upsizing advice needed!

[VictoriaA]

Need all your expert advice again! I set up my first tropical aquarium in May last year and have a happy 80l tank with 4 neon tetra's, 6 peppered corys, 6 cherry barbs and 2 golden rams.
I've had the chance to buy a second hand 200l tank and stand from a friend's son so have decided to upsize!
What I need to know is what is the best way to move everything from one tank to the other without killing everything! The tank I'm buying has been used for alkali fish (8.something ph) whereas I'm slightly acidic. So I'll be adding my own substrate (sand) and buying more for the larger tank. I assume I'll have to start the 2 filters from scratch on the new set up, but am hoping I can seed them from my current filter? Not sure what brand the filters are yet. There is a large piece of bogwood coming with it, can I still use this if it's been in alkali water?

All advice gratefully received! Plus suggesions for new fish to complement my current ones! thumbs2:

[Rue]

I'd just move everything over directly. If you want new substrate, put that in first. You can put the old substrate into used (but clean! No detergents!) pantyhose - the bacteria in the old substate will help speed up the colonization of the new substrate...after a couple of weeks, just remove the pantyhose and you should be fine.

I'd also move the old filter onto the new tank...along with the new filter...

The old filter will also have bactera, and the new filter will colonize quickly....

You shouldn't have any issues.

[rhonin]

One up front question:
Is either your tank or your friends tank pH controlled via chemicals, or is it just based on the water you add?

Do you plan on running both tanks or just upgrading.

You will find most decorations will alter the pH of a tank by very little.
Coral sand/lace rock for me added a couple of tenths, and drift wood lowered a couple of tenths. I would be careful with fake as the change could cause these items (unless ceramic) to degrade.

If you are just upgrading, I would use your old filter if possible until the new one(s) can come up to speed.
If keeping both tanks, I would definitely seed your new aquisition from your old. As I recently found with my 100g, the cycle is actually very quick.

Then move, monitor and watch your fishes enjoy themselves!

thumbs2:

[VictoriaA]

my current tank's pH is what the water naturally is in my area. The alkali tank I'm not sure, he did mention something about the substrate (some sort of stone) making it alkali and he'd added bogwood partly to try and lower the pH slightly. So the new tank would be again my natural pH which is between 6 and 6.5 if I remember rightly (haven't checked for a while).

I don't plan on running both tanks, I sadly don't have the space.

I was planning on putting in the old sand and adding more to it for the larger tank, would this be ok?

[Rue]

...
I was planning on putting in the old sand and adding more to it for the larger tank, would this be ok?

That would be perfect!