upgrading to a larger tank Q's

[harbingerofthefish]

My little 5 flat back hex is going well, but from the beginning I just love the looks of 7 bows. (the 5 was free) So to all the people who have totally upgraded (ie. moving everything over) how do you go about this? This is not so much for the equipment that seems a no brainer. Butwhen it comes to LS and LR, since I will obviously be adding 4-5 lbs more of both, how do you go about moving this over? Wouldn't scooping out the whole existing sand bed cause you to have to go through a whole new cycle, thus putting the current inhabitants through hell? Is the way to do this is set up the new tank and add the new LS and LR to the new tank and let the thing cycle then add your current stock to it? therefore making sure all the parameters in both tanks would be as close as posssible to each other, and then merging the 2 tanks?

[printerdown01]

I would move everything over (providing I didn't have any delicate corals: i.e. carnations or some SPS corals... and def not clams). Other than that, I say move everything over. The LR and LS that you have currently will help minimize the kick off of the cycle (aka the "tanks first cycle"). Since the bacteria is already balanced to handle your bio-load, it should have few glitches when you move everything over. You might notice a small diatom bloom, not as serious as a new tank, but it will probably be enough to catch your attention! This will be caused primarily by a small die-off in bacteria from the mixing of the sand bed (certain bacterium can only live at certain levels in the bed). *although if you choose this method, I would urge you to preform water changes regularly. I would do 1 gallon every week but I guess you could be VERY cautious and do 1/2 gallon changes semi-weekly, if you really wanted to.