Tank Upgrade Advice

[jacobreynolds6883]

I’m currently running a 36g bowfront reef and moving closer to setting up a custom 90g from glasscages.com. I’m needing advice how about to go through this process with minimal issues.

-First I will explain what I have in the current setup, 6 fish, cleaner shrimp/several inverts, zoas, mushroom, and Xenia. There is around 50-60 pounds of live rock (very mature over 2yrs old). This is the only items I want to move over to the new 90 setup.

-Second my new setup is 90g built-in overflow with 40g custom sump.

-Ok onto the many questions I have.
1. I plan to place new sand 2” and put approximately 50lbs of dry rock in the tank and get it running. Add Dr Tim’s One and Only and start cycling. Once parameters are in place moving stock and current display rock over, would the rock cause another cycle? Is there a better way to go about this? Is there a faster method to move everything over?
2. What range GPH should I be looking at for wave makers?
3. I plan to grow micro algae in sump along with skimmer and socks for filtration. Is 40g too large, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your time and any suggestions or experiences would help greatly.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I’m currently running a 36g bowfront reef and moving closer to setting up a custom 90g from glasscages.com. I’m needing advice how about to go through this process with minimal issues.

-First I will explain what I have in the current setup, 6 fish, cleaner shrimp/several inverts, zoas, mushroom, and Xenia. There is around 50-60 pounds of live rock (very mature over 2yrs old). This is the only items I want to move over to the new 90 setup.

-Second my new setup is 90g built-in overflow with 40g custom sump.

-Ok onto the many questions I have.
1. I plan to place new sand 2” and put approximately 50lbs of dry rock in the tank and get it running. Add Dr Tim’s One and Only and start cycling. Once parameters are in place moving stock and current display rock over, would the rock cause another cycle? Is there a better way to go about this? Is there a faster method to move everything over?
2. What range GPH should I be looking at for wave makers?
3. I plan to grow micro algae in sump along with skimmer and socks for filtration. Is 40g too large, any other suggestions?

Thanks for your time and any suggestions or experiences would help greatly.

If the rock hasn't been "cured" before use, it can be cured in tank during the cycle, but being dry rock, it may release P04 into the water. Dry rock has the potential to do this.

Gph for wave makers would be dependent on what you are intending to keep coral wise. For instance SPS dominant, 20x-30x the volume of the DT.

Sump- bigger the better.

 

[jacobreynolds6883]

If the rock hasn't been "cured" before use, it can be cured in tank during the cycle, but being dry rock, it may release P04 into the water. Dry rock has the potential to do this.

Gph for wave makers would be dependent on what you are intending to keep coral wise. For instance SPS dominant, 20x-30x the volume of the DT.

Sump- bigger the better.

I guess I failed to mentioned the corals I plan to house, mostly softies for the time being. The dry rock isn’t cured plan to do in the cycle, however after cycle finished and I move over the large amount of rock from current displayed would that cause a cycle?

 

[LegendaryCG]

Soft corals don't need much care, and actually do better in a less pristine enviroment so I don't think you'll have much to worry about.

 

[Gareth elliott]

If your current tank has 50lb of rock id probably do something like this.
Cure another 20lbs in rubbermaid totes. When po4 reads 0 start cycling in salt water in the totes.
start plumbing the new tank, rinse the new sand and get it wet. When the new rock is ready and able to convert ammonia to no3 in under 24 hours add old rock and new rock at the same time.
2 reasons
Aquascaping is easier when all rock is added at once.
the old rock was able to handle your current bioload no need to reinvent the wheel let it do the same in your new tank. Upgrades can be instacycles when just moving rock.

Caveat dont add large amounts of uncycled rock to an existing system.

 

[jacobreynolds6883]

If your current tank has 50lb of rock id probably do something like this.
Cure another 20lbs in rubbermaid totes. When po4 reads 0 start cycling in salt water in the totes.
start plumbing the new tank, rinse the new sand and get it wet. When the new rock is ready and able to convert ammonia to no3 in under 24 hours add old rock and new rock at the same time.
2 reasons
Aquascaping is easier when all rock is added at once.
the old rock was able to handle your current bioload no need to reinvent the wheel let it do the same in your new tank. Upgrades can be instacycles when just moving rock.

Caveat dont add large amounts of uncycled rock to an existing system.

So if I add both new and old rock at the same time to the new system, what’s your suggestion to do with current fish/inverts/corals in old system? Would I just leave them in the old system and would I not have problems immediately after removing old rock?

 

[theMeat]

Think if you can its a good idea to have separate tank for fuge, connected to sump.
-Would fill tank with saltwater, new sand. Let sand settle then put new rock. Wait for water to clear, maybe a couple of days, then put some sand and rock from old tank. Some old rock and used sock in sump is good too.
-for flow would think 15-25 x display volume, with 3-6x return pump from sump. Most any pump is adjustable, and for cycling 5-10 tank volume is fine and lights off

 

[Gareth elliott]

Sorry wasnt more clear

Outside the new tank i would cure the new rock. Cheap walmart plastic totes are fine. This is to remove any tied up organics, can be done in fw. What you want is to test each week for po4 when undetectable its ready to cycle. Doing a 100% water change.

Start getting the new tank setup during this time. Plumb, rinse sand, add salts water etc.

once the new rock reaches 0 po4, can cycle either in the new tank or the tote this you are adding ammonia and waiting for the point where its all no3 within 24 hours. There are a million threads on cycling so wont go in detail as you are skipping a few steps with that much old rock.
At this point id add the old and new rock together in the new tank. Then all of your old tanks live stock.
Upgrades with no new fish, with old rock can always an instacycle, but to avoid any bacterial blooms, or algae spikes best to prep any new rock before its added.