questions on "breaking down" and seting a tank back up

[angelminx]

Hi, Everyone!  I couldn't sleep, and have been planning to get back to you all for months!  I'll give you the story later.

Anyway, on July 12th Housing Maintenance is going to be fixing the leaky plumbing (to the outside faucet) in the wall behind my 55G aquarium. Last summer after using the hose outside for a while, my bedroom carpet got soaked, and they found out it was because of a leak from the pipe to the outside faucet (which had not leaked any other time I had used it) so they removed the faucet handle so that it couldn't be used, but this year someone keeps using pliers to turn it on, so it has to get fixed. 

They said that they should be able to take care of it within a day, but just in case, I need to be prepared for it to take longer--if only to fix the wall afterwards.  Of course, this means that I have to move the aquarium.  I'm pretty sure where it will sit while this is being done, and that I will move all the fish into the (10G) "quarantine" tank for the duration.  However, I was wondering about the bacteria in the substrate while this is going on.  It is a completely different type than what is in the 10G, so I can't put it in that tank.  Will there be much of a die-off while it sits in a "dry" tank?  Most of the water will have to be removed, so there will be no way to create water movement/aeration for it.  I did buy a new 500 L bottle of Stability to use afterwards to help with the cycling process--to completely restart a 55G tank will I need to purchase more?  If there will be a major die-off, I was thinking of changing the substrate to the Caribsea Torpedo Beach sand (which is what is is in the QT tank) I completely rinse it before placing it in the tank, so I don't transfer any of their "bacteria" into the tank.  I really like it because it is small enough for the banjo cats to effortlessly bury themselves in, but no so light that it is stirred up so far into the water column that it interferes with the filters during a water change (just wish that it came in a dark "color", too).  I am slowly changing over to a catfish tank, so I think they will like it better than what I have now. 

Also, I am scheduled to change the UV bulb in mid August, but will go ahead and do it on July 12th as long as I'm taking the tank down; how long should I wait before turning the UV back on?  I know the bottle of Stability says to turn off the UV while using the product, but if I'm starting the cycle over, I don't want to start using the UV again too soon.  When I have cleaned the XP2 filter (which the UV is hooked up after) I have always added Stability to the bottom of the filter before restarting it, then plugging the UV back in after 2 days.

One other question (for now):  I heard about placing styrofoam under a tank (especially a large one), to cushion it and for added insulation, but not until after the thing had been originally set up.  Do you have a suggestion on where to purchase some?  I may have to buy several "pieces" and lay them next to each other, but don't know where to purchase a single sheet, or if that would be cheaper, or if it really matters.

Thanks,

Angelminx

P.S.  Carl, how often do you get new driftwood in?  It seems the pieces I'm interested in, always go first .

[Carl]

Angleminx;
Generally die of of bacteria becomes a problem at room temperature after about 4 hours (shorter when warmer, longer when cooler)

Keeping the substrate and all bio media in a barrel with aeration should keep the bacteria alive without any issue. As moves go, I find moving tanks across the room/house, usually goes off without a hitch. It is long distance moves that become more difficult

This article should help some more:
www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2007/08/aquarium-moving.html

As for styrofoam, I honestly would not recommend this, as it may not have equal give.
My suggestion, as handed down by both a tank building mentor and a stand building mentor (both passed away now) is that the tank rests on softwood such as standard 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 from Douglas Fir, even of the rest of the stand is hardwood. This provides enough give for a properly built tank while not being too rigid

Carl

[angelminx]

Thanks, Carl.

I'm not sure what wood my stand is made from (purchased it in the early 1980's, if that helps).  It is a plain (commercial) standard open-frame wood stand. 
The bottom (where the tank sits) is also an open frame.

These are the only 2 pics I took of the tank which include the stand:   

[Carl]

Looks like standard Douglas Fir

Carl

[angelminx]

Not that it's important (?) but I snapped a couple of pictures today, before downloading what I had on the camera {unfortunately I recently lost a bunch before they could be downloaded} and this is a snap of the bottom of the tank--I placed the camera on the shelf below to take the shot:



If I decide to go ahead and switch over to the sand (it won't be very deep because I don't want to "lose" the fish), since it is a open-bottom frame, should I place something over it before replacing the tank?  Or will the fish care/still feel feel secure as they lay on the tank bottom? Right now the banjos are in the 10G tank (the stand of which has a solid bottom), which only has a shallow layer of sand, and they still manage to disappear fairly well.  I do a physical head-count and body check a couple times a month, but I still manage to "misplace" a couple every once in a while.

[Carl]

I honestly never have given this much thought.
Open bottom stands are, or least were, far more common than not. So, I never thought much of this when I used sand, gravel, or even no substrate.
I certainly did not notice fish freaking out with no substrate, but then as I noted earlier, I never gave much thought either.

Carl

[troybtj]

Sorry to hear about the issue. Be very careful when moving it, I remember one of my large ones developing a leak after moving it with too much stuff in it (barely some water/substrate).

I'd personally get a couple big people (muscle, not age) to move the tank with/while on the stand for extra support so the silicone isn't stressed. Aquariums could have gotten more sturdy in the past 15 years, but I'm not sure if they are that much more sturdy.

[Carl]

Jul 3, 2016 12:01:56 GMT -5 troybtj said:

I'd personally get a couple big people (muscle, not age) to move the tank with/while on the stand for extra support so the silicone isn't stressed. Aquariums could have gotten more sturdy in the past 15 years, but I'm not sure if they are that much more sturdy.

Good point!

I often, whenever possible moved the tank along with the stand. this saved steps and is less stress on the tank, but maybe not so on the people moving it.

As for tanks getting stronger, unfortunately I think it is going the other way in our price driven economy.
Examples using a 60 gallon aquarium. In the past these would have a 3/8" float glass bottom with 1/4" float glass sides.
Nowadays most use 1/4" glass all around, including the all important bottom
As well, many economy aquarium (which most are now to meet price points) use tempered glass which may seem stronger, in reality it does not flex nearly as well and is much more prone to breakage for this reason

Carl

[devonjohnsgard]

I'll add that driftwood comes every few months or a little longer.