I swore I wasn't going to do it...

[digitlhaze]

I was just going to set up my little 15g cube and be happy. Now just a bit under 4 months in the empty 40 gallon breeders in my basement are calling my name...

That being said, what are some of your experiences swapping tanks? I don't have a ton of livestock, 3 small fish, a handful of zoa's, a duncan, and various cuc.

Should I expect some die-off? Give the new tank a full month+ of cycling time, or just set up with live rock and ship it? And I suppose I should expect another ugly phase?

Any advice or experiences you've had would be much appreciated!

 

[Mickle]

In my experience standard tanks perform worse. Maybe thats my lack of expensive filtration add-ons though

 

[Reef Jedi]

You can put everything existing into the new tank. I would start with fresh live sand. You may have a very fast mini cycle and a fast ugly phase but that’s normal. Stock it and send it.

 

[rayadog]

I would assume you’ll add more rock/sand to the new 40 in which case you’ll get another mini cycle/uglies. Should be milder than initial

 

[kevgib67]

I went from a 32g to a 105g at the beginning of the year. New live rock and sand ( along with existing live rock) with no die off or ugly phase. I attribute to everything alive.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I feel like this is common for reefers to do. I do agree that I would get new sand, but everything else is fine!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've also done a few upgrade - set up your 40, then move the rocks and sand over. IMO 4 months old sand won't cause any any issue, especially since I assume you'll be adding a lot more sand. Then move the corals over, then the inverts and finally the fish. Nothing should die or be overly stressed.

You can even cycle the new rocks in advance and that will make the switch over easier and avoid any mini-cycles.