How to transfer tanks?

[t5Nitro]

My 125 is up with a peice of LR from the old tank and a star polyp rock from the old tank. I have other corals in there such as SPS covered on most of the rocks and some softies.

The only thing giving problems looks like nitrates at around 20 ppm in the new tank from when I added 3 anthias and I think that can be dropped in half with a 15g water change. When can I transfer over my 2 clowns? After the clowns there is a yellow tang and I want a powder brown also so they should go in at the same time so I can't transfer anymore LR yet since the tang will need it.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I would put the livestock in a rubbermaid or small tank with 'enough' water.
Then I would drain your old tank and keep that water asside.
Then I would figure out how many gallons you took from the old tank and drain that many from the new.
Then add the stored water from the old into the new.
Then add livestock slowly.
...The better your temporary set-up for the livestock is(correct stable temp. using heater and water flow with a appropriate sized powerhead) the longer you can wait to add the livestock to the new tank to test your new tanks' parameters.

jmo

 

[t5Nitro]

Well both tanks are up and running, just the 46 for 8 months and the 125 for a month or so. I am starting transfering SPS coral along with the one star polyp. So you say it is OK to put in all of the fish and coral/rock at once? Right now the 125 has 3 bartletts anthias in it for 1 week and noticed no change except that nitrates went up so I will have to do a little more water changes. Nitrates are 20 right now and I have 10 gallons I am making up for a change.