Upgrade time!

[Moreno]

So I am currently using a 10 gallon for my aquarium but want to upgrade it to a 20 gallon tall. I currently have 2 small fish, 1 mushroom, n 2 green star polyps that r growing well on 2 pieces of live rock. How do I transfer this 2 a new aquarium n add more sand n rock without it recycling n killing everything!?! I have read recent posts regarding this issue but it didn't seem to help. N e ideas would b great, I just want to add 10lbs more rock n sand

[scoobahSAM]

I've also been researching this because I would like to upgrade sometime in the future..

 

from what I've been reading it seems as though most people start off by using new sand in the new tank or if they did use their old sand, they cleaned the sand before transferring it over (from what I've read this could be tricky because you're disrupting all the old bio load that was built up underneath your sand bed which could cause your new tank to soft cycle? I could be wrong) which in turn leaves you with dirty sand, possible hitchhikers you didn't want in your new tank, and just an extra bit of nastiness to deal with.

 

From what I understand, its best to add new sand, (since you're only upgrading 10 more gallons) maybe adding half or so volume of new saltwater and transfer the old saltwater over (as much of it as you can). What I also understand is that you'll have to re acclimate your livestock and make sure your temperature and pH are exact if not almost exactly on point before transferring any livestock over to your new tank.

 

you'll also want to add more live rock but add the live rock you already have in the 10 gallon. The maturity of that LR you have now should be enough to keep your bio load rolling in the new tank. If I'm wrong this thread will only help me too

 

but do some more research of your own too, this sites helped me out a lot! Its a bit confusing to search around but eventually you'll find some piece of info you're looking for.. hope this helps!

[Moreno]

Sounds good man thanx for the help. I will b starting it tomorrow so I hope it goes well I am transferring some of the oxld sand, as much water as I can and all the old rock. I am adding new rock n sand as well so hopefully my livestock reacts well but if not its not a huge loss a few small frags n 2 fish which I like but combined don't equal to $20 lol

[TristanC]

When transferring the lr make sure that you minimize the amount of time it is out of the water as much as possible. The lr should only be out of the water for a few seconds as you just take it from one tank to the other. Leaving it out for too long can cause some die off and make the tank go through a cycle. When i upgraded to my 20H i used new sand and about 5g of old water plus all my original lr. My tank went through a very short mini cycle because of the sand i suppose. Just take your time, plan it out, and it should be a breeze Take pictures and let us all know how things go! Welcome to the 20H club btw

[scoobahSAM]

When transferring the lr make sure that you minimize the amount of time it is out of the water as much as possible. The lr should only be out of the water for a few seconds as you just take it from one tank to the other. Leaving it out for too long can cause some die off and make the tank go through a cycle. When i upgraded to my 20H i used new sand and about 5g of old water plus all my original lr. My tank went through a very short mini cycle because of the sand i suppose. Just take your time, plan it out, and it should be a breeze Take pictures and let us all know how things go! Welcome to the 20H club btw

can you just put the lr in a bucket with the display tank's water in it if your transfer process takes longer then expected?