Instant tank w my old rocks and bio filter media possible? Also how much biomen does sandbed hold?

[MissMolly]

Hi!

We are planning on moving in the near future and I was thinking about upgrading to a larger tank now that I’m already taking the tank apart.

Would it be possible to just add everything from my current tank like rocks and bio filter to the new one and have an “instant tank” all cycled that way?

Should I clean my sandbed also or not clean it and add that as well - or just add a new one? I know that a new sandbed will provide tons of silica which scares me. Also how much biomen does the sandbed really hold? Will I disturb it all by not adding the old sandbed?

I have acropora in my tank so I really need it to be stable from day one if I choose to do this.

Please share your thoughts and experiences!

 

[MissMolly]

Also I will probably upgrade from 16 gallons to about 26. Nothing extreme. I need more room for corals

 

[fishywishy]

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[fishywishy]

Would it be possible to just add everything from my current tank like rocks and bio filter to the new one and have an “instant tank” all cycled that way?

Yep. Just move everything over. I’ve done it plenty of times without any problems.

I’d get a new sand bed, though. The old one probably has a bunch of junk in it you don’t want to stir up. Just rinse the new sand until the water’s clear, and you won’t have to worry about silica or anything like that

 

[MissMolly]

Yep. Just move everything over. I’ve done it plenty of times without any problems.

I’d get a new sand bed, though. The old one probably has a bunch of junk in it you don’t want to stir up. Just rinse the new sand until the water’s clear, and you won’t have to worry about silica or anything like that

Okay great to know that you did it many times! Did you experience any spikes or anything?

Did you always get new sandbed?

I turn mine regulary so it’s actually always pretty “clean”.

I thought the silica was emitted from new sand and stones but you just say rinse and no problem?

 

[twentyleagues]

I would not risk the sand bed reuse. Get new sand. Yes it will have some silica that will promote a diatom bloom but that wont harm anything really. The cycled rocks as long as they stay wet will retain the bacteria needed.

 

[MissMolly]

I would not risk the sand bed reuse. Get new sand. Yes it will have some silica that will promote a diatom bloom but that wont harm anything really. The cycled rocks as long as they stay wet will retain the bacteria needed.

Okay, I hear you. And you’re right the diatoms is not a issues when you come to think about it!

 

[DanyL]

I’ve done it many times, with much larger volumes and hundereds of corals, including Acroporas.

You may have a few weeks of “lite cycling”, which is mostly some algae growth until your nutrients stabilize - but it’s nothing to worry about and will go away by itself.

If you have big SPS colonies that you think would be difficult to handle - I would reset them beforehand and leave a good looking frag to make the move easier on you.

As for the sand - I never replaced mine, only cleaned it throughly and added additional new sand later on.
But I agree - you’d either need to replace it, or to clean it really, really good before reintroducing it, because even when you take good care of your sand regularly, it still accumulates quite a lot of gunk.

Good luck!

 

[fishywishy]

Okay great to know that you did it many times! Did you experience any spikes or anything?

Did you always get new sandbed?

I turn mine regulary so it’s actually always pretty “clean”.

I thought the silica was emitted from new sand and stones but you just say rinse and no problem?

Nope. If the tank difference is really big and you add new fish immediately you might have a slight spike but in your case you wont.

I always use new sand because a bad of dry sand is not so expensive and i don’t feel like cleaning my old sand. But If you want to use the old sand bed you can. Just rinse it good before you put it in the new tank.