Moving from 55G to 75G tank

babyduke · 12/20/2010, 12:42 PM

Can anyone give me suggestions or precautions as I am ready to move everything out of my current 55G FOWLR tank to 75G?

singold · 12/20/2010, 01:33 PM

I'd use about 20 to 30 percent of the water from your existing tank. Try to move Live Rock straight over without it drying out in order to sustain beneficial bacteria. Would use new sand.

greech · 12/20/2010, 02:08 PM

+1 to singold suggestions.

If you keep your fish and corals in a holding tank/container make sure you add a heater and flow to it if you will take some time to aquascape the new tank, etc..

If you are making water for this move, make a bit more than you think you'll need. You probably will not want to use the water from the containers you hold your fish and corals in so the extra water will come in handy.

Take the opportunity to shake/scrub your LR in old SW before going into the tank.

Make sure you account for your fish when moving rocks from tank to tank as some will tuck into a whole and you may not know they are there. Would hate for you to bury a fish in the sand under a rock.

dmarkham · 12/20/2010, 02:30 PM

Also preheat the new water to the same temp as your old tank. Then move most of your rock and set it up. Add the new sand and some of the old water let the sand settle then move the rest. Make sure to take the steps to adjust the live stock.

babyduke · 12/20/2010, 02:43 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. Would it be really bad to use the same sand? That would be quite a bit of sand I'll be wasting and costly to replace.

Conrad25 · 12/20/2010, 03:11 PM

Your going to put a lot of junk and cause spikes when moving the sand from the 55 to the 75 Gallon. If you are going to reuse the sand, clean it very very good as you get build up in a tank which causes issues. I would never re use sand in my personal opinion as there is just too many risks involved...

RocketSurgeon · 12/21/2010, 08:37 AM

Most will tell you to use new sand, especially if your current sand is not relatively new. New sand is probably one of the least expensive things to buy.

I reused my sand when upgrading. I rinsed it out very well. I also waited three to five days before transferring my fish over. I added an additional canister filter with carbon during that initial setup as well.

Very important to count your fish. they will want to hide in your rocks and not come out.

bigdoug · 12/21/2010, 08:43 AM

if using your old sand rinse it good and do it again, it will have trapped a lot of waste.

spieszak · 12/21/2010, 08:46 AM

Depends on how old the sand is too, if its less than 5-6 months, then I wouldn't be AS worried...

12/20/2010, 12:42 PM	#1
babyduke Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 210	Moving from 55G to 75G tank Can anyone give me suggestions or precautions as I am ready to move everything out of my current 55G FOWLR tank to 75G?

12/20/2010, 01:33 PM	#2
singold Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Lake Saint Louis, Missouri Posts: 1,827	I'd use about 20 to 30 percent of the water from your existing tank. Try to move Live Rock straight over without it drying out in order to sustain beneficial bacteria. Would use new sand. __________________ "If there is no wind.....row." Current Tank Info: 75gal Reef w/29gal Refugium

12/20/2010, 02:08 PM	#3
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	+1 to singold suggestions. If you keep your fish and corals in a holding tank/container make sure you add a heater and flow to it if you will take some time to aquascape the new tank, etc.. If you are making water for this move, make a bit more than you think you'll need. You probably will not want to use the water from the containers you hold your fish and corals in so the extra water will come in handy. Take the opportunity to shake/scrub your LR in old SW before going into the tank. Make sure you account for your fish when moving rocks from tank to tank as some will tuck into a whole and you may not know they are there. Would hate for you to bury a fish in the sand under a rock. __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

12/20/2010, 03:11 PM	#6
Conrad25 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 556	Your going to put a lot of junk and cause spikes when moving the sand from the 55 to the 75 Gallon. If you are going to reuse the sand, clean it very very good as you get build up in a tank which causes issues. I would never re use sand in my personal opinion as there is just too many risks involved... __________________ 75G Reef Ready Tank Setup 2/28/10 connected to basement 75G tank & 50G Sump 1 mated Pair of clowns one female true perc and a male misbar perc,1 Bangaii Cardinal, 1 Blue Spotted Goby, 1 Kole Tang, 1 Pacific Blue Tang, 1 Melanarus Wrasse, 18" Purple S. Gigantea Nem(Oct. 2010)

12/21/2010, 08:43 AM	#8
bigdoug Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 337	if using your old sand rinse it good and do it again, it will have trapped a lot of waste. __________________ 125g, T5HO 12x39 (8 blue, 4 10k), Eshops 30g sump w/ dual Rio 2500 returns, Bubble Mangus NAC-7 skimmer.

12/20/2010, 02:30 PM	#4
dmarkham Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Joshua, TX Posts: 153	Also preheat the new water to the same temp as your old tank. Then move most of your rock and set it up. Add the new sand and some of the old water let the sand settle then move the rest. Make sure to take the steps to adjust the live stock.

12/20/2010, 02:43 PM	#5
babyduke Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 210	Thanks for the suggestions. Would it be really bad to use the same sand? That would be quite a bit of sand I'll be wasting and costly to replace.

12/21/2010, 08:37 AM	#7
RocketSurgeon Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 653	Most will tell you to use new sand, especially if your current sand is not relatively new. New sand is probably one of the least expensive things to buy. I reused my sand when upgrading. I rinsed it out very well. I also waited three to five days before transferring my fish over. I added an additional canister filter with carbon during that initial setup as well. Very important to count your fish. they will want to hide in your rocks and not come out.

12/21/2010, 08:46 AM	#9
spieszak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 1,877	Depends on how old the sand is too, if its less than 5-6 months, then I wouldn't be AS worried... __________________ I'm new to this saltwater thing, all comments should be taken with a BUCKET of salt! :-) -Stacey

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