I am in the process of setting up a 90 gallon display tank that will combine a 29 gallon Biocube and 36 gallon bowfront.
I have been given a lot of advise that varies at the local Los so I thought I would post it here.
Option 1: Take the substrate out of the Biocube and place it in the 90 gallon. Then add two to three more bags of substrate to make up the difference. Add approximately 40 gallons of new saltwater and allow the sand to settle for a couple of hours. Then start moving live rock, coral, fish, and existing water to the new tank. I anticipate that this will take a whole day to complete. In the end I wind up with something like 55 to 60 gallons of established water, about 60% of the tank when considering the sump and about 30% of cycled substrate. The substrate from the 36 gallon will not be coming along because it is black and white crushed coral. The new tank will be all sand.
The local Lfs insists that if I do this I will start with a cycled tank. My fear is that even with two small tanks we have well over $1000 in fish, coral and live rock. It seems risky to me to start the tank that way since the move itself will stress all involved parties.
Option 2: set up as a new tank with a handful of cromis, new live rock and a little of the existing rock and allow it to cycle before transferring everything else.
The bad part about this way (in my inexperienced mind) is that I will be tending to four tanks while I cycle the new one.
Here is a list of the livestock involved.
One jawfish, one serpent starfish, three cromis, one rusty angel, one diamond goby, one true Picasso clown (mate perished), one purple lobster, one flame hawk, a few turbo snails, two large crabs, one emerald crab, a few peppermint shrimps and some reef hermits. As for coral, zinnia, orange acan, lots of zoas, and a couple of sponges and others I can't name.
I have been given a lot of advise that varies at the local Los so I thought I would post it here.
Option 1: Take the substrate out of the Biocube and place it in the 90 gallon. Then add two to three more bags of substrate to make up the difference. Add approximately 40 gallons of new saltwater and allow the sand to settle for a couple of hours. Then start moving live rock, coral, fish, and existing water to the new tank. I anticipate that this will take a whole day to complete. In the end I wind up with something like 55 to 60 gallons of established water, about 60% of the tank when considering the sump and about 30% of cycled substrate. The substrate from the 36 gallon will not be coming along because it is black and white crushed coral. The new tank will be all sand.
The local Lfs insists that if I do this I will start with a cycled tank. My fear is that even with two small tanks we have well over $1000 in fish, coral and live rock. It seems risky to me to start the tank that way since the move itself will stress all involved parties.
Option 2: set up as a new tank with a handful of cromis, new live rock and a little of the existing rock and allow it to cycle before transferring everything else.
The bad part about this way (in my inexperienced mind) is that I will be tending to four tanks while I cycle the new one.
Here is a list of the livestock involved.
One jawfish, one serpent starfish, three cromis, one rusty angel, one diamond goby, one true Picasso clown (mate perished), one purple lobster, one flame hawk, a few turbo snails, two large crabs, one emerald crab, a few peppermint shrimps and some reef hermits. As for coral, zinnia, orange acan, lots of zoas, and a couple of sponges and others I can't name.
