upgrading to a larger tank

[cnw4127]

Hi All,

I am preparing to upgrade from a 29 gallon tank to a 75 gallon tank. The existing tank is just about a year old and has 2 clowns a shrimp and chromis plus a bubble tip anemone, hammer coral, some zoa's and mushrooms. I want to make sure the transition is as gentle as possible to keep from losing anything. I want to eventually use the 29 gallon tank as a sump for the new tank, but will not do so right away. My questions are should I use all new sand or transfer the existing sand and add more? Also I will need more rock and wasn't sure if I should let it cure on it's own or add it to the existing tank to get a jump before placing it in the new tank? Feel like a beginner all over again.....

Thanks,
Brian

 

[PSU4ME]

For sand that's a year old I'd probably get new stuff. Ideally you'd get the new tank up and running and cycled then transfer over. Going that route you could use cured, uncured or dry rock, all depends on how soon you wanna do the transfer

 

[delta]

two schools on this make it an upgrade and move everything right over. you start with a new sand bed(seed it w/old sand) and everything goes right over. Plus some extra water

the other way is to setup a new tank and cycle it and move everything over once the tank in cycled.

There are risks in both avenues.

Moving everything at once the risk is pretty clear. its a huge move and leaves you no cushion should things go wrong. This is my preferred method with smaller tank. Please do not take that as that is the way you should go as there are many thing to consider. And while I prefer this way it is based on the specific tank I am moving over.

New cycled while it gives a you a huge cushion to back out the tank in still a new tank and some things may not be ready to move into a fairly green tank.

But that is just an over view. as to the LR cure it first as a precaution never add it straight to the tank. Sand is always new. Sand is the bane of any tank change and by seeding new sand with the old sand in short order it will be full of life without any un expected nasties

 

[cnw4127]

Thanks Guys!

 

[wolffman1992]

I will start off by saying this is not the recomended approach according to most schools of thought. About a year and a half ago I was running two tanks, a 29 biocube, and a 60 gallon cube. The biocube was running for about a year and the cube I had purchased from someone who had just set it up and it had been cycled for about 3 months. I came home one day to find my cube was leaking and needed to act fast. I purchased a 72 bowfront that day and combined my liverock, sand, corals, and fish into the 72. I monitored the parameters of the water three times a day checking amonia nitrites and nitrates. I was lucky enough to say I did not have a cycle. All my live stock survived. Keep in mind at the time I had easy to keep Lps such as Duncan's, hammers, acans, chalices etc. My tank now is doig wonderful and is SPS dominated. I must say in the 29 gallon I always siphoned the sand to collect deitrus. I know people who have tried replacing sand and using old sand and both had cycles. The safest method would be to do exactly what ps4me recommended. Just figured I throw that out there. Combining two tanks i would assume is safer than upgrading because of the amount of liverock already cycled. Having to purchase new stuff for an upgrade could easily cause a cycle. Best of luck and I hope this helps!