Moving from 13.5 to 36g tank - is my plan solid? Am I missing something that would hurt my fish?

[Zella616]

Hi y'all! I've had a fluval 13.5g for 2 months - fish and coral are currently thriving. We lucked out, and our LFS was selling one of their workers personal 36g bow front tanks with a stand for $75. It was out for 10 minutes when we bought it, and already had multiple other people looking out over, so great timing. Cleaned out up, checked everything, and looks good to go. It was dry for less then a day when we bought it, and it's been inside dry for a week.

We are going to do the swap in the next few days. I got a fluval 207 canister (added the rock media into the 13.5 immediately to get those started cycling), the spray bar attachment for the fluval 207, an AI prime 16 (am already digging into specs for this), sicce skimmer, and hygger heater. I'm going to move the ammonia alert badge, temp gauge, live rock, and live sand to the new tank. I'll also be adding as much as the non-perishable media from the 13.5 to the 207 cannister. I'm going to have to get another bag of live sand, and I anticipate also adding more live rock when I finally find pieces I like.

The new tank is going where the current tank is currently. Both of us have bad backs, and we can't "drag" or lift the current tank away when it's full. The plan is to drain 50% and save the water, remove the fish and coral (big question one - my partner got bags like they use at LFS, thinking to put fish in, and then use "new fish" acclimation process. Will this work?), remove the live rock, drain the rest of the water. Move the old tank away, place the new tank. Transfer the filter media to the cannister. Add the live rock, old sand and new sand. Use the old water, plus new water from our LFS we always use, to refill the tank (question 2 - ok to dump? Or should we gravity feed to reduce the sand clouding it up?). And then.... acclimate, then add fish and coral, and done?

Is the plan good? Will the fish and coral be OK in the bags for however long this takes? I anticipate needing some time to heat the water up a few degrees in the tank, as well as the set up and fill time. And we should basically be insta-cycled due to using cycled media, right?

I might be over thinking, but I lost a royal gramma from aggression and stress, and my little clown from what the LPS thinks was something wrong with that particular one. I really don't want anything to go wrong and lose another.

We have a 6 line wrasse, clownfish, Randall's goby, tiger pistol shrimp, hermits and a pompom crab, conch, and other snails. Corals are all babies - zoas, hammer, clover polyp, mushroom, and brain. Parameters have been stable since it finished cycling.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

ideally you should have extra buckets, they are pretty cheap at home depot. You have a good plan, I just don't get putting the corals in bags? If you will empty and keep your water, I assume in buckets, then just put the corals in the bucket. Everything should be fine in buckets for 3-4 hours, while you transfer everything.

Personally I would rinse the old sand before moving it over, I would even rinse the new sand or else you will have a cloudy tank for a couple of days.

 

[code4]

you may be overthinking it. If it was me I would drain the tank down. Put all my critters in a 5 gallon bucket with a heater. Move all the sand and rock into new tank. And the saved water. Put fish and all into their new home. All the sand you are currently using should be enough to keep any ammonia spikes from happening. Do Not turn on a bright light the first day. Could cause stress. Good luck and great find.

 

[Zella616]

ideally you should have extra buckets, they are pretty cheap at home depot. You have a good plan, I just don't get putting the corals in bags? If you will empty and keep your water, I assume in buckets, then just put the corals in the bucket. Everything should be fine in buckets for 3-4 hours, while you transfer everything.

Personally I would rinse the old sand before moving it over, I would even rinse the new sand or else you will have a cloudy tank for a couple of days.

I thought the buckets were the way to go, but my partner was all "fish bags!" lol. I'll suggest going to home depot and getting a couple.
Should we clean the buckets first? (And what would be the best way to do so?).
Rinsing the sand - would the beneficial bacteria and copepods from the old stuff survive that? We currently have an apparently very healthy population of them. If it's all good there, what would be the best way to rinse the sand? I did see rinsing talked about *after* we added the sand during the initial set up.

 

[Spare time]

PS I heard the buckets from home depot recently are not the best in terms of quality. May have just been a fluke though.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I thought the buckets were the way to go, but my partner was all "fish bags!" lol. I'll suggest going to home depot and getting a couple.
Should we clean the buckets first? (And what would be the best way to do so?).
Rinsing the sand - would the beneficial bacteria and copepods from the old stuff survive that? We currently have an apparently very healthy population of them. If it's all good there, what would be the best way to rinse the sand? I did see rinsing talked about *after* we added the sand during the initial set up.

With the sand, keep in mind that besides copepods and good stuff, is also fish poop and uneaten food. Your tank is only 2 months so its not a big deal, but in cases of mature tanks, people kill their tanks by transferring sand without rinsing it, they release all that poop and ammonia and everything dies. But again, your sand being only 2 months won't be any issue like that, don't worry, so its your choice. (just for fun one day when doing your water change, stick your siphon hose right into the sand and see how dirty the water is that comes from the sand- it gets very nasty)

I would just rinse the buckets with tap water and a paper towel.