Best way to upgrade?

twelvejewelz · 05/19/2010, 06:01 PM

ok so i ordered 25lbs of rocks from macro rocks. the rocks are dried so ill just have to give them a rinse when they get here and then i can add them to my new tank. im upgrading from my 2 or 2 and a half year old 10 gallon nano to a 20gallon high. im on the third floor now and am moving down to the second floor. what is the best way for me to do this upgrade? All of the equipment will be the same from my 10 to the 20.
This is what i was planning on doing tell me what you think. ok i have 2 5 gallon buckets , i was planning on syphoning all the water into the 2 buckets and putting my rock into the buckets with the water. was going to fill the 20 half way with freshly mixed salt water at the same sg 1.026 as my tank now. Then add the rock and water from my existing tank along with the macro rocks. put all the powerheads and aquaclear110 on the 20 along with the lights and heater. then i was going to take the sand last and add my existing sand to the new 20 last along with a new 5lb bag of sand. How does all this sound? will i avoid a cycle by doing it like this?should i add the sand first or last like i plan? thanks in advance!

shifty51008 · 05/19/2010, 06:05 PM

sounds like a good plan, the only thing that would cause a cycle is if the macro rock isn't cured. i understand it is dry base rock but there is still die off on the rock, and i have heard ppl getting a cycle with it.

pbmatthews · 05/19/2010, 06:46 PM

If you reuse your sand you will get a cycle. I just went through this and made the mistake of keeping my sand. Maybe a little is ok. The best way IMHO is to set it up with new sand and the rock, add a heater and powerhead and wait out the cycle. Then transfer your livestock. This is foolproof. Good Luck!

twelvejewelz · 05/19/2010, 07:49 PM

im going to make sure that i really give the dry macro rock a good scrub. the people at macro rocks told me it wouldnt cause a cycle hmm. why do you think the sand will cause a cycle? i cant really setup the tank and let it sit and recycle thats my only problem it has to be done in 1 shot. why would it recycle if i use the same sand though it already has the bacteria and what not on it if i put new sand that will 100% cause a recycle

twelvejewelz · 05/19/2010, 07:58 PM

i mean realistically it would be like doing a 50% waterchange no? im just going to be adding a few more gallons of water. i just dont get why keeping the sand would cause a cycle again? i have a pistol shrimp that is constantly stirring the sand all day so no sand is ever in 1 place ..

daytonareefing · 05/19/2010, 08:33 PM

It may cycle again if you are using a different filter if you can use your old one and your new one both that would help. The more precured rock in the new tank the better to prevent it. I mean fill it up. You can have a few problems with sand. The deeper the sand bed the worst when it comes to moving the tank. I have had many many tanks and some moves go great and some don't. When I moved or bought tanks from other poeple I use the big rubbermaid one with the lids it holds more and its faster. You should do it the way you want. If you start moving the sand and see black get new sand inless you have black sand thats bad. I just started a new 8 gallon biocube I really want to see how that works out. This one has seachem salt my 150 in the picture has ocean water in it. Trust me when I say the cops did not like me going to the ocean to get water. I set the 8 gallon up for sea hores and thats going to be a chore. THE BEST ADVICE i CAN GIVE YOU IS USE ALL YOU OLD WATER IT HELP NOT HAVE TO CYCLE. I was not yelling. Water from an old tank and I mean old is the best way to seed the new filter if you used a new one. I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Hopr I helped snd did not step on toes.

shifty51008 · 05/19/2010, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twelvejewelz

i mean realistically it would be like doing a 50% waterchange no? im just going to be adding a few more gallons of water. i just dont get why keeping the sand would cause a cycle again? i have a pistol shrimp that is constantly stirring the sand all day so no sand is ever in 1 place ..

the reason is because the bottom of the snad (unless your sand bed is very thin) don't get stired so organics will accumulate and once disturbed can cause a cycle. alot of nitrogan gas gets built up over time.

twelvejewelz · 05/20/2010, 12:35 AM

. yea like i said the entire sand bed it turned each and every single day from the pistol shrimp so i dont think the nitrogen gas will be a problem and im definitely using all of the water that i have in the 10, thats why i figure it should be just like doing a 50% water change. In reguards to the filter its running now, ill stop it from running for about 10 minutes and put it on the other tank with everything still in it. im running all of the same equipment on the 20 that im already running on my 10. im not going to even clean anything until i can make sure the new tank is doing good. im going to do this all saturday cause my macro rocks should be here by friday. any other advice/ suggestions would be helpful and appreciated

