Upgrading??

[marlin]

Hi,
I will be upgrading my tank from a 50 gallon to a 90gallon. I was wondering how to go about this. I plan on adding sand (not live) and a foam background, then let the tank cycle. But when the tank goes through the cycle can I add all 60 pounds of live rock from my 50 gallon to the 90 gallon directly or do I have to add peaces at a time? I will clean the sand in the 50g and and then add it after. What will happen if i add all my live rock from my 50g to the 90g after the cycle? also when would the coral and fish be able to enter the 90gallon. I guess what I am really asking is how much can I add at one time after the cycle? Also do I use the protein skimmer during the cycle?

[IRocky IFraser]

from what i understand and i am a but i beleve that u dont use the skimmer during the cycle process,or that it doesent affect the cycle process of a new tank. and i think u can add all the rock at once as well as some of the water from the old tank......and have one cycle. Wait 4 a better responce from someone else to verify or corect me...

[rayme07]

I agree with Rocky you can add all the rock at the same time and have it go all in one cycle.

What will happen if i add all my live rock from my 50g to the 90g after the cycle?

You will more than likely have another cycle to wait till another cycle ends before adding anything.

also when would the coral and fish be able to enter the 90gallon. I guess what I am really asking is how much can I add at one time after the cycle? Also do I use the protein skimmer during the cycle?

In my opinion every two weeks you can add 1 to 2 corals or fish nothing more than 2 every two weeks.

[CarmieJo]

Your dilemma is wanting to use the rock from the old tank for the new. If you pull the rock from the old tank and drop it into the new from the get go you will essentially have no filtration left in the old tank.

The closest I've come to this situation is when I moved my tank from one room to another. I siphoned water from the tank into a big Tote and then submerged my rock in the Tote. I siphoned more water into my Brute, caught the fish and put them in buckets and moved the tank. Then I reversed the whole process to set the tank back up. Through all of this I never ran into any trouble.

I've not upgraded a tank but I think I would cycle the tank with the sand and new rock and then proceed as I did when I moved my tank.

[PhotoJohn]

I am assuming your 50g is still running with livestock...
I would add LR to the new tank from the old tank a small amount at a time. You need to keep the old tank stable so your livestock in there does not die. If you have a smaller QT you could move the livestock to it and dump all the LR/sand/water from the old tank into the new one at once. You could also move everything into the new tank and watch the levels like a hawk and be ready to do big water changes as needed till everything levels out.

[Amphibious]

This is always a challenge. Here are some suggestions based on some assumptions. The amount of LR for a 90 is greater than for a 50. Assuming you are going to add additional LR here is what I would do.

Leave your 50 as is for now. Set up the 90 with your new sand and new portion of LR. Let it cycle completely. When cycled, I would begin removing LR from the 50 and adding it to the 90. It should not re-cycle BUT, it may, testing will tell. In a couple of days, assuming no cycle has reoccurred, continue moving LR and now some of your clean-up crew. Keep testing. Eventually, over maybe a week, you will have transferred most everything. Remember to use normal acclimation procedures when transferring livestock. The LR can be simply moved without any acclimation. I would run the skimmer during the cycle. Cycling produces an abundance of things to be skimmed. Better to get them out than not.

The above may trigger more questions, please ask.

Dick

[marlin]

Well I was going to wait and see if I will need more LR becuase I want to set it up so there is lots of flow aound the rock. I think it would be better to have 50 pounds of live rock that is getting lot of flow around it is better then having 90 pounds stacked in the tank. But I may add more over time. I will have to see how it goes. Could I add a few large rocks from the 50g let it go through the cycle and seed some base rock, then add all my livestock (which isnt that much) and then slowly add my live rock a peace every week?? I plann on having a good skimmer and a refugium hooked up to the 90g.
My livestock is: pair of Maroom clowns, Yellow tang, pair of common clowns, lawnmower Blennie, Golden dottyback, Scooter Blennie, 1 Finger Leather coral, 1 toadstool coral, 2 or 3 colonies of blue mushrooms, 2 colonies of Button polyps, 1 colonie of Green star polyps, 1 green staghorn, 1 purple staghorn (frag), 1 Green Openbrian, 1 colony of Candy cane coral and one small orange sponge.