Help with upgrade

jthomas0385

jthomas0385

Member
I'm thinking of upgrading from a 55 gallon tank to a 75 gallon tank. The problem that I have is that my new tank has to go where the tank I have now is. If I use all of the live rock in my old tank (over a year established) and the same filtration that I have, will my new 75 gallon go through a new cycle?? Also, would my fish and coral be okay in a 20 gallon plastic bin for a day or two while the sand settles? Thank you.
 
ilovemytank

ilovemytank

Member
very easy to do and your tank won't cycle again. Take all your live rock and put into plastic bin and fill with water directly from your tank. Fill a bin with water form your tank too for the fish. Once the live rock is out then your fish will be easy to catch. You can catch and put your anenome in the same bin as the fish. I wouldn't put it in the rock bin because it might go into a wierd spot on the rocks that might prevent you from aquascaping the new tank the way you want. The trick is to save as much water as possible from the 55 gallon. if you save 50 gallons then you add 25 gallons of newly mixed water and its similiar to a large water change. The live rock is cured and the water saved containes all the life and micro organisims that you want to have. The fish are also used to the levels and are acclimated. The trick here is DO NOT TAKE YOUR SAND OUT OF THE OLD TANK AND USE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The sand is a natural barrier that holds tons of nitrites and nitrates that are in the break down stage. Moving large quantities of sand will release all this and cause a massive spike witch can easily kill everything. Some will tell you that you can remove the top 1/2 " but its a huge gamble. Everyones sand level and build up is different and doing slightly too much accidently can lead to the death of everything. Sand is cheap and its not worth the risk. when you have all the water that you can get out, then move the old tank out of the way and set up the new tank. Add you rocks, add your new sand ( preferably rinsed in a bucket to not cause a dirty sand storm. Add your water from the live rock bin. Then start adding your water from the fish bin. Add your anenome and fish. Add the rest of the water. Add your newly mixed water and enjoy !!!!!
good luck !
 
jthomas0385

jthomas0385

Member
One other thing I'm concerned about is my lighting. Right now I have 324 Watt Extreme T-5's. Would this be enough lighting for a 75 gallon with the BT Anemone that I have? I also have a frogspawn, brain, & polyps. Thanks again.
 
ilovemytank

ilovemytank

Member
If I'm correct the 55 gallon is the same depth as the 75 ? I think the width is what the difference is. If that is the case as long as they are put into siimiliar hights under the lights that they were in before then there won't be a problem. I may be wrong on the depth of the two different tanks though. Find out the dimensions. I think you will need more lights to cover the surface space of the 75 though so that there is a better spectrum and not a shadowing effect.
 
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