Any way to keep corals alive in a bucket for a few weeks?

[Anonymous]

Can someone tell me how to keep corals, fish and a clam alive in a bucket with no lighting or skimmer of filtration for a few weeks?

I do not have a spare skimmer. The lights are mounted in a custom canopy over the main tank.

I have had it with the algae and will try new LR. I will have to wait for the tank to cycle again.

Any help would be appreciated.

Anyone got good LR cheap in the NY-Tristate area?
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[Anonymous]

Water changes, but the photosynthetic animals will require some sort of lighting. Also, can you put 'em in a large trash can instead?

 

[investigator1]

Ever watch Duece Bigalow?

 

[Fatal Morgana]

Very risky... did you started the process yet?

Can you cure the LR on the bucket instead? Coral will pretty much going to be all brown up, or die due to the light issue.... how about asking local reefer to take care of them for a few weeks?

 

[Anonymous]

Dont kow any local people with reefs.

Wont curing the LR in a bucket still require cycling in the main tank when moved? When I add the new LR I plan on changing all the water as well. I want no traces of hair algae in with the new LR.
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[BoricuaMojao]

Bud, not trying to be offensive, but
NO lights, NO filtration = RIDICULOUS

Photosintetic animals need LIGHT, and unpolluted water to survive. Would you keep a dog in a box with no food, and no fresh air?

Yo need to rig some sort of light, and at least very frequent water changes for your animals in a bucket. Try a small canister filter with carbon and weekly clean up.

 

[Anonymous]

Dont kow any local people with reefs.

Rob, how far away from Rome, NY are you? I run the marine department of a pet shop there and would be happy to keep your stuff for a while until you straighten your tank out...

Peace,

Chip

 

[Anonymous]

I kept mine in rubbermaid containers for a couple of weeks while I redid my floore last year. I did put my light over the containers. You will need some light if it will be more than a few days. As far a filtration, the skimmer is not necessary. You will need to do water changes if it is going to be two weeks or longer. I built a PVC stand to put my light over the tubs when I realized it was going to be a while. I will have to do this again when I move later this month. I will be getting a better tub this time. Here is a pic before I put the lights.

 

[Fatal Morgana]

My concern is the light. No light, the corals will get out of it in really bad shape.

>..I want no traces of hair algae in with the new LR.

Unless you use algaecide and bleach, there is no way for you to keep them away from your tank even if you use all new rock and equipment. Don't work too hard on it. You should look at why they grow better than your coral, and the answer is almost alway one word: nutrient.

>...Wont curing the LR in a bucket still require cycling in the main tank when moved?

Not necessarily. If you cure the rock well, there can be little, if much, of a cycle.

I don't know much about your setup, but is it possible to remove the old rock and put them in a bucket, and leave the coral in the main tank. Get new rock and cure them on some buckets, and add the new rock to the tank once they are cured really well? Use skimmer on the new rock while curing. No skimmer on the main tank but with light on. Do frequent water change on the main tank, and use the old tank water to do water change on the rock being cured. The old rock can be store in the dark for a few week, do water change on it and flush out the dead algae. After a few weeks, the old rock will be algea free too.

 

[Fatal Morgana]

Don't leave coral in bucket without light!

>...Dont kow any local people with reefs.

Well, post "FREE corals for local pickup" on RDO, and I am sure you will meet a handful of local reefers.

 

[Anonymous]

I dont want to get rid of the corals and fish I have.

Using the existing rock will take months. If the LR has no life left in it, won't it still be dead rock with no algae in a few months?

Would it be better to cycle the main tank with the new LR and water and let it run for a few months until everything is gone? Or is curing the rock seperately and moving it to the tank better?

As for the animals, I guess I will have to buy another tank or rubbermaid and lights so I can re-do the main tank.

What kind of fixture should I get? What size tank is needed for a wesophelia, a few SPS frags, maxima clam, about a 8-9 inch frog spawn (opened) and a hammer coral. What skimmer to get for the temp tank?
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[Anonymous]

Rome is about 4-5 hours from me. I am near the city.
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[Anonymous]

If you are going to take down the tank I would get a rubbermaid stock tank. They make a 50ish gallon size. For the lights I would make a stand to use you hood. I don;t think you will need a skimmer for a couple of weeks, just stay on top of the water changes. I would only put the rock that has corals on it in to temp holding. If you feel you LR is the problem I would work at cleaning it out instead of buying new. Let it dry out, clean it in fresh water. Some how turn it to base rock and seed with one or two new pieces of LR. When I had mt critters in storage the on tank I bothers to light was the one with corals. I hade som Coraline die off, but it all grew back.

