Tank Upgrade - Advice Needed

[marxman]

Hi All,

I'm new to reef keeping and started exactly 1 year ago with a 36 gallon bow front tank, canister filter, and current-usa lights. I quickly realized that I thoroughly enjoyed reef keeping, and now here I am 1 year later with a Red Sea Reefer 350 about to be delivered.

Everything that is in the old tank is going into the new one, with the exception of the sand. I will also be buying some new shelf style life rock for the tank.

Thankfully the new tank is not going to go in the same place as the old one, so I do have the option to run 2 tanks at the same time, and I have time

What's the recommended way to do this upgrade?
Fully cycle the new tank and transfer everything at once?
should I use water from the old tank for the new tank, perhaps some at a time?

Any experience / advice is appreciated.

thanks guys

 

[Flippers4pups]

Set up the new tank and cycle it. Transferring water doesn't do much of anything biologically. Once cycled, you can transfer everything from the old tank.

 

[SRQreefer]

Set up the new tank and cycle it. Transferring water doesn't do much of anything biologically. Once cycled, you can transfer everything from the old tank.

Don:

I have a follow up question on this. I have 120G that I plan on swapping out with another 120G [although I may go up to a 150]. I've had the 120 for years. I'm changing the tank because I made the mistake of mixing black gravel in the sand bed at the outset of setting up my current tank, and that black gravel has been brutal on the glass (little kids, a glass magnet cleaner and volcanic rock = no bueno). So, I will be replacing all of the sand in the swap out. Otherwise, I'll be using everything else, as is. Would you still recommend that I cycle the new tank?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[K7BMG]

You can do this several ways.

I would do water changes and save the old water.
The saved water should be kept at the same temp as the current DT.
This can be used for rinsing the rock ans sand to be moved.

First what all do you plan to transfer?
The sand bed (opinion here) can be transfered but would need to be removed last, thoroughly rinsed in the old tank water to remove ALL detritus and other nasties.

Any and all rock can be directly transfered but rinsed in the old tank water.
Once the rock is transfered then transfer the livestock.
Then clean the sand and transfer.

The only reason I would cycle the new tank separately is if there were a bad something or other you want/need to remove completley from the original. In this case it would be necessary IMO to transfer but go through the acclimation process with all the livestock.

In essence this is not much more than a rip clean. There are several threads to review on this.

 

[marxman]

Don:

I have a follow up question on this. I have 120G that I plan on swapping out with another 120G [although I may go up to a 150]. I've had the 120 for years. I'm changing the tank because I made the mistake of mixing black gravel in the sand bed at the outset of setting up my current tank, and that black gravel has been brutal on the glass (little kids, a glass magnet cleaner and volcanic rock = no bueno). So, I will be replacing all of the sand in the swap out. Otherwise, I'll be using everything else, as is. Would you still recommend that I cycle the new tank?

Thanks for the advice!

SRQreefer,
Do you have a sump and will you be using that in the new tank?

I think i am going to go through full cycle of new tank as i am starting a new sump with refugium in the new tank. I don't have this now so the fact I am trying to get so much new biological filtration going, perhaps I should cycle fully.

 

[SRQreefer]

You can do this several ways.

I would do water changes and save the old water.
The saved water should be kept at the same temp as the current DT.
This can be used for rinsing the rock ans sand to be moved.

First what all do you plan to transfer?
The sand bed (opinion here) can be transfered but would need to be removed last, thoroughly rinsed in the old tank water to remove ALL detritus and other nasties.

Any and all rock can be directly transfered but rinsed in the old tank water.
Once the rock is transfered then transfer the livestock.
Then clean the sand and transfer.

The only reason I would cycle the new tank separately is if there were a bad something or other you want/need to remove completley from the original. In this case it would be necessary IMO to transfer but go through the acclimation process with all the livestock.

In essence this is not much more than a rip clean. There are several threads to review on this.

Thanks for the response!

Sand bed will not be moved; I'm going to use all new sand. Saving some of the old tank water from water changes makes sense.

In terms of the transfer itself, I have a mixed reef, LPS dominant, but with a couple pretty big monti colonies and established but smallish acros (some softies, too, but most of those I think I am going to trade in at my LFS as part of this switch). Almost of the coral is affixed to the rock work. Other than that, two tangs, two clowns, a couple of grammas and a wrasse (and assorted snails, crabs, urchins, etc.)

There is nothing "bad" in my existing tank; my parameters are very stable. There are a couple of largish rocks that are covered with mushrooms that I will likely not transfer, but that's it.

I will look over some other threads, but very much appreciate your advice!

Thanks, again!

 

[SRQreefer]

SRQreefer,
Do you have a sump and will you be using that in the new tank?

I think i am going to go through full cycle of new tank as i am starting a new sump with refugium in the new tank. I don't have this now so the fact I am trying to get so much new biological filtration going, perhaps I should cycle fully.

I do have a sump, but I am thinking about swapping it out. Does that change the analysis?