[apieceoftheocean]

I am upgrading from a 20gH to a 55 gallon..My current tank is a fish-only w/ live rock.

I am wondering how I can move all of my equipment, fish, water, and rock to this new aquarium and the best plan for doing it...

All of my equipment in the 20 gallon is meant for 100 gallon capacities, which is why my first round of the saltwater fish hobby went so well. This is also why I am wanting to move everything into the new 55 gallon.

Any help would be appreciated!

[zhenya]

Hi apieceoftheocean,




Usually it is not all that difficult to move contents of the smaller tank into a larger one, providing that you work up a plan and stick to it.
My first suggestion would be to set up your 55g tank first, meaning cycle it with the live rock and sand if you plan on having sand bed. After cycle is complete you can transfer remaining rock from the 20g tank to the 55 together wiith the fish.
What sort of equipment are you talking about that is good for 100g tank? Is it a skimmer, lighting?

[apieceoftheocean]

That sounds like a good idea, however I would need to get a new filter to cycle the 55gallon while the 20gallon is still set up. I just bought a high-end canister style filter (hang-in, but has sump option) from my normal fish guy. Cost me about 150-200 bucks, and it can be put in tanks that are as large as 100 gallons. I also have a brand new skimmer that is built for up to 100 gallons as well.

I knew I was going to upgrade eventually, so I started the 20 gallon with old "hand me down" equipment, and slowly over time bought new high end pieces one by one that were made for larger tanks so I could upgrade when I wanted to.

Any suggestions for using just the one canister filter? like could I fill 25% of the new tank with new water and get the SG to match perfectly to the conditions in the tank. Then I could transfer the 20 gallon stuff. This would still leave a portion of the new tank unfilled, and I could let it cycle like that until I was able to fill it completely.

OR- I have two old penguin filters that were used in a saltwater tank at one point, and use those to cycle the new tank?

Thanks for your help!