40g Breeder to 180g

so like the title says, i currently have a 40g breeder thats been up for about9 months now fully stocked and doing very very well. i purchased a 180g tank and just finished the stand and the tank is ready to be set up, im gonna be using my existing sump since it is overkill for my 40g, mag 18 return, coralife 220 skimmer, T5 lighting etc. my big question is the transfer from the 40g to 180. im not sure on the best way to do this and since im using existing equipment i cant have them both going at once. what i was thinking was going to my LFS and buying about 150g of real ocean water adding it to the 180g then adding my current water to the tank then the live stock but for some reason this idea scares me since i dont want to cause any kind of cycle...All ideas are greatly appreciated. Whats the best plan of action here to get all my live stock over to the 180 safely?? thanks peps::

 

I went from a 55 (6months old) to 180 and had the same problems. I mixed up 3 brute garbage cans of saltwater, and bought 3 large storage containers. I drained the water from my 55 into the containers and put fish in one, corals in another, and rock and what not in the last one. I put a power head in each one to the keep water moving in there. I was then able to slide the 55 out of the way and slide the 180 into place. For my sand I used dry sand and placed it in the tank first. Then put my old sand on top of the new sand. Fill the the 180 about 1/2 with new and then did my rock work. Fill the 180 up the 3/4 mark and started adding corals and the rest of my old water, and topped of with fresh. I turned my 55 into my sump. Once I finshed it I added the rest of the salt mixed water. I never saw any spikes and everything is doing great 3 months later. Make sure you have lots of towels. Hope all goes well for you.

 

I've upgraded 3 going on 4 times now. If your not adding new "live rock or sand", there really shouldn't be a cycle and if so, it'd be minimal. Stuff like this seems to stress us more than them.. I no longer use live rock. I prefer to get base rock and plain sand and let the rocks I have do the seeding. Moving live sand can be a tricky part. When the sand bed is disrupted, you release a lot of the bacteria that live there and that is more likely to cause the cycle. A method I have used is to add a few cups of your old sand to the new sand.. Then wash the rest and then add. Once everything is moved over, just be sure to wait a signicant period of time before adding any new fish etc. Good luck and keep everyone here posted on your methods and results.

 

Thanks a million. Ill be doing this all tomorrow... ill keep you guys updated

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Look who's getting a big tank. Awesome! I bet you're excited.

The first two posters touched on the big issues. Besides having enough water on hand, the substrate is a big potential problem. I'd use all new sand. Preferably, it should be cycled just like dry rock, but you don't have time for that if you're doing it today. If that's the case, the new stuff has to be rinsed really good. I was surprised how many organics there were in the last bag of Carib Sea that I had. The tank will most likely get real cloudy and particles will cover the live rock and run through your pumps. IMO, you're better off adding the substrate after the tank is running, slowly over a few weeks. Cycle it to avoid issues in the tank.

Good luck!