upgrading, with questions

i have a 37 gallon right now, fowlr. 30lb live rock, 35lb live sand, biowheel 250, koralia 2 and a coralife t5 w/ 10000k and actinic. my livestock are a dogface puffer, 7 chromis (currently about 1" or less each), a dartfish and a yellowhead jawfish. the tank has been up for about 6 months now and were getting ready to upgrade to a 55 gallon. ill tell you upfront that i still dont have a skimmer and i know i should, but i am getting one before the upgrade. i read reviews on the aqua c remora and wanted that, but instead im getting the coralife 65 from my lfs because they have been extremely helpful over the last year as i built my tank, and they use them on their tanks so i can get good advice and troubleshooting techniques from them. i plan to do the upgrade by drain/fill technique. this leads me to a list of questions. by the way, i have already read all the threads i could over the last months to help me out...i just havent seemed to be able to get a conclusive answer to some things.

if i use my old sand, wont it stir up nitrates? ive moved my rocks and increased my nitrates higher than i would like them. this seems worse.

if i use just a couple of cups of my old sand and my rock to create some biofilter, is that enough?

lastly, anyone who has an idea for a more peaceful fish in the 3-5" range that would fit well with my current group i would love to hear your suggestions. whew, im done.

 

I wouldnt transfer the sand as the live rock is already to handle the job more live rock would be good new sand and coral life is fine also what do u plan to keep

 

i agree about the sand i would buy live sand!! as for corallife they make ok products cheaply built. i would look for a better used skimmer like E.T.S.S. or P.M something that will out preform and out last the corallife. for fish you could get some nice wrass there is allot of them to choose from. good luck

 

I agree that coralife is cheap- however, most users on these forums who run one have nothing but good things to say about them. I have the coralife 125 and have used it now for 2 years on my 90 gallon with no problems, and excellent efficiency. Only problem I have ever read about them is that some people experience leaking from a connecting outlet piece- quick fix, 50 cents worth of epoxy and no more leak!

To me, spending 100 bucks on a skimmer made of cheaper parts is well worth it compared to the 400-500 dollar skimmers, that also have their fair share of problems.

 

true but if you look for used equipment you can spend $1oo.oo to $150.00 for a used high end skimmer. i know from experience that a corallife dosent skim like an E.T.S.S. downdraft skimmer. way more bang for your buck. im not knocking coralife just that most people dont look for used skimmers. just food for thought

 

I am not sure if you were wondering if reusing the sand is possible or what? It is possile but you will need more live rock and a skimmer. I have reused sand but its risky + in combination of adding new rock. Unless you really experienced I would caution on error!

As for fish there are tons, check dr foster and smith for compatibility. Good luck let us know how it goes.

 

When I bought my first tank it was a used 65 gal and it had a Coralife skimmer that leaked and I didn't know any better so I bought a different one. Anyway I found this site later so if you ever need parts you might want to save this. Coralife Super Skimmer Protein Skimmer Replacement Parts

 

that was the answer i was looking for. well at least a more defined yes or no. based on my skill level i think i will go with new sand. can i still change the tank over with the drain/fill method, or do i have to cycle the new tank first since im putting a new sand bed down? i also have some (about 20 lbs) cured live rock, and about 10 pounds 'dead' rock thats been in the tank for about 4 months now. is that safe to put in a new tank since its not cured?