Tank Upgrade/Livestock Transfer

Michael Cooper · Dec 28, 2016

Hey guys. I recently purchased a 120 gallon tank to upgrade to from my 55 gallon reef tank. As I'm finishing gathering everything needed for my new tank and building the stand for it, I continue to wonder, how am I going to transfer everything? By this I mean, am I able to take everything in my current tank and transfer it into the new tank the day I set it up? I'm using Natures Ocean live aragonite sand, Brightwell Aquatics Naturbacter7, and all of the live rock that's from my current tank (approximately 50 lbs). The new tank is going in the same place as my old tank so the old tank has to go, and I don't really have an option for storing all my corals and my fish anywhere. Thanks!

Jen_h · Dec 28, 2016

When I upgraded from my 75 to 180 that was going in the same place this is what I did.
First I drained as much water from the 75 as I could Into 3 plastic bins that could hold water. I carefully took out all my live rock (while trying not to stir up to much) and place it in one of the containers with water. I then caught all my fish and put them in the 2nd container with water. I then drained out the rest of the water I could into the 3rd container. We then moved the old tank out of the way and placed the new tank in its place. The bin with the fish had a powerhead and heater in it. We plumbed the new tank. Then I added the new sand that I had spent rinsing all day. Put the live rock in and started adding the water back from the containers. I added the fish and coral back in and used new saltwater to fill the rest of the tank and sump up. Everything survived, I didn't lose a single coral or fish. I might have added prime in as well. Good luck, it is an all day affair and very stressful lol! This weekend I'm currently moving everything from my 180 to my new 240. Luckily this tank is going in a different spot so it will be a lot easier this time around!

Michael Cooper · Dec 28, 2016

@Jen_h Thank you so much for the response! I was planning something like that, and to hear that you were successful doing this is a real relief. LOL I'm prepared for the all day long affair of the transfer, but I'll have to try minimizing the stress! Best of luck to you with your transfer and your new 240! Thanks again for the reply!

Jen_h · Dec 29, 2016

Michael Cooper said:
@Jen_h Thank you so much for the response! I was planning something like that, and to hear that you were successful doing this is a real relief. LOL I'm prepared for the all day long affair of the transfer, but I'll have to try minimizing the stress! Best of luck to you with your transfer and your new 240! Thanks again for the reply!

No problem! Good luck to you as well!

tomtom2245 · Dec 29, 2016

Jen_h said:
When I upgraded from my 75 to 180 that was going in the same place this is what I did.
First I drained as much water from the 75 as I could Into 3 plastic bins that could hold water. I carefully took out all my live rock (while trying not to stir up to much) and place it in one of the containers with water. I then caught all my fish and put them in the 2nd container with water. I then drained out the rest of the water I could into the 3rd container. We then moved the old tank out of the way and placed the new tank in its place. The bin with the fish had a powerhead and heater in it. We plumbed the new tank. Then I added the new sand that I had spent rinsing all day. Put the live rock in and started adding the water back from the containers. I added the fish and coral back in and used new saltwater to fill the rest of the tank and sump up. Everything survived, I didn't lose a single coral or fish. I might have added prime in as well. Good luck, it is an all day affair and very stressful lol! This weekend I'm currently moving everything from my 180 to my new 240. Luckily this tank is going in a different spot so it will be a lot easier this time around!

+1, this is how I would do it. I have also used Prime whenever I move a tank or upgrade as well.