Best way to swap everything over to new tank?

[Gripenfelter]

So I need to swap coral, fish, lights, and refugium from my 120 gallon to my 300 gallon. The 300 gallon is dry right now.

I have cured cycled rock with mushrooms and zoas growing on the rocks already too. The 300 gallon doesn't have a sump yet.

So what would be the best way to switch everything over? Like do I do it in stages over a few days or everything all at once?

I was thinking of putting in the rock, some new sand, then the old rock and corals, then the fish over a few days.

It will take me a full day to mount the lights from the 120 gallon on to the 300 gallon. LEDs.

[RezReef]

I put in new water and sand...waited for sand to settle...made sure temp...salinity was the same with old tank...put in prodibiotic Start Up...waited 24 hrs...moved everything in one day...didn't lose a thing.

[Gripenfelter]

Originally Posted by RezReef

I put in new water and sand...waited for sand to settle...made sure temp...salinity was the same with old tank...put in prodibiotic Start Up...waited 24 hrs...moved everything in one day...didn't lose a thing.

I was told by someone to use all my old water and 200 gallons of new water. What do you think?

[evaneatspie555]

i add water and add sand once sand was settled i added a peice of live rock over every day once half of the rock was over i added a fish every other day while still adding rock it worked perfect. my fish actually seemed happier. i have a small tank but u could do something along these lines to make it easier on your system and make sure u dont loose anythhing. and if u could wait 6 weeks before u add your fish because it would kill any ich in your tank wether u know u have it or not. just suggestions take it at your own pace

[RezReef]

If u wanna add some old water ...don't see no harm in it...I had to move my stock from one building to another...didn't feel like carrying buckets of water...but I did use the old water to transport but dumped it soon as I transferred whatever...didn't put it in the new tank.

[Gripenfelter]

New tank is 20 ft away.

[RezReef]

If it is in the same house sure take it slow but I only had a weekend to do this...set up new tank with plumbing...move stock...take down old tank...lots of work to do by yourself...

[Madreefer]

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...=tank+transfer

Heres a thread where people actually know what they're doing.

[ScubaSteve]

If you have the option to do it in stages, use that to your advantage. Add new water and sand to the 300 and let it settle. Then over the course of a few days (or even a few hours) start taking water from the old tank and adding it to the new one while simultaneously tanking water out of the new one and putting it into the new one (basically do a water change). Then give things time to acclimate. Don't do anything larger than what you'd do for water changes... so like 25% max each time. Do this until you've effectively changed all of your old tank water... maybe even a few more times for good measure and exercise. This will slowly acclimate the livestock to the new water while seeding the new tank with the old water.

Now, if you can't be arsed to do all of that, add the new sand and water, let things settle then do the transfer and take all of the old water over with you.

If the new rock you are adding is uncured, you can add it and the new sand first and wait for it to cycle... then move things over...

[Nano]

I did mine over the course of about 2 weeks, I added sand and water first, let the sand settle, then some LR, and some water from my old tank, then I added some of my old sand bed into the new tank, and a bit of LR every day or 2, then my clown fish went in, then I waited about 4-5 days, before putting in my corals. I dont think theres a right or wrong way, just a better way.