Quick Question On Tansfering tanks

[jbk65]

I am setting up a new 55gal, and planning on moving my 30Gal residents over.
The 30gal has 4 Damsels, 15 Snails, 2 Emerlad Crabs, 2 Camelback Shrimp, 40lbs LR, 50lbs LS, one linckia Multiflora star and a Gioniapora.
I don't really have room to have both up and running at the same time for any length of time.
What would happen if I moved everything over, added probably another 50lbs of LS and More LR. Then over about a week or two backfill the water.
Am I asking for an Amonia spike. Is it worth seeing if my LFS would sell me 15 or so Gals of water from their system. (They do maintenance and setup tanks for stores and offices so they have the equipment to move water).
Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[birdy]

I think you will more than likely have an ammonia spike. I recently moved tanks and I used a ten gallon tank to house my livestock until the new tanks levels had leveled out. Could you at least set up something as small as a 10gal.

 

[dad]

Maybe I am looking at this wrong so somebody stop me, but...
If you move everything into you 55g and let things settle down? Then you could slowly add more to it.If the 30g has cycled and is stable.
Adding new mixed SW should not add a(A) spike? should it?
Sorry for being confused here, :notsure:

 

[jbk65]

Dad,
That was my thinking. The LFS has also offered to deliver 10gal of cycled water from their reef tanks at a low cost. (Don't know how much yet). His stats are very similar to mine and he runs close to 100 SW tanks and I have never seen any problems and they always look great. So if I move everything add 10Gal of his water, and only some additional live sand I would think I would be alright.

 

[dad]

I would not add any water from my LFS's tank nor anyone elses. You may be asking for trouble.
It may have ick etc?
JMO

 

[ty_05_f]

I did the same thing a couple weeks ago moved my 25 - 58 gallon. All I did was got my tank setup with the new sand and let it sit for a day or two then I added the dsb from my fuge to my tank. After all that I moved my fish and corals to a spare 10 gallon that was my fuge. I let everything settle down in the new tank for a couple of hours then added everything. I had an ammonia spike not a big one and it went away that night. But my 25 gallon had been running for almost a year and was pretty stable before I switched. I don't really know how old your tank is. I hope this helped some. :joy: