Moving to a bigger tank

[1bitereefer]

i am considering purchase a new tank, moving from a Red Sea Reefer 250 to 350 because the I got the okay from the wife to move tank and we have the perfect spot for a 4ft tank. Before I spend the money and buy the tank. Is there a theard on moving livestock rocks etc? I’d like to get the bigger tank, but I’m very hesitant with moving the live stock. I plan to use the same lights on the tank and all the rocks. Just looking to see how hard the process is?

[zygote2k]

its as hard as simply pulling it out, putting it in buckets, then putting it back in the new tank.

use old sand only if its not filthy, otherwise, get new sand.

[1bitereefer]

its as hard as simply pulling it out, putting it in buckets, then putting it back in the new tank.

use old sand only if its not filthy, otherwise, get new sand.

That’s not to bad, do I use any of the old water? Or make new saltwater? Can I move the rocks and run the old tank with no rocks for a day or so?

[Big Country]

I always planned on using about half of the water from the old tank when moving.  Make 1.5 - 2x of new water you think you will need, don't want to come up short

[YHSublime]

Consider it an opportunity to do a big water change. Like big country said, you don’t want to come up short. Like Zygote said, it’s real easy.

 

 

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[finaddict]

Ok I will one up you.. I have the same exact issue about to happen.. going from a 36G bowfront to a 75G with a sump.... So I need to add new rock (curing Dry Pukani now) to some existing live rock from my 36G.  The problem I have is the 36G is sitting right in the same spot where the new 75 is going to sit. How do you do that when you have to shut down one tank to move it before you can set up the second tank.....?

[YHSublime]

Ok I will one up you.. I have the same exact issue about to happen.. going from a 36G bowfront to a 75G with a sump.... So I need to add new rock (curing Dry Pukani now) to some existing live rock from my 36G.  The problem I have is the 36G is sitting right in the same spot where the new 75 is going to sit. How do you do that when you have to shut down one tank to move it before you can set up the second tank.....?

 

As to not take away from the OP, this is also an easy solution by moving everything into a rubbermaid container and setting up new. As long as your rock is cycled, you should have no issues. 

[Origami]

To the OP: You can use the old water. Since you're moving to a larger tank, you can use most all of it. There's no huge benefit in using it. Perhaps some added parameter stability, but it's not like the water is full of bacteria. Bacteria will be mostly in and on your rock and sand. If your sand is not full of debris, then siphon down the old tank to a couple of inches. If your sand is full of debris, then you can certainly rinse it clean using some of your old water (or new water) until the water runs fairly clear. It can be a bit of work, but you can save any benthic life that way. It's certainly faster and easier sometimes to just start with new sand, though. Sometimes new sand will invite a mini-diatom bloom but that will pass. 

 

Finaddict: If you have your new rock already, you can begin curing it and seeding it with bacteria by putting the rock and some water into a plastic tote. Add a rock from your existing tank to the tote to seed it with bacteria. Toss in a heater and a pump for circulation. (The heater speeds bacterial multiplication.) Now, ghost feed the system with a little pure ammonia or flake food until your new setup is ready to go. This will get the rock started, shortening the overall time required. 

[1bitereefer]

Awesome thanks for the advice, I’m going to be pulling the trigger, the 350 is 93gallon volume, my plan is to keep my skimmer: Deltec 1351 and 2 kessil a360we. I know I’ll need a bigger pump. Do you think the skimmer will be enough for that tank?

[1bitereefer]

Also with moving all rocks and some sand, and a marine pure block i should not go through cycle correct?

[Origami]

I don't know Deltec's line up. Ultimately, whether or not it is sufficient really depends on your bioload,  not the tank volume, and other husbandry factors. 

 

You won't go through the same nitrogen cycle as a new tank set up because you're moving rock and sand over. However, in any tank, if you add a lot of livestock to the tank, the biofilter will have to grow to accomodate the additions. It doesn't happen instantly, but it can be quick and smooth.

 

New rock and new sand may be followed up by a few diatoms, though. That's not uncommon even when adding a new (dry) rock to an established tank.

[AquaHaus]

If you have space for the 4ft, max out that space and go for the 425xl 75l more water volume with similar footprint.

 

When I do installs for upgrades, I like to try to keep as much “clean” water as possible, that is before the detritus and junk gets stirred up from the bottom once the sand is agitated.

 

+1 on rubbermaid / home depot black tote for the move, it will allow you to keep everything close and completely submerged but allow you the space you need for the new tank to be placed

 

 

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[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

Interesting. I will be doing the same thing in either this summer or the fall, and my initial thought was just to cycle the new tank before I move/take down the old tank. It seems I have other options.

 

Exotic aquatics, some of us want to maximize out the length, not the volume…...ie 72x16x16 vs 48x20x20. We are worried about the tang police............ :)

Edited February 23, 2018 by KingOfAll_Tyrants

[finaddict]

So I finally moved from the 36 to my new 75 last weekend. I used new sand and mostly new pukani rock. The rock had been curing in heated circulated trash cans since march 26th so I hope to avoid any extra cycle problems. I moved my corals and fish and some rock to bins and filled them with the old tank water and threw in a heater and pump. Broke down the old tank and set up the new. I had about 75 gallons of newly made saltwater heated and ready to go. I put the cured rock in, 40 lbs of new sand ( no old sand transferred)and filled the tank with water. I put some old rock (only about 5-7 lbs of old rock) and returned my corals and fish to theDT. I used the old tank water to fill my sump (I was careful to match salinity and temp). Turned the system on and it has been running great. Everyone seems happy and about two days ago I started getting the brown diatoms on the clean rock surfaces. I am hoping this is caused by the new sand. I am sure the diatoms will be gone in a week or two but I have anxiety about what other nuicence algae blooms I am gonna have to deal with!