Tank upgrade help

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#1
Tried searching but I guess every tank upgrade is a little different.

Here goes...thinking of upgrading my IM fusion 20 to a 60 cube. I want to put the cube in the same spot where my tank is right now.

Here's the plan,

I want to use as much old water from my tank as possible (20g). Plan is to breakdown and move fish and some live rock (2 clowns, 2 chromis) in a bucket with some tank water and the corals, Rbta , and rest of live rock into another bucket hopefully both with air stone for circulation.

Now, tank will be light enough for me to move aside so I can place the new tank in the old spot. Start filling new tank with mostly new live sand and some of the old sand. Put in live rock from old tank and new cured live rock ( I have like 20 lbs so I will be adding maybe 35-40lbs of cured live rock). Fill with new saltwater.

Use dr tims one and only and test every hour. Hopefully I don't do through much of a cycle. Then add fish and corals. Pray that I don't lose any livestock.

So the transfer will be done in a couple hours. Will this work?
 
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#2
Sounds fine to me. I don't think I would even worry about waiting to add the fish and/or corals as long as the parameters are close. Just acclimate them as if you purchased them new.
 
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#3
Don't use any old sand. It's just full of death and the rock from your existing tank will be enough bacteria transfer. When you use new sand your tank will be extremely cloudy. Make sure you get a few of the higher micron filter socks to take care of this right away. Also add a maxijet or additional pump that will pump into a second sock that you can hang off the inside of the tank. By morning your tank will be clear. Don't be disappointed when your tank cycles, it's inevitable. Just remember to do small water changes to keep the algae in the water Column from suffocating your coral. Oh and Don't forget the Microbacter 7. I've done this twice with great results.
 
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#6
Don't use any old sand. It's just full of death and the rock from your existing tank will be enough bacteria transfer. When you use new sand your tank will be extremely cloudy. Make sure you get a few of the higher micron filter socks to take care of this right away. Also add a maxijet or additional pump that will pump into a second sock that you can hang off the inside of the tank. By morning your tank will be clear. Don't be disappointed when your tank cycles, it's inevitable. Just remember to do small water changes to keep the algae in the water Column from suffocating your coral. Oh and Don't forget the Microbacter 7. I've done this twice with great results.
So do the dr tims and microbacter 7? Or just one of them?
 
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#7
I'm guessing just one of them.

I used BioSpira and cycle was complete in a two days, couldn't believe it.. Another member I knew upgraded from a 60g to a 120g and used Dr Tim's, he had the same result -- 24hour cycle
 
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#10
Personally I can only recommend BioSpira to ensure there's no cycle, my initial cycle with dead rock was 48 hours. After I switched tanks from a 12g to a 29g I was using MB7 there was a significant and slow cycle.

Another reefer who hasn't steered me wrong had a similar experience with Dr Tims.

So personally -- Not MB7 if you want to avoid a cycle, but MB7 is great for dosing.
 
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#11
I just upgraded and waited 3 weeks for the cycle, and got feed up cause everything was high. Then I used Dr. Tim's and cycle was done the next day. I would recommend it cause it worked for me. Also, it is more concentrated, I would have had to use 2 bottles of the other brand for the same thing. I for got the brand, but it was in a purpuleiss bottle.
 
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#12
So I did it a little differently. I filled up the new tank yesterday. With live rock and new live sand. Like 15 gallons of my old tank water. I added dr tims. It's been cycling since last night. I checked the parameters 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. Am I good to transfer my livestock to the new tank ??
 

theMerchant

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#13
So I did it a little differently. I filled up the new tank yesterday. With live rock and new live sand. Like 15 gallons of my old tank water. I added dr tims. It's been cycling since last night. I checked the parameters 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. Am I good to transfer my livestock to the new tank ??
Not sure your cycled started. You should at least get a mini cycle. I would wait 10 days minimum.

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