Opinions on upgrading to my new tank

[Anonymous]

OK. Opinions please.....I am at the point of moving....

Existing tank, 46 bow 60lbs or more of LR. leather corals, weshphelia, mushrooms, hammer corals, pecula clown, 6 line wrasse, foxface.

I ve been working on my new tank a 58 RR Oceanic.

I had the new tank in my spare bedroom running for 2 1/2 months with 4 in of South Down, 10 lbs of LR and about 20 gallons of SW. I threw in some frozen shrimp and the tank went through its complete cycle some time ago.

I was waiting for carpeting and it was just installed. I moved the 46 into my kitchen for the install.

I had to move the new tank into my living room and in doing it I removed the water and had to remove the sand because it was too heavy to move.

I have replaced all of the and and water (20 gallons) and the tank is waiting its inhabitants.

My plan was to take all of the LR, water and corals from the 46 and put them right into the 58. I will also take some of the top layer of sand from the 46 to the 58.

IS this ok?

What about the DSB I removed and replaced back into the tank? It was only running for 2 1/2 months with nothing else in the tank?

Any other ideas would be gretly appreciated. I am planning on doing this this week so I can remove the old tank and get to my kitchen cabinets again before the wife goes nuts.
_________________
mortgage bailout

 

[Mogo]

IMO If you take all your old water and sand, and introduce it to your new tank, then you should be ok. New top off water is same as water change to make up the bigger sized tank. Although I 'm no expert in dsb's, there may be a disruption in the bioprocess in it. Expect cloudy water. Expect a mini cycle.

 

[wickerj]

You probably didn't have to much bio activety in your new sandbed but by moving everything you did disrupt anything that was going on so you may have a mini cycle. Adding the top layer of sand from your other tank 1" or less is a good idea.

Jeff

 

[Anonymous]

Do you think the tank will cycle with the new water and old water. New tank?

Plus sump, pumps etc.

The old tank was a 46 and the new tank is a 58 plus a 10gallon (20G High) tank.

I want the animals to live and be safe. If it means giving them to the LFS(Giving means returning them to the store to get $5 for hundreds spent) I might have to do it.

I am just getting so frustrated with this tank. First it was what pumps to use, what skimmer, what sump, then the lights, then how to make a hood, then breaking the hood and making another (Still not finished) moving the tank. Realizing after a day that it is not level. Now I have to drain the tank all over again to level it. Hundreds of trip to HD for supplies, plumbing done twice.

AARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG..

Sorry had to vent.

How can something that is supposed to be relaxing be such a pain in the #$$?

Can someone tell me how to do this right?
_________________
recession

 

[Anonymous]

Why would he have a mini-cycle if he is just moving live rock and sand from one tank to the other? It's not the new water that causes the die-off that cause the tank to cycle. I think he will be just fine swapping the sand and rock into the new tank and water.

 

[Mogo]

The problem I see here is not necessarily the water, sand etc, it's the new equipment introduced and the new contaminants thereof. When I cycled my new tank, I was cycling (breaking in) new equipment as well which IMO is part of the cycling process. No big worries about the water, sand, lr etc. Topoff water needed for larger aquarium = water change (good).

I would set up your new tank and let it sit as long as possible. Seeing as this is probably not possible unless you have a way to "store" your livestock, take the leap of faith and go ahead. keeping water temp and basic parameters as in-line as possible.

From what I interpret, expect a small cycle. Make sure your skimmer is working at peak. Other filtration you may have on hand I would hook up temporarily.

 

[pete]

you will have some die-off from the sand bed, remember when moving a sand bed you are exposing certain bacteria and organisms that live in anaerobic areas to air that will kill them. in addition depending on how long you've had you're existing sandbed you will also introduce a fair amount of toxic pollutants of some sort that occur naturally in the lower anaerobic layers of you're DSB. That layer is normally not disturbed so it normally isn't an issue. DR. Ron has an article about moving sandbeds if you do a search. Its not as simple as just removing it all at once and dumping it into a new tank.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I might have mistated some thing,

The new tank has a 4 in DSB that has been cycling for 2 1/2 to 3 months. The tank only had 2 pieces of LR and I used frozen shrimp to cycle it.

I moved that tank to my living room and had to remove that sand and put it back in.

My existing tank the 46 has been running for 2 years. I will be moving all of the LR, COral, Fish, Water to the new 58. I will also take "SOME" of the top layer of sand from the old tank to the new tank to seed the new sandbed.
_________________
Men's Health Forum

 

[reefsRcool]

sound like you have all your ducks in a row. stop stressing enlist some friends to help out and have at it. i have had to move my tank more times then i would care to admit and only once had any trouble with recycling it. my downfall was disturbing and not rplacing the DSB. you have that base covered. you are all set my friend relax. it will be fine.