Tank upgrade

[kres1024]

So Decided to upgrade going from a 4 year old established 150 gallon fowler to a 300 gallon,
Any opinions on when I do the swap out use the old sand or some of it or just replace the entire sand bed with new?
Also use the same water or just go with completely new water making sure the parameters (temp,salinity,ph)are close to the old water??
Any suggestions anyone
Thanks

 

[jcdeng]

sand you can keep but I wouldn't if I were you cuz you are gonna bring up some toxins (maybe) from taking it out of one tank and put it in another, and you never know whats been growning in there.

water needs to be completely new unless you keep you FOWLR with reef salt water. Reef salt mix is different than regular salt mix, regular salt mix doesn't contain other necessary trace elements or ions in it. Corals need Ca, Mag, iodine, stroidium, etc. to grow. thats why Instant Ocean have 2 different salts, one for fish only and one for reef.


Hope this helps

 

[kres1024]

sand you can keep but I wouldn't if I were you cuz you are gonna bring up some toxins (maybe) from taking it out of one tank and put it in another, and you never know whats been growning in there.

water needs to be completely new unless you keep you FOWLR with reef salt water. Reef salt mix is different than regular salt mix, regular salt mix doesn't contain other necessary trace elements or ions in it. Corals need Ca, Mag, iodine, stroidium, etc. to grow. thats why Instant Ocean have 2 different salts, one for fish only and one for reef.


Hope this helps

The tank is going to be strictly aggressive fish no corals so the type of salt won't be an issue...
Thanks

 

[tangy84]

Get new sand and seed them with a couple of cups from the old tank, that way u don't have to wash the Sand which can be a pain. You will also see that ur phosphate and nitrate will never hit zero if not clean enough. If u want to wash it really good, you can use the water from the current tank to wash it and keep it alive, and use new water for the new tank. And you will see a cycle anyhow. Is the old tank going in a different area, or the same spot as the 150? If going in the same spot, then you have to let someone hold ur fish, or put them somewhere until the tank cycles. Gl with the tank, and make sure the new tank is dead leveled to the floor.

 

[jcdeng]

The tank is going to be strictly aggressive fish no corals so the type of salt won't be an issue...
Thanks

oops, thought u are upgrading to reef. if thats the case then definitely use the water.

 

[kres1024]

Get new sand and seed them with a couple of cups from the old tank, that way u don't have to wash the Sand which can be a pain. You will also see that ur phosphate and nitrate will never hit zero if not clean enough. If u want to wash it really good, you can use the water from the current tank to wash it and keep it alive, and use new water for the new tank. And you will see a cycle anyhow. Is the old tank going in a different area, or the same spot as the 150? If going in the same spot, then you have to let someone hold ur fish, or put them somewhere until the tank cycles. Gl with the tank, and make sure the new tank is dead leveled to the floor.

Unfortunally the new tank is going in the same spot so fish will be going right in...

 

[nuch]

I just upgraded from a 170 to a 280 this weekend. I used new sand, and used like 10 cups full of the old sand and just put it in different spots in the tank so that it seeds the new sand. As far as the water, I used about 100-125 gallons of the old water. I had no cycle, crossing my fingers. I even added 300 lbs of rock and it didnt cycle i put the new rock in a bucket and did water changes to the rock with the water from the 170 for like 2 weeks while i was setting up the 280. I added everything on the same day and the fish and coral survived and doing well. So i would use some old water, sand, and rock. It's like doing a big water change.

 

[kres1024]

I just upgraded from a 170 to a 280 this weekend. I used new sand, and used like 10 cups full of the old sand and just put it in different spots in the tank so that it seeds the new sand. As far as the water, I used about 100-125 gallons of the old water. I had no cycle, crossing my fingers. I even added 300 lbs of rock and it didnt cycle i put the new rock in a bucket and did water changes to the rock with the water from the 170 for like 2 weeks while i was setting up the 280. I added everything on the same day and the fish and coral survived and doing well. So i would use some old water, sand, and rock. It's like doing a big water change.

That's what i was also thinking of doing..I already have about 200lbs of fully established live rock in the existing tank...
Thanks

 

[albano]

sand you can keep but I wouldn't if I were you cuz you are gonna bring up some toxins (maybe) from taking it out of one tank and put it in another, and you never know whats been growning in there.

water needs to be completely new unless you keep you FOWLR with reef salt water. Reef salt mix is different than regular salt mix, regular salt mix doesn't contain other necessary trace elements or ions in it. Corals need Ca, Mag, iodine, stroidium, etc. to grow. thats why Instant Ocean have 2 different salts, one for fish only and one for reef.


Hope this helps

where did ANY of this info come from?

Clean/rinse your old sand with saltwater and reuse it...
MANY people use Instant Ocean salt for their reef tanks...
use as much 'old' saltwater as you can...you're doubling the tank volume

 

[kres1024]

where did ANY of this info come from?

Clean/rinse your old sand with saltwater and reuse it...
MANY people use Instant Ocean salt for their reef tanks...
use as much 'old' saltwater as you can...you're doubling the tank volume

It's gonna be a fish only no corals...
So use old sand but rinse? Don't replace the entire sand bed?
Thanks

 

[albano]

It's gonna be a fish only no corals...
So use old sand but rinse? Don't replace the entire sand bed?
Thanks

yes...rinse old sand WELL...get as much dirt/dust out as possible (must use saltwater...I'd use water from old tank).
You may still need to add additional sand in new tank

 

[kres1024]

yes...rinse old sand WELL...get as much dirt/dust out as possible (must use saltwater...I'd use water from old tank).
You may still need to add additional sand in new tank

Thanks buddy