Tank migration questions

Hiya! I've a 110g coral/fish that I'm planning on breaking down. Wife want's a JBJ Advanced LED cube so we're thinking of just doing corals in that (less maintenance/running costs). We're planning to buy a display tank from a LFS that's moving. It's a 150g. 48" wide, 30" height & 24" deep already reef ready (predrilled) along with the sump/refugium to use just as a FOWLR.

My reason for posting was if anyone has suggestions for me to consider in this swap I'd really appreciate it!

I'll be moving the lighting from the 110 as well as the live rock and as much of the sand as possible. How long do you think I'll need to let the tank cycle doing this as well as adding additional live sand? Also, what the heck to do with the fish I've now until 150 is ready?? Keep them in the 28g Nano?

 

if it where me WCW

I would leave the 110 running as it is, until I had secured ownership of the 150

if the 150 is going to be put in a different location in your home, thats the most convenient in terms of upgrading IME

if the 150 is going to be in same location that 110 is currently in - thats a little less convenient, and means you will need containers to hold your current stock, water, rockwork etc - whilst you strip and move out the 110 and move the 150 in

with an upgrade of this size these are the things I would consider

1 - use base rock rather than live rock, to make up for additional rockwork required in the larger tank - as that way you avoid any die off from new live rock, and also prevent the risk of introducing unwanted pests into the system that was running fine before the upgrade

2- how long has current sand bed been in situ and how deep is it? if its more than a couple of inches deep and be in longer than 9 months, I would be tempted not to move the sand - I would get new dry sand, and just use a couple of cupfulls of old sand to the new sand in order to seed it with bacteria and other life forms

3 - I would keep as much water as I could remove cleanly and store whilst setting up the 150


If tank was going to be put in different location to current 110 - this would be the way I would go about achieving the move

1) make additional salt water - I would make 60 gallons possibly in the tank itself, about 2 days before the transfer

2) I would add new dry rock, and make a base layer of that, rather than having odd clean rocks spread about the tank - that way base level is all clean rock, and then your existing live rock from the 110 can be stacked on top of that - IMO, this would look better aesthetically at start up, and it will not take long for new rock to colour up anyway IME

3) on day of move, I would begin by syphoning out some water into a large enough holding container, and then transfer live corals to that holding container

4) I would continue syphoning or pumping water to the 150 and at same time moving rock into the 150 ( basically as water level lowers and rock becomes expossed to air, move it to the 150 which is filling up, that way it does not dry out, and you wont get much if any die off

5) when all the rock is out and the last inch or more (depends on water level in 150) of water and sand bed are still in the 110 thats when I would capture fish and move them to the 150 - (much easier to catch fish in shallow water with no rock left in the tank IME)

6) Leave lights off for balance of that day allowing the fish to settle in peace


If tank is going to be placed in same location as current tank

1) make 60 gallons or so of new water, a couple of days before the transfer
2) all other aspects above apply - dry rock, and a new dry sand bed with a couple of cups of existing sand to seed it
3) you will need plenty of holding tubs, buckets etc, and basically empty tank into these, adding live corals to one or 2, and rock to others (same principle, dont let the rock dry out, so once its expossed, move it into one of the holding tubs

basically empty the one you have, move it away, move the other in
and starting from base level of new dry rock, add water, rockwork, corals and then fish

Steve

 

+1 to Steve's post

 

yeah listen to steve..but i just did the same thing as u and all i can is use new sand.. stirring up an established can cause a cycle and crash things..i didnt lose a single thing.. new sand is a def, its not that expensive...