Upgrading established anemone tank: Concerns? Things to look out for?

[Hooz]

I currently have an IM Nuvo 10 anemone tank with a pair of clowns and (now) 8 various BTAs. I am getting a second IM Nuvo 30L (I have one as a mixed reef already) with a plan to upgrade my anemones to the bigger tank. I plan on using new sand, but I'm stuck on whether to take the opportunity to do a new aquascape, or if I should move the existing scape and add to it in the bigger tank. The tank has been up and running for more than a year now. Initial cycle was done with Microbacter StartXLM, and I do maintenance dosing of Microbacter7 regularly. The little 10g is basically on autopilot now, and I really, REALLY don't want to screw it up!

The pro to making the new aquascape would be that it was designed for the tank with anemones, flow, etc in mind. The con would be that I'd be starting my cycle/curing from scratch, and I don't want to wait months before moving everything (I waited several months before adding the first BTA to the current tank).

Since the 10g is basically 1/3 of the 30L.. same height, depth, etc, just 12" long instead of 36"... the existing aquascape would fit fine as a centerpiece, and I could add other structures on each end to fill the space. That would also save me from having to try to detach all the anemones from the current structure and move them to the new tank. BUT! detaching them all would be a good opportunity to thin the herd a bit, too.

I guess I'm just looking for advice and suggestions on moving a well seasoned anemone tank into a brand new, larger tank with minimal headaches.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Any time I have moved nems to a bigger tank and added new rock, I always started the initial cycle and let it finish on the new rock. This was to eliminate any PO4 that was bound to the new rock (when using dry rock) to leach out and get stable. For live rock, I always let it cycle, as in get past any die off.

If you want to use the use the existing rock scape as a center piece, just add it after the new rock is cycled and params level out.

For removal of the nems, the below work wonderfully on BTA and can be adjusted in size and length for any tank.

Safe and Easy DIY way to remove Nems

Due to seeing numerous post recently about how to remove anemones and shrooms without hurting them or destroying rock work. I felt like this was in order. First off, a little back story. Years ago, when I lived in Florida and collected aquatic life on a regular basis, we always had issues with...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Hooz]

Any time I have moved nems to a bigger tank and added new rock, I always started the initial cycle and let it finish on the new rock. This was to eliminate any PO4 that was bound to the new rock (when using dry rock) to leach out and get stable. For live rock, I always let it cycle, as in get past any die off.

If you want to use the use the existing rock scape as a center piece, just add it after the new rock is cycled and params level out.

For removal of the nems, the below work wonderfully on BTA and can be adjusted in size and length for any tank.

Safe and Easy DIY way to remove Nems

Due to seeing numerous post recently about how to remove anemones and shrooms without hurting them or destroying rock work. I felt like this was in order. First off, a little back story. Years ago, when I lived in Florida and collected aquatic life on a regular basis, we always had issues with...

www.reef2reef.com

So put the new rock structures and sand in the new tank, do a normal cycle, then, once everything is settled, move the existing rock and anemones into the tank? That sounds easy enough. Not "instant", but I can use a small piece of seasoned rock from the existing tank to seed the new one, so it shouldn't take long.

I also wanted to add a few fish that I was worried my clown pair might beat up on. That would give me a good opportunity to add some of them before I even introduced the clowns.

The 10g now just has an upgrade return pump and no powerheads. The new tank will have a pair of wavemakers in it, so I'm kind of expecting the anemones to move to adjust to the new flow patterns. I might just take that opportunity to see if I can grab a few of them. The pipe idea is genius, but in a 10g there isn't a ton of room to position them.

First reply, and that might be just the ticket!

 

[Eagle_Steve]

So put the new rock structures and sand in the new tank, do a normal cycle, then, once everything is settled, move the existing rock and anemones into the tank? That sounds easy enough. Not "instant", but I can use a small piece of seasoned rock from the existing tank to seed the new one, so it shouldn't take long.

I also wanted to add a few fish that I was worried my clown pair might beat up on. That would give me a good opportunity to add some of them before I even introduced the clowns.

The 10g now just has an upgrade return pump and no powerheads. The new tank will have a pair of wavemakers in it, so I'm kind of expecting the anemones to move to adjust to the new flow patterns. I might just take that opportunity to see if I can grab a few of them. The pipe idea is genius, but in a 10g there isn't a ton of room to position them.

First reply, and that might be just the ticket!

Correct, this just eliminates avoidable stress to the nems. If you do have a rock with no nems in the other tank, you could always add it to help spread bacteria.

I will say, you could insta-build it and be OK, but you will have to stay on top of making sure the tank stays stable during that process.

 

[Hooz]

Correct, this just eliminates avoidable stress to the nems. If you do have a rock with no nems in the other tank, you could always add it to help spread bacteria.

I will say, you could insta-build it and be OK, but you will have to stay on top of making sure the tank stays stable during that process.

I don't mind waiting a month or so, I just didn't want to have the tank up and running for several months while I waited. I figured I'd also use several gallons of "old" water from the little tank when I move everything over, just so the new tank isn't too "sterile".