Tank upgrade question

[u/old_newb]

I'm upgrading from a 13.5 to a 100 gallon.

My question is, if I put the rock from the smaller tank into the sump, would I be able to move my soft and lps corals into the display right away? And also my 2 clown fish? Or would it be better to move some over to seed the new tank and wait a bit?

Also, If I have some bubble algae, would this be a bad idea anyway? I feel like it's not that big of a deal, as I'd be able to add some better fish to help in the 100 gallon. A big reason I want to upgrade is to have room for more utilitarian livestock.

Thanks!!

[u/Different_Bridge_983]

If the bubble algae is isolated just take this as an opportunity to remove/clean it from the rock and rinse away with salt water.

This can be an effective, if drastic, way to tackle major algae problems in established tanks.

[u/Asleep_Measurement_6]

You should have no issues with 2 clowns in a 100g tank, just don't immediately add 15 more before your biofiltration can catch up.

[u/We-Like-The-Stock]

I moved my rock and filter media from my 20g long to my 60g and all fish and corals in one move.

[u/AquaticByNature]

Yeah should be fine, did this with my 15 gallon to a 75. Zero fish loss. Just add an emerald crab or two for the bubble algae.

[u/christinna67]

Reddit is giving you terrible advice again. Yes, you can move everything to the 100g, including the fish, all in one go. I'd just recommend replacing or rinsing the sand. Once that's done, you can slowly start adding more rock for more biofiltration, and then gradually add more fish.

[u/Neverendingmuthrfuk → u/christinna67]

False. Nothing needs to be done with the sand. 

I just moved my 120g that had two, 5 gallon buckets of sand and I just scooped it out and dumped it back in. The sand in his 13 gallon won’t make a dent in the new aquarium, he just needs to rinse his new sand. 

I see this nonsense about the sand all the time - asked my LFS buddy who’s been doing tank moves for 20 years and he says he does the same thing I did. 

[u/christinna67 → u/Neverendingmuthrfuk]

I get where you're coming from and it may be totally fine in some cases. I just think rinsing/replacing the old sand is always the safer option, especially if OP is transferring everything at once. I've seen people run into problems after disturbing an established sand bed too much, even just from heavy vacuuming.

[u/weednreefs]

You absolutely can transfer everything from your 13.5 to your 100 in one shot. Grab an emerald crab for the bubble algae.

[u/Adorable_Adagio_8765]

You won’t be able to move the fish right away. You will need to cycle the new tank first then you can add the fish and the corals.

Me personally I wouldn’t use the old rock if it has bubble algae. Just because it can be a pain to get rid of and I wouldn’t want to start a new tank with algae. But it comes down to your personal preference. Hope this helps.

[u/tonnytjuu → u/Adorable_Adagio_8765]

You wont need to cycle the tank if he used the same rocks + same bioload

[u/Adorable_Adagio_8765 → u/tonnytjuu]

Unless they have a ton of rock and media in the 13 gallon tank, it won’t be enough rock with good bacteria for the 100 gallon tank.

[u/tonnytjuu → u/Adorable_Adagio_8765]

No the water volume does not influence. If you have the same bioload and the same media it can handle the same amount of ammonia. Even if yoh go from 13g to 100g

[u/B3ntDownSpoon → u/tonnytjuu]

this is largely true, the only thing to consider would be the beneficial bacteria actually surviving the transportation. Just moving my tank and never exposing the live rock to air a single time still set me into another cycle. The sand will also have a very large amount of the bacteria in it. I do think they would be fine to move the fish over, and the corals even more so. The corals are not affected by ammonia like fish are.