how to properly upgrade and move an established tank size from 20H to 33L??

[FeTTo]

Hey guys.

I won a 33g long at a convention not to long ago. I just picked up a 20L at the petco $1/gal sale as my sump. I want to transplant my current, 2 year established 20g High tank, into my 33g Long tank, with the 20L sump.

What do I need to properly do so without causing harm and death?

Obviously Im going to upgrade from 20 gallons of water, to a total of 53 gallons, give or take with displacement. So Ill need at least about 30 gallons of new water to add to the tank setup with sump.

Can I just empty my corals and rocks into buckets of tank water with my live stock? (2 occ. clowns, damsel, scooter blenny, 1 sexy shrimp, 1 blood shrimp, 2 peppermint, 3 leopard nassarius , emerald crab, turbos, ceriths, misc cleaners) and then gather up all the sand, and just toss it in the new tank?

Will I cause a new cycle, by adding MORE live sand, to the pre-existing live sand that I have, and then adding the 20 gallons of current water, and then adding the rest? Ive read mixed reviews, that i want to add normal sand to a pre-established tank, and it will become live over time, and some say to add live sand right away and let it cycle.

I dont want to kill off all my 'pods, and corals, and shock my guys.

I cant really set up the 33g long first, and let it cycle, as I need all the stock out of the 20g H, to put into the 33g. I guess I could buy new sand, and let the tank cycle fully, then once its ready, remove 20 gallons of water, add the 20 gallons of water from the current established tank, and then add the livestock, but im worried that adding an entire tank of livestock and rocks, to a newly cycled tank, might spike ****.

what advice can you give someone whos never upgraded a tank before and wants minimal causalities and headaches.

[Blown 346]

This what you need to do.


I would buy new sand if yours is nasty or you have a deep sand bed. Anerobic zones can form and take a tank down in a heartbeat. Those are black spots in the sand with deadly gases trapped under the sand.

I would get the new tank ready to go so all you have to do is the transfer of the guts of the old tank. Start out by getting as much water out of the old tank as you can without disturbing anything. If you have a rubbermaind tote nows the time to use it for your corals.

Get the corals out and into the tote, fill the tote with your water. Fit as much as you can in the tote, corals, rock. Get a bucket, fill that with the same water and place any inverts and fish there. place your heater in the bucket with the fish.

Now with water you have left that is still clean in the tank remove it and put it into your new tank. your sand bed might be looking nasty by now, what you can do is try and rinse it out and save as much as you can for the new tank. I have always just bought new dry base sand. Rinse it well add it to your new tank,( I usually do this a day before hand as it makes it easier) and add some sand from your old tank if its usable to seed the new sand. If you cant thats ok, your rock will seed the new sand within a few weeks.

Add the rock back to your tank leaving the corals attached to any rock and any single coral last in the tank. Once your rock is in, add your corals and whatever rock you have left. Add the difference in salt water. (make sure you make this up a day or so before hand so the salinity is the same as well as temperature for less stress.) put your heater in place, add the fish and inverts last. Leave the lights off for the rest of the day.

[thegrun]

The best method IMHO would be to first purchase 10-15 pounds of either live or dry rock and let it cycle either in your new tank or in a separate container. I like the idea of cycling the new rock in the new tank so you can get used to running the new tank and make any changes you want before adding livestock. Either way, once the new rock is cycled, place the newly cycled rock and the rock from your old system in the new tank. Arrange your rockwork and add new dry sand (wash it first to remove the fine dust). I would not try to reuse your old sand, it will have trapped a lot of detritus over the past two years and unless you wash it well in salt water it could start a new cycle. I would transfer a cup or two of your old sand to seed the new sand bed. Place the cup of old sand in a mound on top of the new sand. In a week you can flatten out and spread around the old sand. Siphon out 3 gallons of water from your old system into a 5 gallon bucket, catch your fish and then transfer as much clean water as possible from the old tank to the new. Once you get to the murky water discard it and use new saltwater to fill the tank the rest of the way up minus the three gallons of water the fish are in. Then dump the fish into the new tank. If you start with pre-cycled rock, your old rock from the existing system and new sand you will not have a cycle.

