Upgrading aquarium

[AndrewM]

Hey R2R,

I'm planning to upgrade my current 20 Gallon (tall) aquarium to a 33 Gallon long aquarium (48x12x13). I decided to go with this size instead of a 55 because the length and width are the same as a 55, only the height differs.

I wanted to swap over to a tank of similar gallon size but with added length (for extra space, obviously). What I'm hoping to do is drain all the water from my current 20 gallon into the 33 gallon and then mix up fresh saltwater to top it off, so it's basically just like a water change.

My question though is; Should I get new sand or try to save the old sand from my other aquarium? I intend to swap everything over from the old tank (LR; Water Pumps; Filters; heaters; etc) but I'm unclear as to if I should opt for new sand or try to salvage the old sand?

Also, since a majority of the water will be retained from my old aquarium, acclimation should be unnecessary, or would you recommend that I re-acclimate my fish/corals just to be safe?

My hope with the upgrade is to get more floor space without having to recycle my aquarium, and since everything is being ported over (LR; fish; water;pumps;etc), I shouldn't have to go through a recycle, which is why I opted for the smaller gallon size instead of the larger gallon size.

Thanks for your help!

 

[*SENSI*]

well ill give u my opinion, i would get new sand, i ve heard to many horror stories on ppl trying to save the old sand or substrate, but its a 50/50 shotim getting ready 2 switch from a 95 waveline to a 105 rimless myself, an ive asked numerous ppl an they have all told me to buy new whether its my fellow reefers or LFS owners, SO i myself have gotten 100 lbs of new medium aragonite rinsed an ready for this weekend

 

[AAdkins5944]

Definitely get new sand and reuse your live rock. Once you put your new sand in you should seed it with a cup full of your old sand. Depending on your corals you will probly get away with just putting them right in as long as your temp and parameters are the same. I would re acclimate the fish and any sps corals (softies, and lps will probly be ok but use discretion). If you're worried about a cycle you can also add some dr tims one and only during the setup. I recommend tropic Eden sand for your new build. It is pre cleaned and settles very quickly so you have less downtime waiting for water to clear. Plus buying it online and having it delivered was a bit cheaper than buying it locally so I decided to save a few bucks. Premium aquatics sells it. I just upgraded from a 16 gallon to a 50 (labeled 45) gallon cube. I documented the process in my thread in club cube so you may find some more info there. I can also answer any questions you have for the process. So far I haven't experienced any cycle from the move. Good luck on your upgrade and make a thread to document it!