Upgrading to a 180g from 90g... need help!

[KhanhQ83]

Hello reefers. I’m currently running a 90g of mixed reef been up for 7 months with several fish and lots of corals. I just bought a 180g upgrade with mostly new equipments and I plan to start everything over since I’ve done so many mistakes on my fish tank. I’m going all dry rocks, dry sand (to prevent pests). I ordered 150lbs of macro dry rocks and 320lbs of fine dry sand for a nice DSB. I have several questions regarding the transfer:

1.Should I cook/cure the dry rock? I will rinse and rocks and sand well very at first. I know the rocks can release phosphate but I plan to run carbon/GFO during cycle.
2.After the tank is fully cycle, how should I transfer to prevent a sudden spike in bio-load that might cause another cycle? I was thinking transfer clean-up crew first, wait for the bacteria the catch up, then all the corals, wait for the bacteria to catch up, then transfer the fish. I was thinking to transfer the fish before the corals, but I don’t think I can catch the fish with all the corals and rocks still in the tank.
3.I’ve been reading up the Miracle Mud by Ecosystems. I’m thinking of getting this as substrate in the sump (Aquaeon Proflex 4). It’s not cheap, is it worth it?
4.I’m still searching for a 6ft 3x250w metal halide fixture but haven’t have much luck. Is my current 4ft 2x250w metal halide fixture will suffice for now? I don’t think I need good lights during the tank cycle, would the regular fluorescent lights suffice? If anybody has a 6ft light for sale, please let me know
5.For the 180g, I’m planning to re-use my 2x MP40w/ES and 2x Koralia Evolution 4 pumps on the back wall. Would be enough flow for mostly LPS/SPS tank or should I add more flow?

Sorry for the long post. Please share your inputs. Much appreciated! This is most expensive hobby ever and I have lots but I also enjoy reefing most

 

[B.rian]

that sounds like a pretty nice upgrade! good luck with it!

there is no need to cure the rock, just give that and the sand a quick cleaning with fresh water and you will be good to go. i would just run your skimmer wet during the cycle.

also, i would just do frequent water changes in your 90g system, and then use the water you remove from your 90g to fill the 180. this should make the transfer a bit easier on the inhabitants since the water should have about the same parameters. it will take a bit longer to fill the new 180g than just mixing fresh saltwater, but it saves salt too. once it's cycled, i would add some clean up crew and easy corals and monitor. you should also add LR from your existing 90g to help seed your new tank.

i have never used miracle mud, and if it is that expensive, i would opt out of that. i would just add a fuge section with a lot of chaeto in your sump.

i think retrofit would probably be the easier way to go if you want MH on this tank, rather than looking for a 6' light. your current light would work, but you would have to centralize your corals under the lights, and you would have an unlit 1' section on each end. until you transfer your corals, a regular flo. light is fine.

as for the mp40s and koralias, that should be fine if i recall. you will get a nice wave action in there. you can always add some smaller pumps if you feel more flow is necessary down the line.

i hope this helps!

 

[KhanhQ83]

Thanks Brian - maybe reusing the water change isn't a bad idea... but I'm really trying not to reuse anything from the old tank aside from the essential equipments like mp40 and apex. I just don't want to risk pests or free swimming organisms transferred onto the new tank as I want to start over fresh. Maybe running the water-change water through UV sterilizer for a few days each time would ensure no pests can be transferred over?

 

[Fishcull]

Just food for thought. I assume your going to transfer livestock (fish and coral) from your 90G to your 180G? When and if your doing that, then you will essential transfer any pest over.

You concern about pest begs the question of --- Do you have any? What have you done to treat it?

To have a true QT tank and prevent transfer you almost have to have 2 sets of equipments and if the tanks can be in separate rooms that would be the most ideal. Anytime your sharing equipment or stick your hands in 1 tank and then the other. You risk contamination.

 

[KhanhQ83]

I dipped all incoming corals with Coral RX but when I started the 90g, I got all used live rocks from different tanks and I didn't cook them. Just to be safe, I will give all the corals a nice bath in Coral RX again before I transfer them over. I am considering at QT for corals for new incoming ones but that will be after the 180g is up and running.

 

[don in mass]

hello on your sand i would rinse real good i found when i used the fine sand in my 220 with a light rinse the tank was real cloudy for days with a white dust sticking to everything even in the sump so what i did was went with smaller micron filter sock and switched it 2 or 3 times a day so it would not or try not to get sand in any pumps includeing your skimmer.your gonna have just short of a 4 inch sand bed placement of the mp40's and koralia heads i think with fine sand the koralia should be the ones closest to the bottom mp40s mid range so there not blowing holes and sand all over imo hth don

 

[KhanhQ83]

Thanks Don - I'll make sure to rinse both rocks and sand very well. I plan to place the mp40s about 10" below the surface and the 2 Koralias 4 in the back facing diagonal to the front and upward. I don't want the sand to be blowing everywhere.