Switching Tanks

[Lee Barnes]

Hi all -
After having my 24 g Nano Cube for 2 years, I've got the itch to get a bigger tank and more critters. I have not purchased anything yet, but looking at a 54 g corner bowfront tank. My questions are:
1. when I'm ready to make the switch from the old tank to the new tank, do I start out with all new water in the new tank, or 1/2 new water and 1/2 old tank water?
2. do I use new live sand, or try to re-use the old stuff?
3. should I rinse or clean off my old live rock before I put it in the new tank?
4. Since I'm using the same live rock that I've always had, will the new tank have to cycle again?

Any tips would certainly help, thank you.

Oh, currently I have about 25 lbs of live rock, 2 black & white clowns, and a bi-colored blennie.

 

[SkiFletch]

1. IMO it depends on the nutrient concentration in the old water. If the nano has lots of nitrates/phosphates in it, I'd just go with all new water. If its say 10ppm or less, you can do a 1/2 and 1/2.

2. I'd say use 1/4-1/3rd of the old stuff and buy new plain aragonite sand (not live) to fill out the balance. Sand beds get full of detritus and waste, so you don't want to use too much of the old.

3. Absoloutely. You should have a bucket of saltwater that you remove the rocks from the old, dunk/shake them off in this intermediate bucket to remove detritus and waste, and then put them in the main tank. The intermediate waste tank should have all old tank water in it.

4. As long as it's not exposed to air for more than say an hour it shouldn't cycle.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

Just a tip, you should do all the live rock first then make sure the water is low in your old tank, then you dont have to chase your fish around as much to get them thus leaving them less stressed. But if your gonna take out old sand, then nevermind because your livestock should be somewhere else so they arent in that dirty of water after the detritus stirs up.... good luck