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View Full Version : how exactly do I do an upgrade?


listerofsmeg
11/30/2011, 02:19 PM
Like what do I do? I'm doubling the size of my tank. It's not going to be huge, just 180 litres, currently I have a 20 gal.

Anyway what do I do during the changeover? I was thinking first I'd take everything alive out (coral, crabs, fish etc) and put them in a big bucket of tank water with a heater and a powerhead running in it.

But then what do I do? I'm going to transfer all the sand and water over into the new tank, then add freshly made salt water to fill up the tank and sump.

Do I have to bag up the fish/corals/crabs and then reacclimatise them? Or will I be fine just putting them in once the tank heats up to the right temparature?

thegrun
11/30/2011, 03:26 PM
First you will need to cure/cycle the additional rock you will be adding to the new tank. If the new tank is going to be in a different location than the old tank, set the new tank up and let it run until the live rock cycles (4 weeks give or take). It gets a little more complicated if you plan on setting the new tank in the same location as the old. I would still set up the new tank in a different location and let it cycle. Place the new live rock and water in buckets (Brute trash cans work great), then also empty the old tank water, rock and fish into containers. Relocate the new tank to its desired location, arrange your rock work, then fill it 3/4 full and add your sand. Use as much of the old tank water as possible to reduce the chemical changes to the fish and coral. Fill the tank and then add your fish.

seapug
11/30/2011, 03:34 PM
If you have room, keep everything in the existing tank and set up the new tank right next to it. Set up a small powerfilter in the existing tank then move the sump over to the new tank and fill it with NEW sand and all but about 15 gallons of water so you can run powerheads and a heater in the display for a couple days. You can seed the new sand with a couple cups of sand from the existing tank. When you're ready to do the final move, take out all the rocks and corals first, then net the fish and pump the remaining water from the old tank into the new tank to complete the fill and start the system.

This is the process I used for my recent upgrade from a 90 gal to a 200 gal. I had no cycling problems and didn't lose a single fish or coral in the entire process.

greech
11/30/2011, 05:58 PM
^That's a good method!

There is no reason why you cannot move everything over as it stands now. With the exception of the substrate, you are moving the same rock and bioload into a larger body of water (more buffer). You can look at it as a 50% water change. The trick is to not go crazy with adding livestock until the sand matures. Depending on the depth of the bed you have now, it may not providing much benefit anyway. Basically, treat it as a newly cycled tank for a while.

If you want/need to add more rock you can buy fully cured rock, clean dry rock or cycle rock in another tank/tub and add it later.

steelhead77
11/30/2011, 07:18 PM
I've gone from a 72 to a 125 to a 180. Each time the tank was placed in the exact same location and each time it was done in one very long day. Also, each time I re-used all of the old water and all of the old sand, adding more of each as needed. For the sand, after you've drained most of the water out of your current tank, take a scoop with your hand and smell it. If it smells like the beach, go ahead and re-use it. If it smells like rotten eggs, toss it and start over with new. Do this in several areas of the tank. If it smells like the beach, DO NOT rinse it, you will rinse out all of the good stuff.

Make sure you have enough new water made up at least a day or two before hand. You don't want to be in the situation where you have to mix up water while transferring your critters.

Fish and corals do not need to be re-acclimated. Again, I've upgraded twice and have never lost a single fish or coral using this method.

If your old sand smells like rotten eggs and you want to re-use it at a later date, you MUST rinse it very well with fresh water and then spread it out on a clean tarp and let it thoroughly dry out. You may need to do this several times before it stops smelling bad. Only then can you be sure that it will be safe to use and you can add it as needed to supplement and build a deeper sand bed.

listerofsmeg
12/06/2011, 01:04 PM
thankyou everyone, really good tips!