Moving from a 100g to a 220g thoughts and help please....

[Bellamy803]

Help going from one tank to another! Moving from the 100.3 to the 200.

Current Stock-
60-70lbs of Aquacultured live rock
2 Nems
A couple Zoa colonies, Hammers, Birds nest and a couple small Acros frags.
Purple Tang, Bellus Angel, Six Line Wrasse, x2 Phantom Clowns
Live Fiji Pink Sand (NOT TRANSFERRING)

New Stock-
New Substrate (Eden ReefFlakes)
40-50 LBS (DRY) CaribSea Life Shelf Rock
+current Stock (minus the substrate from the old system)

I've had the 100.3 running close to 5 months. Water params are in check - still fighting the Diatoms stage but overall everything seems happy.

The questions is.... What are the odds I can put the new sand in. Fill it with 30-50 gallons of fresh saltwater and then add 30-50 gallons of water from the 100.3 for a 50/50 mix. Then transfer the rocks (with corals still attached) and scape in the new shelf rock....add another 30-40 gallons from the 100.3 to the new tank and then top off with fresh saltwater. I figured once I start pulling rocks I can catch the few fish I have and put them in the 20 gallon cube for a few hours while I finish and things get settled......

The rock I have now is 2.5 years old. So I was hoping it's mature enough to keep a full out cycle from going down. Specially using 80+ gallons of water from the old tank. But with the new substrate and 40-50 lbs of shelf dry shelf rock I imagine I could have a mini cycle. And if so what are the odds the corals and fish could make it. I am completely down with 20-30% water changes every 2-3-4 days if need be.

Thank you in advance for the help!!!!

 

[Rubberfrog]

That sounds like a great plan.

 

[Lasse]

It will work very well but why do you not just rinse the old sand a little (just so much that organic particles will go away) and reuse that too? Why trough away living sand? I you are afraid to get with Dinos - you will get them anyway and your present sand has just start to be a diverse ecosystem and its help in the fight again Dinos in the long run. Only new sant will - IMO - restart the process

I would not do any WC for a while if I start with 50% new and 50% old water. I would it stabilize before I start with WC again. (However - I´m a no WC guy).

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Tuffloud1]

I connected a mature tank to a new tank and then transferred everything over after the bacteria was established.

This may be helpful -

Connecting Established Reef To New Tank

EDIT: In conclusion, if using the method I did - connecting an established reef to a new system with dry rock (clean), I recommend the following: 1. Dose your new tank prior to connecting to your old tank with NO3 and PO4 enough to raise to your established tank levels. 2. Take your skimmer...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[brandon429]

I think we have patterned about two hundred tank transfers into dry rock systems using that work thread. Of the ones who followed up they went down pretty much as that shows.

Bellamy what’s your update