That whole tank moving/upgrading thing.

[Zoolander]

I've been putting a copious amount of time into thinking about this as well as searching it on the internet the last couple of days and still don't if I have a great game plan. I'm buying a 90 this week to replace my 55 and want it to be in the same spot as the 55. To me that's an issue since what's in one tank needs to go in the other but there has to be a time both tanks are empty in order to move them. Kinda like that chicken and fox crossing the river riddle.

 

I have an extra 29 that I can setup and use to house the live stock/live rock. I was thinking if I use a bit of sand out of the 55 and all the water out of the 55 I can place everything in there while the transfer occurs and avoid the risk of killing everything. Is this correct?

 

Secondly, I thought I would be cool and do a DSB in the 55 when I set it up. I thought I was cool until I was told what's in the sand will kill everything if the sand is churned up. That being said, I only want to have about 1.5" of sand in the 90, most of which I want to be new sand. Will there be any issues with that as long as the sand sits overnight before anything goes in?

 

Overall I think I have a good plan but the people on here know a lot more than me so I'm open to advice/suggestions. Thanks guys.

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

I have two things you will need, tubs! I have two big rubbermaids! I would empty all the water from the 55 into one and then put all your livestock into that. Are you keeping the 55 up or no? I would if I were you, use a couple other tubs and start churning some new water. I don't know if I would use all the sand from the 55 without rinsing it. I would, if it were me....get all new sand and seed it with the current sand. I would then set up the 90 and depending on how much live rock you have let that cycle for a while then put the contents of the tub into it. The tub containing the livestock and rock would of course have powerheads, and I would also put a canister filter on it, till the 90 is cycled. If you are in a hurry I would not add any sand use all the the 55 water and start now with water changes and keep the water stocked and with water movement! LOL! If you need any help, let me know! Would be glad too!!

 

Clay

[grassi]

No idea about the transfer. But for the DSB I would suggest you to go for a remote one if you have to. Easy to replace the sand (half at a time) every 9-12 months. You can use the play sand you find at home depot that is cheap and works perfectly.

You can find some info in a thread on RC started by Calfo

[Emerald525]

+1 on using rubbermaid tubs. That's what we used when we upgraded from a 150 gallon from a 55 gallon.

 

Here's the tank thread that shows the process:

150 gallon Tru Vu thread

http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16133

[Zoolander]

Thanks guys!

 

Clay, I will get some Rubbermaids. The 90 goes in place of the 55 so I can't really keep it up. I'm sure I'll need help at some point so I'll let you know.

 

Grassi, I like the idea of a remote DSB, thanks.

 

Emerald525, thanks for the link, that helps.

[Zoolander]

It appears as though draining about 25 gallons out of my 55 will make it light enough I can push it to the side and set the 90 in. If I use most of the water out of the 55 and finish the 90 with RO water can I move everything from one tank to the next or do I need to let the 90 sit for a couple days?

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

Oh, buddy!! You should have some already mixed saltwater! Then Maybe it would be cool, but I would test the ph, alkalinity and the salinity before doing anything and then try your best to match it in the new tank.

 

Clay

[Zoolander]

I was told differently. In that case, I'll drain the 25 out of the 55 to move it and then put it back in while the 90 cycles.

[ReeFit]

Do two water changes in the 55 and put the old water in the 29g. Keep it all alive then empty all contents to rubbermaid, tear down 55 and setup 90 using combined cycled water from 29 and 55. Add additional sand to existing sand but rinse it first. Add more live rock if applicable. This should minimize cycle if any. Just have some stability or niteout or prime standing by in case u need it.

[Rick]

I've done this a couple of times. Once from a 55 to an 85 and then to a 125. Both times I drained 2/3 or so of the water from the tanks and put it and all of the corals and live rock into the buckets/tubs of water before moving the original. Then I put the new tank in place and finalized the plumbing and filled it with the water from the tubs first followed by the rocks and corals. Then I moved the fish and sand. (All in one day) Keep in mind that I would not move the sand straight over now as the current tank has been set up for several months. (Prior to this it had only been a few months between each) Now I would rinse the sand really well before placing it into the new tank. Once I had everything into the new tank I ran power heads to keep it circulated until I could get enough RO water to fill it the rest of the way.

 

BTW, I intentionally put the rocks in before the sand. That way the rocks are sitting on the bottom to provide a more stable foundation.

[Zoolander]

BTW' date=' I intentionally put the rocks in before the sand. That way the rocks are sitting on the bottom to provide a more stable foundation.[/quote']

 

Had salt tanks for 3 years now and never thought about that. Great idea.

 

Thanks for the input, people, I will take the necessary steps to doing this right in the morning. Always open to more feedback.

[ReeFit]

+1 to rocks on glass. Big nono if you have sand sifters or dwellers.

[lewisriverfisherman]

make sure to rinse the sand in saltwater and not rodi water.

[Zoolander]

Good point. Probably would have done that.