Best way to upgrade?

[Zerc]

So my 36g bowfront has been set up for 2 months or so. It has a pest issue I am working on (asterina starfish ate some of my green star frag). It is slightly overstocked, but the fish are all very small and I am going to buy a 155 bowfront when I move in the spring (because i don't want to move a setup 155g). I have a purple tang, powder blue tang, maroon clown, firefish goby, royal gramma, RTBA, green star polyp, and 3 peppermint shrimp. However, I found a 72g bowfront on CL for... free. So I feel like I should upgrade to this. But i only have one spot in the house that will hold a tank! Re-Cycling a tank seems these fish in it (even though the rock is cured, and it would be plumbed into a 29g refugium) seems like a bad idea. Is there a way to minimize the cycle in this larger tank and still get away with a 1 day upgrade? I have additional sand to put in, but it is not live sand.



Oh, and is there a fish that will eat asterina starfish? I have been removing them by hand, but it is quite tedious.

 

[TJL]

Very overstocked, just the Tangs and Maroon Clown are to much for a 36g... and you could/should do this upgrade soon. You'll need to have enough matching SW ready to be able to have new system operable while leaving enough room for some of the old. If you have anything over an inch of substrate leave/have enough old SW to rinse it well before placing in 72g. Aditional cured live or dead rock would be good but not neccessary. Buckets with lids and small heaters and maybe plastic plants or clean PVC to keep stresses down for fish while waiting for new home completion. Also to not have fish buckets on same or near by flooring is a plus, better to have on a countertop or remote room while work is being done. All in all it will be like doing a large water change. You could try an aquascape similar as well to give fish something they're familiar with. Good luck and keep us posted.

Cheers, Todd

P.S. Many of the Wrasses are very fond of Asterina Stars, Halichores family and most Leopard's

 

[Zerc]

Well, the clown is only 1.25" long atm. The tangs are about 2.5". I had no plans to keep them there more than a year, but the new tank is a great bonus if i can get it setup.

I will look at wrasses at barrier next week!

 

[TJL]

Yeah it's not just the size of this trio it's that all three are very territorial by nature, like puting a Cryp, Blood and a Skinhead in Toyota Prius for a long drive :nono:

If BRA doesn't check with Rob at Red C he had a relly nice Yellow Coris in

Cheers, Todd

 

[1guydude]

swap should be easy most of the beneficial stuff is in ur rock and media imo. The water coloum dosent have so much (stuff) in it, make up a lot of new water and do the swap imo!

 

[mfinn]

Yeah it's like puting a Cryp, Blood and a Skinhead in Toyota Prius for a long drive :nono:
Todd

I'd buy tickets for that one :target: