tank upgrade

ok so im upgrading from a 55 gal to a 120 gal saltwater setup. I was wondering if i can just put my current 55 gal water in,and add the other 70+ sump water as fresh Ro water or will it reset my cycle/kill my current corals etc..?

 

You can use the water from the old tank. I hope that is a mistake that you are adding in just RO water. Don't add in water that has a lot of detritus, any that the sand was in and in fact don't add the old sand as this can cause a lot of problems. Just use a couple of cups of the old sand to seed the new bed.

 

yes add your water from your 55 gallon it will help the new tank cycle faster

 

yea i meant RO/DI,with the correct salt mix. Am I reading right in the fact i should NOT add any of my old sand?

 

Only a couple cups, not the whole thing.

 

The way you want to do it, or have to, will be detrimental to the coral I believe. The ratio is too great, the water from the 55 gal. will probably end up at 45 gal. or so and the extra 70 gal. will dilute it too great and disrupt the environment the coral were used too. You don't say what you currently have there. Best bet is to cycle the larger tank, get the parameters where the 55 are and 4-6 mos. down the road add the coral. This is aggravating I know.

 

Corals can easily take being moved directly from the shipper's water to my water with 0 acclimation, regardless as to a small salinity difference.....I don't see why having more fresh water would be any more disruptive than a 50% water change.

 

I agree too. While it's good to be cautious, I think that is a little over cautious. You should be fine with your plan.

 

Over cautious? No, just cautious. I would rather be cautious and everything survive than go a different route and loose some expensive livestock, but, that is me.

 

Agreed. In a sence, some may say it is overcautious to cycle a tank for a full two months, rather than the 6-8 weeks. These two are similar. Better safe than sorry.