 3-4 sand bed which is not serving the purpose of a DSB and is always dirty, i do have a 6 in sand bed with macros in my sump. I want a bright white sugary sand but im not sure how deep to go I want it to stay nice and clean so should I go shallow and have lots of sand sifters, and if so how shallow? What kind of sand can i use or should i use to do this? Do i need to worry about the reseeding of my sand bed or will my live rock about 100lbs worth, and my saved water be enough to make the tank not recycle. If I reused my sand would I need to worry about it being a nitrate bomb when I put it back in to reset up the tank?

If i paint the background on will it be safe to set up the same day?

Thanks in advance for reading this and answering.

Anything im missing?

 

[shwnicus]

hey all its been a bit.
I want a bright white sugary sand but im not sure how deep to go I want it to stay nice and clean so should I go shallow and have lots of sand sifters, and if so how shallow? What kind of sand can i use or should i use to do this?

I think depends on the sifters you want to use. Some have a minimum depth, usually based on how big they are and how much depth is required for them to be submerged in the bed. for example, sand sifting stars get pretty big so you need 6 inches for them. research what you want to use first, then you should be able to select accordingly.

Do i need to worry about the reseeding of my sand bed or will my live rock about 100lbs worth, and my saved water be enough to make the tank not recycle. If I reused my sand would I need to worry about it being a nitrate bomb when I put it back in to reset up the tank?

you won't need to reseed it, but you will get some die off which will fuel a spike. I'd be tempted to replace it completely to allow your LR to get ahead of the curve. keep in mind, you will get a little LR die off from transferring it to and from the tubs. should be small, but it will occur and will require a cycle correction.

in the end, any work like this will cause a disruption in your cycle and the tank will need to correct it. just keep an eye on the levels and have water mixed and ready and you'll be fine.

If i paint the background on will it be safe to set up the same day?

if you really want this in a day, i'd suggest the foil backgrounds or the shrink wrap type (kind of like the stuff they tint windows with). no dry time, no chemical worries, and you can change your mind at any time. I used a blue background for ever.

good luck!

 

[jammerz]

wayne camaro, you guys still around?

 

[SALTY WATERS]

wayne camaro, you guys still around?

Hey jammerz,

Long time*thumbsups Ya wayne and camaro are still kickin it around give them time!

I just recently did a transfer myself from a 10g to a 15, I just went with a totally new substrate, the LR will re-seed it in no time, but as mentioned above you will get a small cycle most likely so keep your eye on the tank for the next few weeks.

Is this the kind of sand you are looking at?
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=20685&category_id=1677&pcid1=1695
Can't get much whiter than that...keeping it that white will be a challange, keep good water perams and have a few good sand sifting inhabitants and you should be okay.

As for your backing...not sure why it would matter much if you painted it and used the tank same day...your not painting the inside! ...or at least I hope not*twirlysmi

 

[aresgod]

I would paint the back outside...let the fumes air out....the more shallow the sand bed the easier it will be to keep it white...also hoover out some every month and replace it as you go...you will get a little spike...also remember to keep the temp up in all the buckets...but not to let them over heat either.