when moving a tank...

[everl0ng]

do you scoop up the sand in the existing tank and transfer it to the new tank? i am going to be moving this year and i want to get a headstart on it. right now i have an external overflow, so i am buying another 20H (same as i have now) next week and going to have it drilled for when i do move because i don't want the one i have now taking up that valuable space in the tank. that way, when i get the new tank all set up in the new place all i have to do is transfer the water, fish, and rock. will not using that existing sand cause a cycle? how should i go about doing so? basically, i want to have another RR tank set up in the new place and transfer everything over to the new one. tnaks you so much for your help and concern!

 

[SAT]

The move probably will probably induce a small cycle no matter what you do. I suggest keeping a good supply of water on hand for changes in the first week or so. Monitor closely for ammonia during the first two weeks and don't tolerate levels above 0.1ppm.

Moving a sand bed is problematical. If the existing bed is more than about 1" deep, the lower (anaerobic) layers will closely resemble toxic waste, which should never be disturbed. Even the upper layer, when mixed into the water, will make the tank look like pea soup for a while, and leave detritus all over everything as it settles. I suggest starting with clean sand and then seed it with a few scoops of surface sand from the existing bed.

Good luck!

 

[Krazy]

I moved my 72g into a 90 and re used my sand bed, I had not a single death, it just takes alot of time and slow moving to get things done right, I also did about a 40gallon waterchange when I swapped everything as well, Maybe that saved me

I dunno but I saved myself some $$$$ by re-using the 140lbs of sand