NEED ADVICE ASAP

[Amanda092]

I have a 75 gallon Cichlid tank with sand substrate in it already set up with fish in it etc.  (in my living room)
I have purchased another 75 gallon  for my semi aggressive community tank for upstairs (spare room)
I have bought crushed coral and Aragonite sand  (cichlid sand)  for the new tank but  was going to mix in my black moon sand as well.  I want the salt and peppered look for my cichlids  but want to keep  my cichlids in my living room. should i empty the tank and switch them or would it be best to keep them and switch them later?

not sure what is the most efficient and getting the tank up the stairs is a b*tch.

[az]

dont do it, crushed corals look nicer than salt&pepper look, plus keeps ph up....leave it the way it is IMO.

[Amanda092]

one tank has just  natural sand  and small amount of crushed coral  i was going to mix my white sand with my moon sand black and  the crushed coral together good or bad?

[Cbellehumeur]

as long as you have the crushed coral in there it would be fine.

[Cbellehumeur]

best way to move them is put as much water from the old tank into the new tank. Wash the sand really well!

[elk]

How old is your house?
Make sure the floor can handle excessive weight.A 75g weighs about 1000 pounds

1 gallon of water is 8 pounds=600 pounds

gravel and rocks about 200 pounds

empty tank and stand 150 pounds

[exv152]

For africans the pH should be anywhere upwards of 7.4 to 8. 6 depending on what type you're keeping. Ottawa tap water can be neutral or slightly acidic so filling the tank with a complete crushed coral substrate is not a bad idea, or at least half filled with coral if you're also adding rocks. All this will buffer the water hardness.

I recommend installing the new filter on your old tank for like two months (running two filters on one tank) then switching the new filter over to the new tank with 50% water from the old tank, and some substrate from the old tank. This should speed up the cycle considerably.