Suggestions for Moving out of 65 and into 125

I am new to the forum as a member. However, read posts here regularly.

I am looking for suggestions/advice on transferring my 65 gal reef into a 125 gallon setup that I have been putting together.

What would be the best way to go from this 65 and into the 125?
Should I set the 125 up and let it run before moving into it? if so, How long? I plan on using new live sand, possibly some new live rock as well as all of my old live rock. I dont want to use any of my existing water, due to an ich out break recently that killed off half of my fish (blue spotted jaw fish, powder blue tang, red sea sailfin, mandarin goby,and a blonde naso tang). I wil of coursebe moving all of my existing corals and fish left** (hippo tang, foxface, carpnter fairy wrasse, yellow tang **after quaranting them for a while with treatment)

Any help or suggestions would be graetly appreciated.


THANKS!

 

welcome to 3 reef!!

Now that thats over with, GOOD LORD you had all those fish in a 65 gallon?? That would have been a high bio load for a 240. If your old tank has ich, there is probably a lot of the dormant stage eggs on your rocks and possibly corals. I would leave the 65 running for around 6 - 8 weeks with no fish and not transfer anything (corals, rock sand, etc) to your new 125 until that time has passed.

I would get that 125 up and running with as much new live rock and sand as you can asap. After its cycled slowly add in your fish from the hospital / QT 1 at a time per week.

~Will.

 

the ich being a problem was probably due to the amount of fish in the tank (i.e. high stress keeping the immune system deficient).

Ich is pretty much everywhere, the trick is to keeping the fish healthy enough that their immune system will keep it down...


If you overstock the 125 in the same way, you'll have the same problems, IMO.

But if it were me... I'd cycle the 125 fresh and wait it out... once it was done cycling, I'd transfer everything over and make the 65 my sump... that's just me though.

 

Thank you for your suggestions.....they are very helpful. I plan on using a DIY converted 30 gal refugium with a octopus 150 needle wheel skimmer for the 125. Not enough room for the 65 underneath as a sump.

 

Im doing this right now. luckily for me where I wanted my 135tanks was not in the same spot as my 75g. I basically set up my 135 used 75% base rock and 25% live rock. I also added dead sand and some cups of live sand out of my 75g. I let my 135g tank cycle, Now I am slowly adding fish from my 75 over to the 135. Corals can added as you please since they don't cause a bioload....like fish

 

Browntrout:
I am a bit jealous. I unfortunately plan on putting the 125 in the same location as the 65. I have to move the 65 into another room temporarily. Just waiting to build the refugium and get the skimmer. Just built the majority of my canopy, doors should arrive tomorrow, so I can finish it off.

 

I feel for ya. It's enough of a hassle doing it the way I am right now. Hard part is waiting, im putting a 24x48x8 frag tank where the 75 is now and cannot set that up till I move the 75 to the 135g

 

I wouldnt put a naso in a 125 let alone a 65. I would look carefully at what your fish list is for this tank. You were way overstocked with the last one, and you may just end up with the same problem as before.

Can we see some pictures of you set up? Is the stand a DIY?

 

The 125 isntbready for set up currently. I am doing a diy canopy (almost finished, doors are suppose to arrive today). Stand is a store bought that came with it. It also came with an aquamedic halide fixture (2x70 & 3x150), an aqualogic 1/3hp chiller, a huge reef concepts skimmer ( almost 3 ft tall, good for up to 500gal, not going to use it though), and a 36x12x12 wet/dry ( not using either, making a diy 30 gal refugium and going to get an octopus skimmer), 2-iwaki 55 pumps, and a 65 gal poly top off tank. Traded a kayak ( value about $300) for the entire setup.

Not to shabby I think.

 

The 125 isntbready for set up currently. I am doing a diy canopy (almost finished, doors are suppose to arrive today). Stand is a store bought that came with it. It also came with an aquamedic halide fixture (2x70 & 3x150), an aqualogic 1/3hp chiller, a huge reef concepts skimmer ( almost 3 ft tall, good for up to 500gal, not going to use it though), and a 36x12x12 wet/dry ( not using either, making a diy 30 gal refugium and going to get an octopus skimmer), 2-iwaki 55 pumps, and a 65 gal poly top off tank. Traded a kayak ( value about $300) for the entire setup.

Not to shabby I think.