Starting up new tank - Transfer from old

xxmurrxx · 04/20/2011, 10:55 AM

Hello, Got a couple questions on how I should go about transferring rock / sand from a 15 gallon (up for about a year) to a 29 gallon (new tank coming soon).

1. I plan on buying buying a couple or one big centrepiece rocks for the new tank. Will use my existing to aquascape / seed the tank.

How should I go about doing this? Cycle with the base rock and a couple chunks of live? Then add the bulk of my existing LR?

OR

Throw all the rock base and live in and cycle all at once?

2. About the sand.. I read it's bad to mix it all up because it could release "toxins" to fish and inverts. Do i need to worry about any of this if I take a cup or two of my "live" sand and mix with my new sand?

3. I plan on leaving my 15 gallon as a QT for my first couple fish.. Should I just leave the excess sand and rubble rock in there?

thegrun · 04/20/2011, 02:19 PM

If you have fish or corals in the old tank that you are trying to keep alive I would cure the new rock (it will help to transfer a couple pieces of your existing live rock into the new tank to speed up the cycle) and then add the bulk of your existing live rock and livestock. There is some danger to using old sand beds, but I've done it on several occasions in the past. The key to using old sand is to clean it thoroughly. I also like to test the newly clean sand for phosphates. If phosphates are present, it's just not worth using.

04/20/2011, 10:55 AM	#1
xxmurrxx Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 69	Starting up new tank - Transfer from old Hello, Got a couple questions on how I should go about transferring rock / sand from a 15 gallon (up for about a year) to a 29 gallon (new tank coming soon). 1. I plan on buying buying a couple or one big centrepiece rocks for the new tank. Will use my existing to aquascape / seed the tank. How should I go about doing this? Cycle with the base rock and a couple chunks of live? Then add the bulk of my existing LR? OR Throw all the rock base and live in and cycle all at once? 2. About the sand.. I read it's bad to mix it all up because it could release "toxins" to fish and inverts. Do i need to worry about any of this if I take a cup or two of my "live" sand and mix with my new sand? 3. I plan on leaving my 15 gallon as a QT for my first couple fish.. Should I just leave the excess sand and rubble rock in there?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Starting new nano tank	musicman980	Nano Reefs	7	12/03/2012 08:02 PM
Interested in Starting a Frag Tank	rbrewer2	Coral Propagation and Aquaculture	2	03/26/2011 05:05 PM
Tank Transfer to bigger tank (all new system)	Lawrence0126	New to the Hobby	2	10/10/2010 10:59 AM
smaller tank to larger tank transfer	Darnellius	Advanced Topics	12	01/19/2010 06:42 PM
Tank Transfering? Keep the Sand from old tank or new sand?	happyface888	Reef Discussion	44	10/20/2008 07:14 PM

04/20/2011, 02:19 PM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	If you have fish or corals in the old tank that you are trying to keep alive I would cure the new rock (it will help to transfer a couple pieces of your existing live rock into the new tank to speed up the cycle) and then add the bulk of your existing live rock and livestock. There is some danger to using old sand beds, but I've done it on several occasions in the past. The key to using old sand is to clean it thoroughly. I also like to test the newly clean sand for phosphates. If phosphates are present, it's just not worth using.