Upgrading to bigger tank

[Rani]

Hi I have kept a 120 litre reef tank for about a year, about to go upto a 300 litre. Any tips or suggestions as to how to transfer my precious livestock once my new tank has cycled? Also my current tank has T5 lights, new tank will be LED (Aquaone mariglow) - how will my corals adjust? I have mainly LPS, couple of SPS, zoos and a softie. I also have a yellow tang, 3 clowns and a bangaii.
Thanks guys

 

[Ron Reefman]

Biggest thing is to take your time.

Are you putting the new tank where the old tank was? If so, does that mean the old tank has to move before the new tank is set up? From your post it sounds like you can set up the new and cycle it while keeping the old tank running. That would be a good thing.

After the new tank is cycled, try and get the water parameter fairly close and the livestock should be OK. You probably will get a diatom spike, so be careful with the corals.

Start the new leds at a lower setting. I don't know anything about them, are they using 3 watt leds? Just acclimate the corals to the new light slowly over a month.

Good luck and have fun with the new tank.

 

[MurphyLong]

^^^^^^ What he said. It's safer to start the corals out with lower lighting on the LED, because if you move them to a light that ends up being stronger than what they're used to, you'll likely bleach them out.

Are you moving any live rock over from the old tank to the new tank?

 

[ReefEco]

Only thing I would add to Ron's good advice is to be careful about moving your sand, if you are planning to. Best to start with new sand, and seed it with a few handfuls of your old sand. Sand beds can accumulate alot of detritus, so moving them into a new tank can cause problems. You can completely wash and rinse your old sand before putting into the new tank, as long as you are thorough and rinse it very, very well.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Yeah, I've washed a lot of sand and it's not hard if you have a bucket and a garden hose. I wouldn't even save any to seed the new tank. If you are moving the live rock, that's all you need.

 

[ReefEco]

Not sure how long your sand has been in place, or how "live" it is, but it will definitely contain different fauna than the live rock, so it couldn't hurt to transfer a couple handfuls over if you want some more diversity. Caveats apply if it is really dirty sand. You can also look at IPSF.com and their $99 mix and match special - which is a kit of all tank-bred micro fauna and cleaners for your tank. Great deal, and a good way to seed your new tank or boost diversity of an established one.

 

[Ron Reefman]

You can also look at IPSF.com and their $99 mix and match special - which is a kit of all tank-bred micro fauna and cleaners for your tank. Great deal, and a good way to seed your new tank or boost diversity of an established one.

$99.00??? Tell me that's a typo! Nobody should pay $99 for 'stuff' in the sand.

 

[ReefEco]

I think it is a good deal actually in the end, and a good way to seed your tank especially if you are using dry rock like reef savers, and want to avoid hitchhikers. It includes lots of different items you can choose from - snails, microhermits, tiny bristle worms, spaghetti worms, amphipods, etc. $99 includes overnight shipping, and you can choose 9 different items. You are probably paying a small premium since it is captive-raised life, but I haven't found another package that is similar, and replaces what you might get on LR if you choose to use dry rock - which I think is more responsible, and better in terms of reducing pests.

 

[Ron Reefman]

OK, that's different than seeding the tank or sand with some live bacteria which is what I thought you were talking about. The things you are getting really aren't necessary to start a new tank. But they can be useful after the tank has cycled and starts to grow.