Tank Upgrade strategy

Pbrown8175 · Feb 16, 2020

I am planning an upgrade from a JBJ 28 all in one to 100-140 gallon system with sump. I am looking for advise on the best way to make the conversion. I was planning on retiring or using the JBJ as a quarantine after breaking down and cleaning. The new tank is going into the same area as the JBJ (yes, I have extra room). The JBJ has been active for 3 years and has been through one move to a new house. When I did the move I transferred most of the water, live rock, corals and what inverts I could locate into 5 gallon buckets with small heaters and air stones. I left the sand and enough water to keep it moist for any of the inverts burrowed in. Then reassembled the tank, water, rock and corral, fish and about 10 gallons of pre-mixed saltwater. The move was successful with no fatalities, it was basically major cleaning, a 40% water change, and the move.

For making my upgrade I am considering two options, I am looking for opinions/advise on which option is best and will my second option work to jump start the nitrogen cycle on the new tank and keep my existing live stock safe?

Option 1 Move the JBJ 28 to a new location and start the new tank from scratch and move the fish and corals slowly after the new tank cycles.

Option 2. Premix and heat enough water to fill the new system. Break down the JBJ 28 putting everything in a large cooler with heater and flow. Mix the sand from the JBJ 28 with the new sand, add the new “dry” rock leaving room for the live rock from the JBJ. Fill the tank with the premixed water and some of the JBJ water. Let the new system run for a few hours to clear and settle. Start a 3-4 hour drip acclimation to cooler then transfer the live rock and live stock to the new tank. Monitor the water quality and let the system stabilize for a few months before adding more live stock.

My thoughts are that I am be moving most of the bacteria that had kept the 28 Gallon system stable for 3 years, moving the same bio load to a tank volume that is 4-5 times greater. My assumption is that the increased tank volume will be able to handle the bio load while the Bacteria expands into the increased sand bed and rock structure.
One concern is that I will also be bringing any hitchhikers that I have picked up over the last three years, I have not had any signs of Ick, or other bad parasites. I had a few bristle works but have not seen signs of them in the last year or so.

Thanks in advise for opinions, comments, suggestions, improvements etc... to the above outline to a my plan.

Peach02 · Feb 16, 2020

If you have no pests or anything in your current tank I think both would work.
Option 1. Is probably the safest
Option 2. Is quicker but a little more risky since some dry rock can leech things. If you saw bristle worms in your tank it is highly likely they are still there likely in numbers.

If you did 1 I would take the chance to quarentene everything if you didn't before

dopey · Feb 16, 2020

I just moved a 37L to a 220L tank. The 37L had been up for nearly 2 years.

I did option 2.

Set up new tank, got water/temp/salinity right. Added new 'life rock' from caribsea but left space for the old tank's rock (Was a single large piece with corals).

New tank was barebottom so I did not move sand.

I moved over the rock + fish (single clown + surgeon fish i had recently got a week before the move) + inverts to new tank.

I monitored ammonia daily. I did see it start to climb and began with 10-15% daily to every other day for about a week. Ammonia then went back to 0 and was solid after that.

I did add some bios bac in a bottle each day as well.

Had no losses.

Option 1 would of been safer absolutely. I still don't know how much of any ugly phase i'll have doing this method. Unfortunately a new fish I added last weekend had velvet. So now things are a mess as I qt the fish

#1Fellowreefer · Feb 16, 2020

Pbrown8175 said:
I am planning an upgrade from a JBJ 28 all in one to 100-140 gallon system with sump. I am looking for advise on the best way to make the conversion. I was planning on retiring or using the JBJ as a quarantine after breaking down and cleaning. The new tank is going into the same area as the JBJ (yes, I have extra room). The JBJ has been active for 3 years and has been through one move to a new house. When I did the move I transferred most of the water, live rock, corals and what inverts I could locate into 5 gallon buckets with small heaters and air stones. I left the sand and enough water to keep it moist for any of the inverts burrowed in. Then reassembled the tank, water, rock and corral, fish and about 10 gallons of pre-mixed saltwater. The move was successful with no fatalities, it was basically major cleaning, a 40% water change, and the move.

For making my upgrade I am considering two options, I am looking for opinions/advise on which option is best and will my second option work to jump start the nitrogen cycle on the new tank and keep my existing live stock safe?

Option 1 Move the JBJ 28 to a new location and start the new tank from scratch and move the fish and corals slowly after the new tank cycles.

Option 2. Premix and heat enough water to fill the new system. Break down the JBJ 28 putting everything in a large cooler with heater and flow. Mix the sand from the JBJ 28 with the new sand, add the new “dry” rock leaving room for the live rock from the JBJ. Fill the tank with the premixed water and some of the JBJ water. Let the new system run for a few hours to clear and settle. Start a 3-4 hour drip acclimation to cooler then transfer the live rock and live stock to the new tank. Monitor the water quality and let the system stabilize for a few months before adding more live stock.

My thoughts are that I am be moving most of the bacteria that had kept the 28 Gallon system stable for 3 years, moving the same bio load to a tank volume that is 4-5 times greater. My assumption is that the increased tank volume will be able to handle the bio load while the Bacteria expands into the increased sand bed and rock structure.
One concern is that I will also be bringing any hitchhikers that I have picked up over the last three years, I have not had any signs of Ick, or other bad parasites. I had a few bristle works but have not seen signs of them in the last year or so.

Thanks in advise for opinions, comments, suggestions, improvements etc... to the above outline to a my plan.

I am glad you have put this thread out as I am in a process of a upgrade from 46 gallons to 180 gallons in a few week from now. What I have done is I have already started the cure process of the rocks that I got as CaribSea Life rock and CaribSea base rock in a brute container by keeping a heater to keep temps at 78 degrees and salinity of 1.026 with two Nero5 to have the flow and ghost feed twice a week once with pellets and once with frozen mysis or brine shrimps. Also when I receive my new tank I plan to move the 46 and the sump on a temporary stand remove all the sand rock in a brute container move the fish as that’s all I have as live stock in the NEW 20x20x10 QT tank with the sand and some rocks and water from the 46 and use that until the big tank is ready. I plan to use most of the sand from the 46 and most of the rocks that have been in the 46 for almost 5+ months and already seeing great growth of coraline algae on the rocks. I will also use turbo start from FritZime and monitor Amonia using seneye reef monitor. I will also keep my Aquamaxx ConeS Q3 skimmer as that was purchased in anticipation of the upgrade and has already been broken into and working like no tomorrow. Maybe two weeks after setting up the 180 I will than start move the fish from the 46 as I will continue to run that with some water and original rocks so it’s not at stressful for the fish.

I think it will be more like a large water change for the big tank. In my opinion if you use the second option you just want to make sure you are absolutely sure there is no trace of bristle worms but even if you did I don’t see that being a huge concern as far as my knowledge and research goes they aren’t a bad critter to have in a reef. (Please correct me if I am wrong on understanding that) but yes just make sure you keep running the 28 on the side and once moved just replace back to the large tank.