65 Gallon Tank move

[mariog]

Hello all,
I am running into my first tank move and am looking for a little advice. First of all, I have a mixed reef 65 gallon AGA with overflow and a 20 gallon sump. I have over 100 lbs of live rock and a 3 1/2 - 4 in. sand bed. With this move I am looking to reduce to a shallow sand bed and maybe keep it at 1 - 2 inches max and change the aquascape a little reducing the amount of live rock. I have quite a few SPS, LPS, and softies. I am going to be moving it 15 minutes away and have an extra 10 and 20 gallon tank with plenty of rubbermaid storage bins. One of my main concerns about the move is the sand bed. What would be the best way to go about this? Any suggestion is welcome.

Thank you

[allan]

Reducing your sand bed by that much is sure to release a lot of toxins.

You may want to run that other tank for awhile until your tank recycles. Not sure if all of your livestock will fit.

[kkiel02]

I would make about 100 gallons of fresh salt water just in case. Like Allan said going from an anaerobic to an aerobic sand bed would be the biggest worry. Is it possible for you to just get new sand? Or just run it bare bottom until you can wash out your sand?

[mariog]

Thanks for the input...

The toxins are my main concern. Even if I were to leave it with the same sand bed, I'm sure with the move and filling the tank up with water again would cause it to stir up and release them anyway.

Unfortunately the best I have for one of the other tanks is a HOB filter and a small heater. They would not easily support the coral long enough for a recycle. Most of the coral has grown on larger rocks that would barely fit in the extra 20 gallon I have.

I was thinking of getting new sand but could run it bare bottom for a while also. How long would it take to wash it out and be comfortable with placing it back in?

The live rock and sand were intially cycled together... If I were to put new sand, is there anything to worry about before placing the rock and corals back in it?

[FireWater]

New sand or washed old sand will cause some kind of cycle.