Tank upgrade & using old water

[tram]

Next week I will be upgrading my reefer 250 to a reefer 425xl. The rsr250 is about 5 months old and current No3 level about 25, everything else is ok.

Should I discard the old water or just ‘top’ it up and thus reduce the final nitrate level. Is there advantage in keeping it other than cost.

Thanks
Tony

 

[Crabs McJones]

Next week I will be upgrading my reefer 250 to a reefer 425xl. The rsr250 is about 5 months old and current No3 level about 25, everything else is ok.

Should I discard the old water or just ‘top’ it up and thus reduce the final nitrate level. Is there advantage in keeping it other than cost.

Thanks
Tony

As long as you dont stir up the sandbed, you can transfer the old water to the new tank, and top it off with fresh saltwater, the larger volume and amount of new saltwater should bring your nitrates down by delusion. Just make sure you use all new sand, dont transfer the old stuff

 

[Swoody]

I used about 65 gallons of my old water in my new 255.... I figure as long as it was good in the old tank it will be good for the fish as far as acclimating them in the new.

 

[manilaboy1vic]

i did a 30g to 68g tank upgrade and used the old water and topped of with freshly mixed saltwater.. i lost my flame angel tho, he may have been super stressed i dunno.. but that was the only loss..

 

[Flippers4pups]

Using water from a existing tank in filling a new system is okay, but please understand that it will not cycle your new tank! Even with live rock from the old tank. A mini cycle may happen at best.

Let the new system cycle completely before adding any live stock. Better safe than sorry!

 

[Bmasculine]

I’m actually getting ready to this as well, I don’t understand why if I move over my water and rock from old tank and add 20 gal. of fresh mixed saltwater my tank wouldn’t be cycled.

 

[manilaboy1vic]

I’m actually getting ready to this as well, I don’t understand why if I move over my water and rock from old tank and add 20 gal. of fresh mixed saltwater my tank wouldn’t be cycled.

i didnt have a problem with transferring.. i may have had a mini cycle due to new sand tho.. its been years since i did it.. if i could go back and change anything it would of been NOT adding sand.. i just removed my sandbed 3wks ago..

i actaully think i lost my flame angel because i moved my old tank (the 30g) to a new APT, then shortly after that, upgraded to my 68g.. it was just too much for him.. but i think youll be fine..

 

[Bmasculine]

Yeah all my tanks are bare bottom so... I’ve actually done this several times without issue, just wondering if I had missed something

 

[Flippers4pups]

I’m actually getting ready to this as well, I don’t understand why if I move over my water and rock from old tank and add 20 gal. of fresh mixed saltwater my tank wouldn’t be cycled.

Any surface of the new tank needs to be colonized with bacteria, this includes glass/acrylic walls, sand bed, etc.... Moving live rock from one tank to another new system can have die off, depending on how much time it was out of the water.

All of this could, could cause a mini cycle. It good practice to test the new systems water pramameters to insure a mini cycle hasn't happened.

Even the smallest amount of ammonia can damage gills of fish and worse case, kill.

 

[tram]

I’m running a bare bottom tank so that will help, the rock, siporax and fish will be put into buckets of old tank water with heaters and pumps, I have an air pump I can use for fish too.
I’ll try and get change over done asap but realistically it’ll be 6 hours ish

T