[FeTTo]

The best method IMHO would be to first purchase 10-15 pounds of either live or dry rock and let it cycle either in your new tank or in a separate container. I like the idea of cycling the new rock in the new tank so you can get used to running the new tank and make any changes you want before adding livestock. Either way, once the new rock is cycled, place the newly cycled rock and the rock from your old system in the new tank. Arrange your rockwork and add new dry sand (wash it first to remove the fine dust). I would not try to reuse your old sand, it will have trapped a lot of detritus over the past two years and unless you wash it well in salt water it could start a new cycle. I would transfer a cup or two of your old sand to seed the new sand bed. Place the cup of old sand in a mound on top of the new sand. In a week you can flatten out and spread around the old sand. Siphon out 3 gallons of water from your old system into a 5 gallon bucket, catch your fish and then transfer as much clean water as possible from the old tank to the new. Once you get to the murky water discard it and use new saltwater to fill the tank the rest of the way up minus the three gallons of water the fish are in. Then dump the fish into the new tank. If you start with pre-cycled rock, your old rock from the existing system and new sand you will not have a cycle.

Can I save my existing sand to add to the sump/fuge? My plan so far is to have the 33L as my main display tank now instead of the 20h. I am going to purchase an overflow box, and a pump this week most likely to start piecing everything together. Figured I can use the sand thats currently in the tank, to throw into the sump. I also have a pile of smaller rocks and crumbles, that Ive left in the tank, as my rock pile that will go into whatever sump/fuge i built in the future. which the time is now. These piles are also filled with hundreds of bristle worms, so I want them out of my tank too. Im afraid they are killing my snails, and I have some keyhole limpets i guess, that have been eating my zoas and xenia for about a year now, and I want to throw them into the sump too.

The new rock is a great idea, as I will need much more rock now that im adding some to the sump, and filling a larger display. I might just purchase another nano rock kit from gulfliverock (http://www.gulfliverock.com/coralline-live-rock.html) as they did me well when i first started, but then Id more then likely have to let it do a 3 week cycle or so, no?

[Blown 346]

I wouldnt save your sand. For the reason I mentioned above. You might be able to get away saving a little for the main tank to help seed the new sand, but if you cant the rock you have will do that for you.

[Blown 346]

The best method IMHO would be to first purchase 10-15 pounds of either live or dry rock and let it cycle either in your new tank or in a separate container. I like the idea of cycling the new rock in the new tank so you can get used to running the new tank and make any changes you want before adding livestock. Either way, once the new rock is cycled, place the newly cycled rock and the rock from your old system in the new tank. Arrange your rockwork and add new dry sand (wash it first to remove the fine dust). I would not try to reuse your old sand, it will have trapped a lot of detritus over the past two years and unless you wash it well in salt water it could start a new cycle. I would transfer a cup or two of your old sand to seed the new sand bed. Place the cup of old sand in a mound on top of the new sand. In a week you can flatten out and spread around the old sand. Siphon out 3 gallons of water from your old system into a 5 gallon bucket, catch your fish and then transfer as much clean water as possible from the old tank to the new. Once you get to the murky water discard it and use new saltwater to fill the tank the rest of the way up minus the three gallons of water the fish are in. Then dump the fish into the new tank. If you start with pre-cycled rock, your old rock from the existing system and new sand you will not have a cycle.


Why cycle the new tank when he has all the cycled rock to avoid a cycle? if he wants more rock just go buy fully cured rock and avoid a cycle all together.

[FeTTo]

Why cycle the new tank when he has all the cycled rock to avoid a cycle? if he wants more rock just go buy fully cured rock and avoid a cycle all together.

isnt most live rock you buy from the LFS/online already cured for the most part? Please ignore the stupid questions. This is my firs tank, its been established for 2 years come march, so moving and upgrading it an entirely new thing to me.

[Blown 346]

not all of it could be fully cured. Fully cured to me is it doesnt smell at all, it should smell like dirt once fully cured. Fully cured to someone else might be different. If you have it shipped you can get more die off just from shipping time and the rock starting to dry out.

I always find it best to go and pick out the rock myself and do the smell test, so you know your getting what you want. The travel time to your house wont affect the rock like shipping would and you could use it right away without fearing of a cycle or die off.

Not a problem, Happy to answer them and help out.

[thegrun]

isnt most live rock you buy from the LFS/online already cured for the most part? Please ignore the stupid questions. This is my firs tank, its been established for 2 years come march, so moving and upgrading it an entirely new thing to me.

It depends upon the store, but most live rock that I see locally is not fully cured. Even dry base rock can have enough dried on organics to start a new cycle. The safest bet is to cycle new rock.