Tank swap.

I got an opportunity to get a 200 gallon tank from a friend of a friend and was wondering how I would go about moving my 90 gallon out and moving the 200 gallon in? I want to put it in the same spot I have my 90 so I would need to drain and move my 90 first. I am basically asking what are some of the do's and don'ts in order to keep the stress level down on my corals, fish, and inverts? Also any tips or tricks to make it easier would be great?

 

One thing I would advise is that if you are not on a concrete slab, there is no residential structure that is designed to handle that many PSI as a dead load.

Basically, if you are on anything but a concrete slab, you were pushing it with a 90.

With a 200 - you are looking at approaching 3000lbs with all water, sand, rock, glass and sump - you need to reinforce the floor if you are not on a slab.

Other than that, I believe there are several threads on this forum that deal specifically with tank relocations.

Remember, most, if not all of your livestock came in this fashion: it was shipped from one location to another - so there is a very good chance of 100% success with the "seven P's" in mind:

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.


Best of luck to you!

 

Agreed on the above information. that said, if I were you, I would get several large totes and transfer livestock and rock into those first. once that is done, move your 90. then put the 200 inplace then put water in. then sand then rock. finally your livestock. use as much of the 90's water as you can. all will look terrible for a few days too.

as for the floors, make sure they are braced if you arent on a slab. otherwise, it is a disaster waiting to happen. I braced mine and im very very glad I did.

 

just want to say congrats on the new tank

 

One issue I had when switching to a larger tank was the cloudy water from the sand. The next time I have to move the tank I am going to drain the water to sand level then use a bucket/cup to move sand/water to new tank. If the water is very cloudy either let it sit or siphon it out and then slowly add new water trying not to stir up the sand too much.

 

Cool. Thanks for all the info. Excited and dreading the move at the same time.

 

i just upgraded to a 55g from my 29 bio cube i used mostly new water and a few rock from my tank but everything else was mostly new and everything seems very happy i know there are other better way s to do it but i have no patience ive done it many time before with lots of success the only time ive lost fish or coral was due to lack of care or electricution even then m clowns have lived through hell and back still look great i wouldnt worry about it too much since your using at least half your original water and rock good luck dont worry too much thats how things get messy