Going from 55 to 180

[boehm742]

Im planning on swapping everything from my 55 to a 180g. I plan on having the 180 full of water to the same specs as the 55 before i get started. I plan to use the existing rock in the 55, i m considering dipping as much as i can in a peroxide dip before adding it to the 180. Reason i say that is ive noticed a couple fireworms that i dont want to deal with in the 180. Anyone see any problems with this? Is the dip going to kill off all the bacteria and cause me to re-cycle the tank? To much die off?


What should i do about the sand in the 55? Its about 3" deep. Am i better off buying all new sand? Should i rinse the sand in the 55 if i use it? Id really like to use it to save me as much as i can because i know ima need alot of new sand. Im only planning on having just enough to cover the bottom in the 180. Not trying to skimp here on things but if i could reuse it in the 180 it would be great. What are your thoughts?

For those of you who have upgraded from an existing tank to a larger one what are YOUR tips for doing it? Do you have any advice for me you may have wished you did differently during your swap? I want this to go as smoothly as possible so i am posting this prior to me doing anything, it may still be a week or two before it happens and would like all the advice i can get ahead of time.

 

[dougers31]

You are not going to get rid of fire worms with out nuking the rock. Just get a couple of good wrasses and they'll take care of 99 percent of them.

 

[davelink]

i did the exact same, a loaded 55 gallon reef to a 180... pretty easy. just drain your tank into big tupperware bins, fill another bin with the liverock, cover it all in wet towels, keep another bin for coral and fish... drain your 55 down to the sand, then put all the sand into whatever you want, xfer the sand to the new tank, lower it in whatevers holding it and dump it when its at the bottom. then move your stuff back on in. use your old water too if possible.

 

[akabryanhall]

The only thing that I'm pretty sure of is that you will want to use new sand for your 180. The process of removing the old stirs up waaaay to much stuff, even if you rinse it it may come back to bite you.

 

[davelink]

maybe keep a powerhead in whatever bin has the coral and fish in it. you can get the bins cheap at like lowes or home depot. maybe toss in a cheap heater depending on how long it takes you to get it all back into the 180.

 

[dougers31]

I would also not reuse the sand. Could you just start up the 180 and cycle it befor the move...

 

[davelink]

if your sand is super nasty yeah toss it, maybe clean it with a lil sand vacuum thing in the 55 before you move it over if you wanna keep it though. i used all my old sand when i did my xfer

 

[boehm742]

You are not going to get rid of fire worms with out nuking the rock. Just get a couple of good wrasses and they'll take care of 99 percent of them.

Ive noticed with the combination of my wrasses as well as keeping my nutrients under control the fireworm population has dropped drastically. Perhaps if i keep it up the wrasse's will finish the rest off.

 

[Alattner]

agreed just toss the sand and spend a little extra on getting new sand. personally i would take your time setting up the 180 and do it right the first time that way your not always going back in and trying to change things you wish you would have done from the start. just my 2cents

 

[boehm742]

I would also not reuse the sand. Could you just start up the 180 and cycle it befor the move...

There will be no rock for it during the cycle. There is ~80lbs in the 55 and another 50lbs in the sump. Only thing in it would be new sand. I just worry switching the rock from the 55 to the 180 might cause yet another cycle. I assume tho if done quick enough, dieoff will be kept to a minimum.

 

[boehm742]

maybe keep a powerhead in whatever bin has the coral and fish in it. you can get the bins cheap at like lowes or home depot. maybe toss in a cheap heater depending on how long it takes you to get it all back into the 180.

I plan on keeping my old biocube pump as well as a air pump battery backup ive got in a 10g tank with some of the 55s water in it to keep sufficient waterflow and o2 levels during the switch.

 

[dougers31]

If I were you I'd just go with a shallow (new)sandbed in the new tank. Does the move have to happen all at once?

 

[boehm742]

If I were you I'd just go with a shallow (new)sandbed in the new tank. Does the move have to happen all at once?

Im just wanting to barely cover the bottom in sand, i dont like the look of BB so i want to add just enough to cover it. I mean i could set up the 180 with water and a powerhead for a short time. But alot of the equipment im using on the 180 (mp40's, BM160, refugium) will need to go in the 180 from the 55. When i bought the equipment for the 55 i knew an upgrade was in the near future. So alot of it is supposed to be for the upgraded tank when that time came.

 

[dougers31]

I guess if it were me I'd set up the new tank and run it at least 3/4 full, add the sand and a few good pieces of live rock to help seed the sand and maybe give ya a headstart.

 

[Harry_Y]

I went from a 72 to a 180

I put in New sand, and New Water, Then just moved things over.
(well almost... The old tank sprung a leak so the
rocks, corals, and fish were holding in trashcans)