What is the best way to upgrade/transfer a reef tank?

[awholelota]

I currently have a 50 gallon reef tank with about 100lbs of live rock, 40lbs of live sand, and several fish and coral. I just picked up a 90gal rr with stand and canopy super cheap and it’s sitting in the garage waiting for a little tlc. My goal is to move everything over in less than a day within the next month or two, but I don’t have a clear plan of how to do that just yet. So.. here go the questions.

Should I make water weeks in advanced and seed it with a little bit of the current tanks water? Will this even do anything?

I’m cooking an extra 50lbs of rock that’s been dry for two years. Will this cycle even if it’s been dry for that long? Do I even need to cook it?

I have about 60lbs of what used to be live sand. I washed it out well before putting it away for storage. It’s been sitting dry for a few years as well. Will this cycle if I drop it into my new tank? Should I cook it with the live rocks or just get totally new sand?

How do I move the 40lbs of live sand that’s in my current tank without releasing too much fish poop and causing a crash?

How long can coral last without light?

If I go from metal halide to all t5ho will the corals go into shock? What’s the best way to get the corals used to the new lighting?



Sorry for the barrage of questions but I really want to do this the right way. I’m sure that tons of you have upgraded. I just needed a little bit of a layout for a plan. If possible I wanted to get it done in a day.

[fatdaddy]

I'd get your new tank setup in the location you want. If your 50 is currently there, then you could move your fifty out a few feet by removing the water, moving, and then filling it back up. You could then mix water in your new tank and then complete it by moving water from the 50.

If it was dry rock, then it doesn't make sense to cook it. I wouldn't think your dry sand will cycle if it's washed. It depends on how much nutrients are in it.

For you current sand, why not wash it before you put it in. Just add some sugar sand as washing will also wash out small fines.

Don't know about how long corals will last without light, but you can go at least a day without lighting so you can do your move.

As for lighting, you could start with a short light cycle of 4-6 hrs and then build up over a few days or week.

[crvz]

"Seeding" with water is useless, you can do 100% water changes and not affect much of anything (assuming temp/pH/salinity are all the same) as the majority of beneficial bacteria lives on the substrate. You shouldnt see a problem with the dead rock that you're adding, but you may consider adding it a few pieces at a time.

Well, "cycling" happens from die off, so if there's nothing on the sand it wont cause a cycle (same thing with the rock). It may not be a good choice if it was used for a long time or otherwise packed with gunk, as rinsing it out may not have cleaned it well. If it were me, I'd just buy new sand (actually, I'd run the tank without sand, but you werent asking about that).

Well if you're replacing the sand (which I'd recommend), this isnt an issue. I wouldnt recommend using the old sand, maybe just a couple scoops to seed any new sand you've bought.

Corals can go a number of days without light, but I would start worrying about day 3 or 4 if things arent soon going to be ready.

I wouldnt say the corals will go in shock with the new lighting, but some acclimation should be performed. Whether it's a reduced photoperiod or layers of light screening removed over time, the corals would appreciate the effort.

[fatdaddy]

Here's a guy doing an upgrade. It's worth reading through to get an idea:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1298138&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[stingythingy45]

I just did this 3 months ago nothing died,just lost a frag.
But I went from a 55 gallon to a 90 gallon AGA RR.
It's pretty simple,just going to need some extra water mixed up to make up the difference.





"Should I make water weeks in advanced and seed it with a little bit of the current tanks water? Will this even do anything?"

Nah,you can get saltwater mixing 24 hrs. in advance

"I’m cooking an extra 50lbs of rock that’s been dry for two years. Will this cycle even if it’s been dry for that long? Do I even need to cook it?"

Just stick it in the tank for base rock.It will become live in about a month.

"I have about 60lbs of what used to be live sand. I washed it out well before putting it away for storage. It’s been sitting dry for a few years as well. Will this cycle if I drop it into my new tank? Should I cook it with the live rocks or just get totally new sand?"

Are you adding this with the sand from the 50 gallon?
I rinsed my 55 gallons sand well with tank water and reused it in the 90 gallon.Just added an extra 50 lbs new sand.

"How do I move the 40lbs of live sand that’s in my current tank without releasing too much fish poop and causing a crash?"

Rinse it a little at a time with tank water.

"How long can coral last without light?"

Days........maybe even weeks.But I wouldn't go more that a few days without some light.

"If I go from metal halide to all t5ho will the corals go into shock? What’s the best way to get the corals used to the new lighting?"

Start with a reduced lighting period of maybe 4 hrs,then start to legthen the day over a weeks time.

[crsswift70]

Agree with stingy, that's basically what i did with my tank move. I had all my fish and corals in the new tank within a month. No cycle whatsoever.

[Sk8r]

Qt the fish and corals: you can use the old tank once you empty it and clean it. Buckets until then, and move fast.

Move everything BUT the sand. Lay down eggcrate if you haven't before: it's a safety thing. then base (non-live) then live rock, then new sand or super-super washed, I mean until water runs clear, old sand, and it must be washed in your discard salt water. You can do a combo of old and new. This will prevent a mess of crud. Your tank should do about a 5 day cycle, maybe a little more. Maybe less if you can get the old sand really scrubbed out and use it. Remember: it has to be washed in salt water to keep the bacteria going. Washing the formerly live sand in the dirty discard water might convey some bacteria to it. I don't see any benefit to cooking dead rock...but then I don't believe in cooking in the first place.
Your fish and corals will be fine in the bare old tank for five days until you get things going in the new. Test water 2x daily, and run carbon/floss filter for them. Corals will fare better in dark than under bright new light, and better with your fish in qt with filtration than in bucket: start them low in the tank and on reduced photoperiod: start with 2 hours and increase slowly.

once your tank has cycled, start as per usual with cleanup crew moved in from your old tank, plus new, because it's larger, and let them work, checking ammonia/nitrate and all other params.

If you then add a HOB downflow system and set up the other tank as a sump/fuge with return pump it would be really good.

[Sk8r]

Note: I would NOT use used bulbs. Bulbs lose their effectiveness in 6-8 months, though they do not burn out. Start with new bulbs and write down the date they went into service.

[fatdaddy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13276070#post13276070 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
Qt the fish and corals: you can use the old tank once you empty it and clean it. Buckets until then, and move fast.


Maybe a missed something, but if you're just upgrading tanks and the additional rock/sand has been dry, why QT?

[awholelota]

would i need egg crate for a plexi tank?

thanks for all of the repilies. i'd be moving the new tank into the spot the old tank is sitting.

the bulbs i have now are almost 8 months old, so it's time to change them. i have enough metal halides to light the 90 but wanted to move over to t5 for heat and energy issues.