Tank move

[altobelli10]

I have a 125 g and moving up to a 250g , my question is it wise to use same sand same rocks and add more to it use same water plus add new to fill it up then move everything to the new tank or should I run the new tank and have it cycled first.

 

[Harry_Y]

I would use New sand and New water

The rocks are fine

 

[SaraB]

New sand, same rocks and add addiitonal rocks if what you have is not enough. If you can cycle the new tank, just add a couple pieces of your exisiting rock to the new tank and a couple cups of the sand as well to seed it and wait for it to cycle before you transfer the rest of the rock and fish and corals over.

 

[DBarsotti]

what i did when i moved my 40 to a 120 was... set the 120g up, filled it half way or more, added new sand and rock, and over a months time used the water chnage water from the 40 to fill up the rest the 120. It worked out very well, i didn't lose anything in the move because the water par's were very similar by the time i moved everything over.

 

[altobelli10]

I read somewhere that you really do not need to cycle if u moving to a new system, just make sure that u rinse the sand and add ur old rocks all ur water then add more water to fill the tank that way it will feel the same to ur fish and corals.

 

[DBarsotti]

yeah i've seen poeple do it without cycling without problems, when i moved mine i was moving a crap pile of sps so i went with the safer route(imo) of letting the tank cycle first.

 

[Troylee]

i change tanks like twice a year lol.... what i do is take everything but the SAND and add it to the new tank all the old water and rocks.... never had a problem... i always use new sand thou......and fill the remaninder with new salt water....

 

[SaraB]

If you fix the Hair Algae issue in your 125G before the transfer, I'd use some of the water ... but if you still have the Hair Algae issue I'd worry about using that water and live rock that has hair algae on it. That is why I stated what I did above based on your current situation you posted in your other thread yesterday.

 

[altobelli10]

these pictures are taken by my Iphone not the greatest but it does show my new tank; I have 3 LED unit on top it is like day and night compare to other lights, since these pictures were taken I did include 2 evo 1400 powerheads water flow is way better now my corals seem to like it, the next project is to build inclosed wall so the only thing you see is the front of the tank.......I must be crazy for taking on this challenge but the result will be worth it.

 

[Wy Renegade]

So, curious as to thought on the old sand? Do you all just toss it? If so why?

 

[altobelli10]

I rinsed the old sand with RO/DI water and used it first the added the new sand; that way you git ridd of any toxins in the sand prior to add it.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I rinsed the old sand with RO/DI water and used it first the added the new sand; that way you git ridd of any toxins in the sand prior to add it.

If you rinse with RO/DI water, then you also kill any saltwater microfauna established in the sandbed. Wouldn't rinsing in saltwater also eliminate any toxins?

 

[altobelli10]

The RO/DI water I used was mixed with salt and let me tell you it was a nasty job because I had a deep sand bed.

 

[Wy Renegade]

So you rinsed with saltwater, not RO/DI water - RO/DI water isn't RO/DI water once you mix salt into it . Anyway, yeah I can imagine that was not fun. What did you do if anything to remove bound up phosphates from the sand grains?

 

[butts182]

I changed from a 30g to a 40g. I used new sand and some of the same water with some new water and all the same corals and rocks. I love 90% of my sps and had some recession in my chalices. Be careful and try to use all of the same water and maybe even sand.

 

[altobelli10]

I have 25 red mangroves with some calauprea in my refugium that will help with any increase of phosphate, I keep testing my water regularly and all my numbers are fine.