Need to replace tank/choose tank and move inhabitants. HELP

[sherry]

First question. I have chosen a 20x20x24 Glass Cages Acrylic cube.. will that be workable or is it too tall? I have 24 hours to change the order before they start to build it.. Need cube because teh corner the tank must live in isn't that big... need acrylic because I have two young sons.

Next.. moving everyone over... Right now in my eclipse 12, I have snails, amano and cherry shrimp and about 20 little tetras and rasbora of varying types.

I will need to break down their tank and put a new one in the same place.

What is teh best way to do this? I already plan on using the same eco-cmoplete (with some added for bigger tank) and plants.. ect

how do you catch all of the critters? store them while working on the new set up? reintroduce them.


Do those silly looking fish traps work? I am the world's worst fish catcher. And I've never tried to catch a shrimp.


their current tank has sprung a leak so I am using it as an excuse to upgrade.. I will be living with slow leak for at least 10 more days while waiting for new tank.. loosing 1/2 inch of water every few days.

 

[BrianNY]

Since you're breaking the tank down anyway you'll find it easier to net the critters without the plants and decor in the tank. Lowering the water level also helps. I would lay in a supply of plastic buckets to store and house the fish, shrimp and up to 50% of the tank water.

When filling your new tank, start by adding the water in the buckets. You can either siphon or pour slowly. I would net the fish and shrimp from the buckets and carefully release them into the new tank. The new tank can then be refilled as you would any major pwc.

 

[greenmaji]

need acrylic.. unless they are playing with pellet guns and have a habbit of playing baseball in the house.. I really doubt it. even then acrylic wont help much..
lighting that deep of a tank might be tough.. just some thoughts..

some weldon might fix that leak.. assuming its acrylic..
in other words.. dont throw it away.. if you get to that point.. give me a PM..

 

[workfortheman]

24" is pretty deep. Do you plan on working on the decorations alot, or have live plants? (oh, probably b/c of the eco-complete!) YOu might end up wanting to get some pruning/planting tools with that much depth, or get ready to go swimming. . .

As far as the transfer goes, I would follow brianny's advice. Definitely remove all plants/rocks and such before netting anything. You'll have to put them in a bucket(s) first, before adding them to the new tank, since you still need to get the gravel in there.

Oh, and don't make excuses for a new tank. It's an excuse in it of itself! (my excuses are spent on my spouse, stupid mts

 

[underwaternut]

I agree with drawing the water down making it easier to catch fish. If you take it down to 1/4 tank, you should be able to net your fish and the shrimp with a reasonably sized net.

Try to save as much of the original water as possible. This will make the change easier on the fish. They're going to go through enough without having to cope with new water.

Have you tried patching the leaking tank? Do you know where the leak is? While you're waiting on the replacement, get some sealant made for aquariums. Don't use the stuff from the LHS because it contains arsenic. If your leak is on a corner, you could lower the water level, dry the area out and apply a coat of sealant, let it cure overnight and refill to test. If your leak is somewhere along the bottom of the tank, you would most likely need to take the tank down to fix it. I don't want to question your wisdom but are you absolutely sure the leak is coming from the tank and not some hose or fixture? The reason I say this is that I once had what I thought was a leak but it was really coming from a light fixture that was over an open area of surface water. Bubbles popping on the water surface splashed up onto the fixture enough to cause a drip off the edge of the fixture. It wasn't enough to cause a big wet spot but it was more than evaporation. A similar problem could exist with an air hose over the edge of the tank. Just checking. In any case, if you have room to store it, your old (fixed) tank could come in handy for times when you need to pull water from your show tank.

Your post refers to your new tank as glass acrylic? Which is it? My own note about acrylic. It scratches easily. I considered acrylic for the weight savings but discounted it because of the maintenance considerations. It's also more expensive than glass.

 

[sherry]

I don't know where the leak is, but I think it is on the bottom. I keep the tank on a cloth diaper and then plastic.. the cloth peaks out from the edges and has been soaked now for days! It usually acts as a drip cloth when I'm working and dries out right away. The tank is seamless so I think it is on the bottom.

I am a planted tank geek, so yell loudly if you think 24 inches is dumb (I'm also short!) I can still call Glass Cages and have it made at 16 inches.. perhaps even ask them to cut the acrylic and make it at 20.

The acrylic part is for safety. My boys are both very young 1 and almost 4, and I can't promise they won't go running into the tank

as for keeping the spare... there really isnt room. I have a friend who has dibs on hood and filter, since at one point I thought I'd just replace teh acrylic shell and she has been storing that for eons... (that was over scratches)... but if Greenmaj really wants a leaky eclipse 12 acrylic shell.. he is welcome to it for the price of getting it to him.

actually I will also have a spare filter assembly (everything but the tubes) because before this thing began to leak, the filter stopped working... I got it workign before mnarineland could send me the replacement. Lacking however, woudl be the t-bar to rest it on..

 

[underwaternut]

I think others that are more into lighting requirements for plants could better answer the height question. It seems a little tall in proportion to the W/D from an aesthetic point of view. I also don't think your children could do anything to your tank (glass or acrylic) other than splash water. Your new tank is roughly 40gal which is over 300lbs. It isn't going anywhere.

I wouldn't put anything inbetween the tank and the stand. It's important that your tank rest completely around and on the bottom rim only. Anything in between could cause stress on the tank seams which could ultimately create another leak.