Tank Upgrade Moving Live stock help.

Biglurr54 · Mar 30, 2018

I have a 3 year old 60 cube that is being decommissioned. I built in a 175 cube with a basement sump at my house. I used dry rock and Nature’s Ocean live sand that is cycling with a raw cocktail shrimp and auto fish feeder ghost feeding pellets. I am lucky in that I can have both tanks up and running and can spread the move over a few (2-3) months. (The wife is not a fan of multiple tanks in the living room but understands the process)

My question is how would you handle the transfer from the 60 to the 175. Would you dump all the contents of the 60 into the 175 after a 1-2 month cycle? Would you slowly add the fish over two months? Would you switch the coral, rock and sand first then slowly add the fish? Would you slowly add the coral and live rock?

The 60 gallon has:
Dotty Back Pseudo
True Perc
Melanurus wradde
Copperband butterfly
Heniochus Dipherues
Hippo Tang
Ocellaris Clown
(I have had these fish for 2 years and are fat and healthy!)

3 Rainbow Bubbletip nems
1 large maximum Ultra Clam
Many SPS corals (Fresh frags up to colonies)
Some LPS and softies but nothing rare.

Lets hear your thoughts!

Biglurr54 · Mar 30, 2018

Because we all live pics and showing our tanks off.

ihavecrabs · Mar 30, 2018

Once your ammonia, nitrate, and nitrate stabilize in the new tank, I would get some of your current live rock over to the new tanks sump to increase the bacteria biodiversity and potentially seed other micro fauna.

Then I would slowly add fish bioload over to the new tank keeping a minimal light cycle to discourage algae growth on the new rocks and allowing your bacteria populations to grow to the new demand.

When you are comfortable with the parameters stability, then I would start moving over the corals.

You have an advantage of doing this slowly which is really nice.

Biglurr54 · Mar 30, 2018

So the issue with moving the rock over is that the coral covers all the rock. There aren't any pics that don't have coral on them. I could put the 175 marine pure in the 60 sump for a few weeks. Then switch it over.

pharazon · Mar 30, 2018

Are the rocks in the new tank adhered together? If not, I would probably put some of them in the sump to be seeded by your current tank. Or, if you can fit it, in the display.

I don’t have any experience with Marine Pure, but I would still prefer to seed as much of the new rock as possible.

Otherwise, I like ihavecrabs’ method.

Reef of Fillory · Mar 30, 2018

When I did this, I set up the new tank and let it cycle, and then moved everything over at once, putting the rock from the old tank in the new tank's sump for filtration

Biglurr54 · Mar 30, 2018

Reef of Fillory said:
When I did this, I set up the new tank and let it cycle, and then moved everything over at once, putting the rock from the old tank in the new tank's sump for filtration

That seems like the "too good to be true" method.

Biglurr54 · Mar 30, 2018

pharazon said:
Are the rocks in the new tank adhered together? If not, I would probably put some of them in the sump to be seeded by your current tank. Or, if you can fit it, in the display.

I don’t have any experience with Marine Pure, but I would still prefer to seed as much of the new rock as possible.

Otherwise, I like ihavecrabs’ method.

Marine pure is a ceramic media that is porous designed for biological filtration.

Syed123 · Mar 30, 2018

I just upgraded my tank from a 90 gallon to a 120 gallon tank last weekend. I filled my new tank with 70% new water and 30% old water. I used new sand as well. All of my old rock was transfered to the new tank. Then transfered corals and clam and then fish. Took me 6 hours. No cycle occured in the new tank. Didn't have die off of anything. Everything is thriving like it was in the old 90 gallon.

I would just transfer everything over from your 60 to the 175. I don't think you needed to even cycle the new tank cause your old live rock would be enough to handle the current bioload.

Biglurr54 · Mar 30, 2018

I was thinking that but I want the new tank to stabilize as it is. Just to make sure there are no issues with the rock and sand. Once that's all stabilized I'll do a 50 % water change in case anything leaches into the water from the new pumps and equipment. Once that's done, I may dump everything in. It just worries me. I don't want to lose anything due to rushing.

Biglurr54 · Mar 31, 2018

Does anyone think it's a good idea to put the marine pure into the 60 sump for a week or two to seed it. Then transfer it to the 175?

Biglurr54 · Apr 12, 2018

Update:
Well the tank has been cycling. I added a table shrimp to the display and one in the sump on day one (March 28th, 2018). I waited a few days and then added an automatic feeder adding pellets 2x a day. I have detectable ammonia and a little Nitrite. I placed my MarinePure (mp) in the 60 gallon sump a week ago. When I placed the mp in the sump, I sucked ½ the sand out of the 60 display and dumped it in the 175 display. This week (Week 2) I sucked more sand out of the 60 display and dumped it in the 175 display. On the week 3 mark I am going to move the mp over to the 175 sump. The mp would have had 2 weeks marinating in the old tank. Then I will let the mp sit in the new tank for a week. At week 4, I will hopefully be ready to add livestock.

I’m not sure what to do at this point. Should I change everything over at once. This would be all fish, rock, sand, coral, clam, anemones all at once? Or should I add ½ the fish, then wait a week and add the other half of the fish. Then wait a week and add the rock, sand, coral, clam, anemones? I can’t add the rock with the fish without adding the coral too as all my rock is covered in coral.

I have the fish feeder adding approximately what I am feeding the current tank. I’m hoping this will make for less of an adjustment period when everything gets added. My wife is getting impatient with two tanks in the living room. So I can’t stretch this out too much longer.

ArowanaLover1902 · Apr 12, 2018

I just did this from a 22.5 gallon to a 35 (with addition 15 gallon sump). I actually skipped my cycle time and moved right over, just put the 22.5 gallons, live rock, live sand, biological media, and everything else over at once. I had no problems and didn't lose a single coral. I had the same problem with my rock and coral mix. I also added biological bacteria. If you do want to take it slow just take half the water from your first tank and swap it with water from the second tank, than repeat next week. Be sure to move all your live sand too, thats where all the important stuff is.

P.S. - I moved LPS, zoas, an SPS, softies, a feather duster, snails, crabs, and fish and only lost a clownfish (I never figured out why but I suspect he was bullied by the other fish)