Upgraded my tank

[ralph82396]

Good morning fish freaks,

I have some question and I know this has been discussed here but I also need some opinions.

one of my tanks is a 55 gallon mixed reef current stock is
- 1 baby blue hippo
- 1 baby sailfin tang
- 2 marron clowns
- 1 carpenter wrasse


question 1

- I just got myself a 225 gallon 170 DT 55 Sump system and I wanted to move the contents of the 55 into the 225 Do I have to Cycle the tank again with such a large upgrade or should it be fine? i've upgraded from a 55 to a 150 before but never a 55 to a 225
- also the tank is used, I have cleaned everything with distilled vinegar but there is still coralline in some hard to reach places, would it be fine to fill the tank and run it or does this have to come off to avoid a "mini crash"

question 2

- this is more for your opinions

- I was thinking of keeping a lion fish and a snow flake eel in the 55 ( I currently have the eel in a 20 long because he's small but I'm thinking of tossing him in the 220 if I don't put him in the 55) but I might change my mind and convert it to a tank for my albino turtle and some cichlids he needs an upgrade also but I also have a koi pond he can go into, would you keep this a saltwater FOWLR or go the easy route and use it for the turtle?

I will admit keeping it saltwater for the eel and the Lionfish would be just as Easy as I am guilty of almost never doing water changes in the in the eel tank maybe like once a month or every other month ill do 20%

The reef tank however I do a 10% every Friday night.

Question 3

- What substrate would you guys Use in what I'm hoping is my "Forever Tank" were talking economic, looks, and efficiency. I have used live sand but I'm going for a inch Bed on a 72X20X30 so Live sand is going to break the bank at $20 for 20lbs
- I've Used Pulverized Limestone in the past but it takes hours of a hose constantly rinsing through the sand to get out all of the soot and murkiness before I put it in the DT, I wanted to see if you guys have any other Ideas as to what a good fine substrate would be. I have a Massive LTA so the substrate needs to be fine enough for it to dig its foot and not have anything abrasive

Sorry about the Novel long post
Thanks in advance.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

I Think it will depend on how much rock is in the 55 now.
You're basically going to need almost 200 gallons of new water & more rock.
For sand I like Tropic Eden Reefflakes but it's out of stock.
Look @ Carib-Sea.

 

[ralph82396]

You can move things to any new bigger tank as long as you don't bomb the tank with new animals
and the rock/sand goes with them. I usually only move 1/3 or so of the old sand and mix it into the new stuff the bigger tank needs to cover the bottom.
There is a trade off. The bio filter is affected by being disturbed but the water volume is so much bigger it doesn't make much of what you are calling a cycle.

(there is no such thing as cycling, mini cycling or any of the other words the Internet uses referring to tank water.)
The bio filter in a tank is a living thing just as much as a fish or anemone. It is just made of animals and bacteria you can't see.
When you move the contents of a small tank to a bigger one those things should be moved too and they have a new bigger tank. A bit of ammonia is the cue for them to reproduce and grow into their new home.
Thinking of it this way is more useful. what you are referring to cycling is how healthy your bio filter is.
When you start a new system it is a baby you must grow.
When you run a tank it is something you must not overfeed by placing to many animals or dumping to much food in.
When you move to a larger tank it will be disrupted a bit by the move but will very quickly recover.
Feed a bit more sparingly for a few days. Also make sure your animals adapt to finding their food in the new bigger tank.

I had 3 lions (dwarf ones) and 2 eels in a 75. A 55 would be fine for a smaller number.
Measure the nitrates in the system and let that tell you when the water needs changed and how much. Make sure to have a tight lid with small enough holes.

I used crushed coral in the 240. Yes, it takes a lot of rinsing. Or it doesn't.
I rinsed it some and put it in.
View attachment 32387187
It goes away very quickly.
View attachment 32387188
IMHO the dust from aragonite or coral media helps start the pH buffering capacity of the new tank. Tiny particles are the easiest to dissolve.

I had a 75. I added a 240. I upgraded the 75 to a 180 later, having 8 feet on that side of the corner and 6 on this side is kind of nice.
In the 180 I used a dry sand and layered some of the sand from the 75 over it.
I am cheating a bit. All my tanks are connected in the fish room. That way my bio filter is huge and stable.

Thank you,

I've been in the hobby with my own tanks for over ten years now ( I grew up in it with my parents ) and I agree with all of the above, my concern was I have only ever doubled a tank in an upgrade but never have I ever gotten an upgrade 4X the size. I have 75Lbs of live rock in the 55 and just got another 120 lbs. of dry rock to add to the new system. I will be adding some old sand. I have also placed Bio blocks into the tank yesterday to house some extra bacteria by this weekend which is when the tank will be fully plumbed and ill add those to the sump.