So im going to be moving soon...

[nick76]

And that means im going from a 55 to a 90 REEF

Well my 55 has about 10 corals and 4 fish a bunch of inverts and has probably close to 70lbs of LR im wondering how to go about the move?
The 55 is setup in a place where it will be able to remain functional until the 90 is ready to switch everything over.(Per say if I wanted to add 30 lbs of base rock & 10 lbs of LR from the 55 and let it cycle for 2 weeks and after the cycle transfer the remaining rock, fish, corals, etc.)
Or...
Is it better to just transfer all the water, rock, corals, & fish in 1 shot and make up the remaining 20-30 lbs of rock with base rock & new sand? 70lbs of cured rock should bypass the cycle correct? Or make it small enough not to harm anything, but im not sure.
Some opinions from people who have moved their tanks or upgraded in the move would really help. What would be the smartest way to go?

 

[salt210]

I have moved my 210g twice now. did not have a cycle, but nitrates did skyrocket from the CC being disturbed heavily. First time, kept half of the water, and moved the rocks and fish in it. second time, got rid of most of the water and moved the fish in some and kept the rocks wet.

 

[kronos5]

Sounds like a big project

 

[usirchchris]

I have moved mine a couple times...a 125 and 120 recently. I completely removed everything including sand...kept the sand in a bucket for a day before I set the tank back up. Kept the rock in a trash can with a PH and heater. Set the tank up the next day, and no cycle for me. I always have high nitrates, so I would not have noticed that

. It's really not that bad and you don't have to be as careful as one might think...the tank and its inhabitents are very resilient IME. I have never lost anything as a result of a move.

 

[roadie996]

Originally Posted by salt210
http:///forum/post/3127112
I have moved my 210g twice now. did not have a cycle, but nitrates did skyrocket from the CC being disturbed heavily. First time, kept half of the water, and moved the rocks and fish in it. second time, got rid of most of the water and moved the fish in some and kept the rocks wet.
how did you move 100 gallons of water with LR in it?!?! That must have been heavy

 

[salt210]

Originally Posted by roadie996
http:///forum/post/3127646
how did you move 100 gallons of water with LR in it?!?! That must have been heavy

a lot of trashcans that were filled only half way. the hard part was going upstairs with it. did I add that it was being moved to and form a 3rd floor apartment?

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Nick76
http:///forum/post/3127107
And that means im going from a 55 to a 90 REEF

Well my 55 has about 10 corals and 4 fish a bunch of inverts and has probably close to 70lbs of LR im wondering how to go about the move?
The 55 is setup in a place where it will be able to remain functional until the 90 is ready to switch everything over.(Per say if I wanted to add 30 lbs of base rock & 10 lbs of LR from the 55 and let it cycle for 2 weeks and after the cycle transfer the remaining rock, fish, corals, etc.)
Or...
Is it better to just transfer all the water, rock, corals, & fish in 1 shot and make up the remaining 20-30 lbs of rock with base rock & new sand? 70lbs of cured rock should bypass the cycle correct? Or make it small enough not to harm anything, but im not sure.
Some opinions from people who have moved their tanks or upgraded in the move would really help. What would be the smartest way to go?

Having a tank already set up is fantastic! You can pull out almost all of your rock and place it in the new tank, with new substrate ( I like live sand myself) ...When you are ready, and all water tests read stable, you can move the coral, inverts and fish to the new home pain free...just like when you first bought them...acclimate them to the new tank.
You can spead things up by using some water you remove from the 55g water changes into the new 90g...

 

[nick76]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3127783

Having a tank already set up is fantastic! You can pull out almost all of your rock and place it in the new tank, with new substrate ( I like live sand myself) ...When you are ready, and all water tests read stable, you can move the coral, inverts and fish to the new home pain free...just like when you first bought them...acclimate them to the new tank.
You can spead things up by using some water you remove from the 55g water changes into the new 90g...

Yea thanks that's pretty much looking like the best, least stressful way to move everything. Im hoping to be moved by october, november. I cant wait to start my new project

 

[fau8]

I went from a 75 to a 125 in one shot. The thing that made it work for me was I doubled the size of my sump/refugium and let it run for 3 weeks before swaping out the tanks. I figured it would be able to prevent the cycle. I have always used a deep sand bed in my tanks and refug. No cycle or nitrate spike ever occured. The whole proceedure took almost 7 hours though, so time it right in case you have to run to the supply store.