Swapping stands

[theyangman]

So I have a few questions here and am looking for some advice before I proceed.

Let me try and explain the scenario the best I can, and point out my potential issues:

I have a 180 gallon tank on a metal tube frame stand, that I think looks hideous and have wanted to upgrade for months.

So after scouring kijiji and CL, I finally found a nice stand with a canopy that I want to swap out for the metal monstrosity that is currently the focal point of my living room.

So, the stand is being sanded and re-stained to match our decor, but here comes the hard part. How on earth do I swap out the stands and have MINIMAL impact on my fish? It should be a simple swap, empty the tank, and place the inhabitants into some tubs for the time being. However I have no way of preserving 180 gallons of water, I might be able to save say 80 to 100? There is no way of moving this tank unless I empty the tank completely. That also means I need to remove the sand as well, which is over 100 lbs. Will all this commotion screw up the cycle in my tank? Last thing I want to do is go through another cycle while 1000 bucks worth of fish hang in limbo....

 

[rokit_armor]

^ Viagra will pick something up, but not your tank
I would purchase 4 50g rubbermaid tubs. Siphon your sand into one, filling the rest of it- and the others with water. Put your filtration- I'm just guessing at a canister/HOB, on one of the other 50g to hold your stock in while you move everything around. Swap out stands and whatnot as quickly as you can, add the sand/decor back in first, then the 2 tubs of just water, your fish, put on filtration, then the remaining water. This should help to preserve as much of the BB as possible, I would expect a bit of a cycle, but it shouldn't be outrageous- remember most of your BB is in the sand and filtration system, you just need to preserve the water to maintain Ph, hardness, etc.

 

[PDRed302]

The beneficial bacteria in the filters and on all of the decor should be more than enough to avoid a mini cycle. Keeping the old water is really unnecessary. Just make sure that you keep all of the media and decor/substrate in tank water during the move to avoid loosing the bb.

If the move still worries you, you can always use something like seachem stability to supplement any lost bacteria.

 

[CanadianKeeper]

bots..... I would reccomend ALOT of buckets, some big totes and 4 strong friends... Empty all the water into buckets or tubs (4 50 gallons works) DO NOT empty your filters if they are canister only if hang on back... ok so now that your fish and tank are all in buckets across the room (so they dont get in the way) you and a buddy lift your tank or have you have 3 of your buddies help you lift the tank.. one on each corner while the other one pulls out the old stand and slides under the new one... Then its all pretty straight forward from there...