Upgrade question

[njbigred]

I have a 29g reef that I've had up for about a year. I want to get a larger tank, but I don't have time/space to set it up, cycle, and move everything over...
If I move everything into the larger tank (sand, LR, fish, coral, water, filters...) will there be an ammonia/trites problem?
I know I'll need more sand and lr in the larger tank, but I really don't want to have 2 tanks running full blown at the same time.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Red

 

[stang5_o]

I would start with new sand. Maybe just a cup or two of your old sand to seed the new. It all depends on how much bigger you intend to go with tank size. If you just go up to maybe a 40 or 50 gal, you may have a mine cycle, but it should be minimal and quick

 

[teresaq]

I moved a 55 gal into a 150. I moved everything into rubbermaid tubs, set up new tank. added new and old sand, new and old rock. waited a couple of days for everthing to settle down, then added fish and corals. never had a newcycle. lots of people upgrade, and do it all in one day. do a search on upgrade or moving tank.

 

[aztec reef]

well you have to cycle the new larger tank..or how can you fill up a larger tank with a smaller one?.would'nt you need more water and more of everything? if it was me i would wait and cycle the new larger tank. with new sand & most if not all live rock from ther 29g then when cycle is done and water parameters are similar then i would add the sand from the 29g then corals then fish and so on.

 

[njbigred]

I am going to a 55 gal. I moved my current setup across town a few months ago, and things went fine. I put everything into 5 gal buckets and there was definatly some stress, but nothing worse then when i've recieved fish from online orders. I also changed out the CC bed for argonite all at once and had no probs whatsoever. I think in essence, i would be adding 20 gallons of new water, 20 pounds of new sand, and approx 20 lbs of live rock. The new rock could wait easily enough.
anyway, just seeing if people had experiences
thanks

 

[njbigred]

bump

 

[bronco300]

i've upgraded three times now, 10 to 20, 20 to 40, and 40 to 75...never had a problem with any of them...but my transfers were all pretty slow because i had both tanks in the same room so i could let them cycle if needed before everything went it...except the 10 to 20 was a quick one, but all used water etc except extra water, but no probs