new aquarium

[w_hartyjr]

looking into getting a new bigger aquarium,75 gallon rr tank up from a 55 non drilled.my question is will i have to cycle the tank over again or can i move all of my existing sand and live rock to it without it cycling over again.
i have about 40 lbs live sand,70 lbs live rock,4 damsels(that wont make the move),1 clown,1 yellow tank,2 peppermint shrimp,1 electic scallop,a pistol shrimp and a watchman goby.also have several kinds of zoas,xenia and gsp.
looking to move to bigger tank with sump-fuge and protein skimmer


thanks for all the help,past and present.hope everybody has a good CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Edit: forgot we also have 20-25 snails,2 hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab and also 4 heads of frgspawn coral and 1 head of torch coral

 

[johnmackay70]

Go with new sand with only a scoop of your old sand mixed in to seed it. Otherwise you may end up with a real cycle or worse.

 

[snowmansnow]

you'll probably end up with SOME sort of cycle just from moving stuff around. Just make sure you use as much as your old tank water as you can (as long as its in good shape) the same rocks and such.

as far as substrate goes... if your old tank isn't very aged, it may be ok to just use the same substrate.

B

 

[rdnelson]

Lots of nasties collect in the sand. If you use it, make sure you wash it completely. Of course that will mean it is no longer live but if you don't add any more bio-load at first, the live rock should handle it and you will not have much if any cycle. You will most likely see a diatom bloom though. If it were me, I would go with new dead sand but move all my rock and add some dead rock. That would ensure no cycle expecially since you are moving fewer fish than your LR is currently handling.

 

[cr500_af]

Use new sand (keep a cup or so), and move your LR quickly keeping it wet... you should be fine. I'm not a fan of using old water, as the beneficial bacteria are almost entirely in sand and rock, not the water column.

Keep in mind that you'll need to have both tanks up for a bit, so that the water can clear on the new one before fish go in, and you'll need to match parameters (especially temp) so the fish acclimate well.

If you have any burrowing CUC, sift them out of the old sand in the old tank as your last step... no sense in letting them die.

I did a tank swap this way, and while it was a pain and took maybe 12 hours start to finish, I had no losses.