We could link your thread easily to an upcoming write up on tank transfers for sure. It's fun to make reef chat turn into practical work. A certain outcome is possible every time.
Cycling your new tank is an option not a requirement, you can simply move all your stuff over to it, with 100% new water even, and it will not cycle. If you want to let the new tank run side by side an arbitrary number of weeks instead, that cannot harm anything. Live sand is the only thing that may cause a cycle and it's easily controlled. None of the live rock will have any dieoff. No old tank water is required to be used.
In your entire current system the totality of the cycle risk exists in the sandbed. A certain procedure with that guarantees you no mini cycle upon setup.
The only reason your new tank has to cycle is if you must up the fish bioload at that moment, it's also fully easy and 100% controllable to have new live rock already waiting in your new tank, awaiting the addition of the old stuff, and have zero cycle. Cycles are easy to control. I have opted out of the initial cycle on every reef tank I've ever owned or put online. People that set up display aquariums at aquarium conventions also opt out, there's like a black market, back alley group of opt outers who shy away from the daylight. But they use a method that applies directly to your upcoming upgrade.
If your whole reef was for sale I'd drive over with nine Home Depot buckets and a brand new aquarium in the back, take it all home, fill up dry salt and water, circulate one hour, place in blast rinsed caribsea Fiji pink sand, opt out of the cycle, add the buckets and new frags. The reason it will not cycle is because I didn't move over or expose my corals to organic waste rot in the sandbed, don't disturb bed until tank is empty.
