Moving! Need Help.

[cd823]

OK so I know it may be covered before but every situation is different...I currently have a 90 Gallon reef set up at my uncles house (which I was renting) and I just bought a new house where I am currently in process of setting up my 180 Gallon. I need to know how to move about 15 miles...

Here's the situation. I have an RO/DI unit at the new place that makes 75 GPD. I have over 200 lbs of new sand already purchased just sitting in the boxes right now. I have about 100 lbs of live rock in the 90 Gallon and 100 lbs of dead base rock in boxes waiting to go into the 180. I can technically leave the 90 set up as long as I want since it is my uncles place and no one is going to be living at the house until March...

So how should I go about this transfer? Figure I would post here because you guys have all came from a smaller tank im sure.

Thanks for your help!

 

[cd823]

no one moved and doubled their size?

 

[worm5406]

Well my move, was not as far, it was from a 120 to a 180.

I started the 180 and moved a few pieces of rock to help seed it. On the day of the transfer I just moved one at a time to it and got it all moved over. I did NOT do the sand as I did not want a mini cycle nor stir it all up. Now I am adding the 120 into the system to increase my water to over 300g.

 

[jjk_reef00]

1.) As worm says, put all the new rock and sand into the new tank with a few pieces of live rock. Let it cycle for a month and then bring your livestock and liverock over.

2.) Move all your livestock. Then gradually add sand and the base rock over time to avoid mini-cycles.

 

[dave.m]

You don't want to re-use the old sand unless you are prepared to clean it thoroughly first. Disturbing the old sandbed will raise all manner of crap you don't want in your new tank and will probably kill your existing tank if you stir it up too much before removing your existing livestock.

Dave.M