 

[Anonymous]

Using my existing LR - either keeping it in the dark to re-cure or making it dead rock the cure it will take at least 2 months.
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[Fatal Morgana]

>...I dont want to get rid of the corals and fish I have.
I was just telling you how you can find local reefers, that's all.

>...Using the existing rock will take months. If the LR has no life left in it, won't it still be dead rock with no algae in a few months?
Yes, but it will be base rock, not dead rock. The bacteria will still be there, and it does not take months.

>..Would it be better to cycle the main tank with the new LR and water and let it run for a few months until everything is gone? Or is curing the rock seperately and moving it to the tank better?
I suggest you cure the new rock (consider Wazzel's suggestion of recycle your old rock if you can) separately, so that the corals fish can stay in the main tank like they are now. It is the only way to make sure they don't die. From your reply above, I can tell you do care about your corals and fishes, and it would be a shame to make they suffer.

>...As for the animals, I guess I will have to buy another tank or rubbermaid and lights so I can re-do the main tank.
No, you can redo the main tank without taking the corals out. Just remove all old rock that has algea on them, and redo with coral in place.

>...What kind of fixture should I get? What size tank is needed for a wesophelia, a few SPS frags, maxima clam, about a 8-9 inch frog spawn (opened) and a hammer coral. What skimmer to get for the temp tank?

For curing new rock, you can use cheapo 4 feeter florescent light from Homedepot, 40W each. Use the skimmer on the new rock for curing, and get a trash can (rubber maid) or a livestock pan for the job. If you can recycle the old rock, it should cost you very little (less than $100 for the light and tube.) Or if you have the time to move thing around, use the light 12 hrs on the main tank, and 12 hrs. for curing. Money doesn't seem to be the issue here for you, but remember, if you feel bad about giving them away, you will feel worse if they die.

 

[Anonymous]

rob:

Let me see if I understand this. Because you have algae you are going to completely remove and change your live rock. And in the process are contemplating putting all your corals and livestock in buckets?

My very strong input to you is to not do that. because:

1) the algae you want removed is keeping the existing tank healthy.

2) the existing algae is easily controlled.

3). Whatever caused the existing algae will come back with the new live rock.

4) you are endangering your existing livestock needlessly.

I wish you the best of luck but that is my input.

Bob

 

[Anonymous]

Tank is not healthy and thats why the algae is there. Coral growth if non-existent.

If the fuel source of the algae is not the LR then what?

I have been through all the changes already, lights, RO/DI/DI filters, DSB, WC's, salts, skimmers, pumps, etc.
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[Anonymous]

Tank is not healthy and thats why the algae is there. Coral growth if non-existent.

As I understand it ammonia, nitrItes and high nitrates can greatly affect coral growth. And also fuels algae growth.

If the fuel source of the algae is not the LR then what?

The fuel source is your bioload which includes your fish and corals plus the livestock in the live rock. So replacing the live rock will probably not change anything. Besides, the important thing is not whether or not ammonia,nitrItes, and nitrAtes are in the system but at what level they are at. They could be 0.0 now. And replaceing the algae covered live rock with new barren live rock will result in higher nitrates not less.

I have been through all the changes already, lights, RO/DI/DI filters, DSB, WC's, salts, skimmers, pumps, etc.

You tried everything except adding plant life to consume the ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates instead of the algae you are getting. No suprise here. Sure set up a refugium (even a simple in tank refug) but get the other plant going and algaes will be controlled and probably eliminated.

Then see what happens with the coral growth.

 

[Anonymous]

I dont think adding other plants is the ultimate answer. I have seen many tanks without refugiums.

I do not want an in tank refuge. I have no where to add on either without spending another $600 for an electrician to install another outlet in my condo.

The bioload is pretty low I think.
2 false percs adn a 6 line wrasse.
wesophelia, 5 sps frags, frogspawn, hammer and a clam.

I dont think thats allot of a bioload.
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[Fatal Morgana]

In this hobby, there is no generic suggestion that will work on all situation. For a number of people, the refugium provide a good place for pods and macroalgea to hide from predators so that a population can be maintained. Some remove algae as a form of nutrient export as a side bonus.

3 fishes should not be considered as high bioload, as long as you don't feed so much that uneaten food is all over the tank, or dose so much junk to the coral that it ruin the water.