05/19/2010, 06:01 PM	#1
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	Best way to upgrade? ok so i ordered 25lbs of rocks from macro rocks. the rocks are dried so ill just have to give them a rinse when they get here and then i can add them to my new tank. im upgrading from my 2 or 2 and a half year old 10 gallon nano to a 20gallon high. im on the third floor now and am moving down to the second floor. what is the best way for me to do this upgrade? All of the equipment will be the same from my 10 to the 20. This is what i was planning on doing tell me what you think. ok i have 2 5 gallon buckets , i was planning on syphoning all the water into the 2 buckets and putting my rock into the buckets with the water. was going to fill the 20 half way with freshly mixed salt water at the same sg 1.026 as my tank now. Then add the rock and water from my existing tank along with the macro rocks. put all the powerheads and aquaclear110 on the 20 along with the lights and heater. then i was going to take the sand last and add my existing sand to the new 20 last along with a new 5lb bag of sand. How does all this sound? will i avoid a cycle by doing it like this?should i add the sand first or last like i plan? thanks in advance!

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05/19/2010, 06:05 PM	#2
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	sounds like a good plan, the only thing that would cause a cycle is if the macro rock isn't cured. i understand it is dry base rock but there is still die off on the rock, and i have heard ppl getting a cycle with it.

05/19/2010, 06:46 PM	#3
pbmatthews Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Connecticut Posts: 53	If you reuse your sand you will get a cycle. I just went through this and made the mistake of keeping my sand. Maybe a little is ok. The best way IMHO is to set it up with new sand and the rock, add a heater and powerhead and wait out the cycle. Then transfer your livestock. This is foolproof. Good Luck!

05/19/2010, 07:49 PM	#4
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	im going to make sure that i really give the dry macro rock a good scrub. the people at macro rocks told me it wouldnt cause a cycle hmm. why do you think the sand will cause a cycle? i cant really setup the tank and let it sit and recycle thats my only problem it has to be done in 1 shot. why would it recycle if i use the same sand though it already has the bacteria and what not on it if i put new sand that will 100% cause a recycle

05/19/2010, 07:58 PM	#5
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	i mean realistically it would be like doing a 50% waterchange no? im just going to be adding a few more gallons of water. i just dont get why keeping the sand would cause a cycle again? i have a pistol shrimp that is constantly stirring the sand all day so no sand is ever in 1 place ..

05/19/2010, 08:33 PM	#6
daytonareefing Moved On Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Port Orange FL Posts: 158	It may cycle again if you are using a different filter if you can use your old one and your new one both that would help. The more precured rock in the new tank the better to prevent it. I mean fill it up. You can have a few problems with sand. The deeper the sand bed the worst when it comes to moving the tank. I have had many many tanks and some moves go great and some don't. When I moved or bought tanks from other poeple I use the big rubbermaid one with the lids it holds more and its faster. You should do it the way you want. If you start moving the sand and see black get new sand inless you have black sand thats bad. I just started a new 8 gallon biocube I really want to see how that works out. This one has seachem salt my 150 in the picture has ocean water in it. Trust me when I say the cops did not like me going to the ocean to get water. I set the 8 gallon up for sea hores and thats going to be a chore. THE BEST ADVICE i CAN GIVE YOU IS USE ALL YOU OLD WATER IT HELP NOT HAVE TO CYCLE. I was not yelling. Water from an old tank and I mean old is the best way to seed the new filter if you used a new one. I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Hopr I helped snd did not step on toes.

05/20/2010, 12:35 AM	#8
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	. yea like i said the entire sand bed it turned each and every single day from the pistol shrimp so i dont think the nitrogen gas will be a problem and im definitely using all of the water that i have in the 10, thats why i figure it should be just like doing a 50% water change. In reguards to the filter its running now, ill stop it from running for about 10 minutes and put it on the other tank with everything still in it. im running all of the same equipment on the 20 that im already running on my 10. im not going to even clean anything until i can make sure the new tank is doing good. im going to do this all saturday cause my macro rocks should be here by friday. any other advice/ suggestions would be helpful and appreciated