Upgrading. What am I getting into?! :-)

might as well just get a 200, youre going to want to upgrade once the 100 is finished anyways

 

Haha that's true. Nothing is ever good enough! lol

 

I like the size of my 75. I like the dimensions, but I always love going large. 75 is a good step up from your current tank, but ... it depends on space and $$ available. I'm currently around $3,000 give or take into my 75 for a cost estimate.

My next upgrade is a 180. Perfect size. 72x24x25. Easily lit, couple mp40w's for flow... 3x 250w halides for lighting ... excellent I can keep some equipment but it would probably take another $2,500 to get the appropriate equipment and materials for the upgrade.

When I transferred I washed my sand and started with dead sand, and live rock from my 30. Made new water, added more rock, and replaced equipment that needed upgrading for the larger size.

Good luck with the upgrade and keep us posted on the build

 

Thanks for the tips! I know it's going to cost a lot, but I'm just going to do it, have fun, and not think about that! It's worth it in the end. :-/

Did your new tank go through a mini cycle?

What did you do with your fish while you were switching tanks?

 

My poor fish sat in a small rubbermaid container with an airstone. They all pulled through and sat in the cab of a 30 foot truck while I drove from florida to TN. They remained in there for about 5 days while I moved, built the 75 and set it up. Tougher than what we give them credit for.

Personally I think it's worth every penny. Not everyone has the privilege to care for what we do. It's like watching the discovery channel in my living room

The cycle was minimal. I didn't even test until a week after it was set up. I had no holding tank, no other choice to get them out of the rubbermaid. It was what it was, why keep testing. I had nitrates after a week so it cycled quickly - I think it was helped by putting the fully cured live rock in there from my old tank.

My strong recommendation is to get quality equipment. Don't skimp. I also highly recommend a controller. I didn't think much of them and poo pooed them a bit. I went for one more for bells and whistles - and dang, I would now NEVER be without one.

 

bigger tank is completely worth it. go for a 75 or a 90 even. 90 might be hard for you to reach the bottom

but an upgrade is always a beautiful thing..... go for it. looking forward to see what you do

 

Oh, your poor fish!! I am amazed (and very happy) that they survived. I will put all my current live rock in the new tank, and slowly add new cured live rock until I have enough, so it shouldn't have much of a cycle.

I haven't even decided for sure if I'll do this...but now I'm getting really excited!! ;D

 

why cant my mom understand that lol;D

 

Well, I'm definitely going to get a long tank. I have a tall right now and it drives me crazy!! I'm only 5'2" (on a good day!!), so I know for sure that my next tank will be long. I decided this about 5 minutes after I got my current tank!

 

When I upgraded I wanted to do it in a way that I could leave my 10G up and running until my 65G was ready. Instead of setting up another aquarium to house the inhabitants and causing more stress. I used new live sand with a few cups of established sand to seed it. And I used all new base rock with a few lbs of established live rock to seed that. Cycled it with raw shrimp. I didn't want a "small" cycle, I wanted to wait longer for a full cycle so I could go ahead and start stocking it. If you just want to get your fish in there quick so you can take down your old tank, you will get small cycle and just have to stock slowly and wait for your bio filtration to catch up.

*EDIT*
Oh, and by the way, I wished I would have gotten a 75G before I even had water in my 65. lol
You will like the dimensions of a 75 much better. I'd say go at least 75. My next tank will be at least 125G, but I'm not planning that until I move again.