pico move questions

[Kindredfyre]

I have a 1 gal pico right now with LR, 1 sexy shrimp and 1 snail in it. I've had it up and running for a little over 1 month and got the green alge stuff growing on the rocks just fine now. I do weekly water changes to maintain my levels and all but I'm moving it into a bigger container - a 2.5 gal tank. I'm going to split it and have a refuge in 1/2 of it so the display area will be 1.5 gals.
I also wanted to add some LS to the crushed coral I already have since the base will be bigger now I'll need more substrate. This would cause a mini cycle again right? Also, are there any easy ways to move the tiny sexy shrimp without harming him? He's quite little and don't want to squish him during the move as he hides very well among the rocks.

[Fishy_Burger]

Shouldn't cause a mini cycle, if the LR is cured and your adding new water and LS. Scoop him/her up in a bag?

[CollegeReefer]

Anything you do in a tank can and most likely will cause a mini cycle but these mini cycles are not even close to what your tank goes through when your first. There may be a slight increase in levels but they should get to the toxic levels. The reason there is a mini cycle is because the bacteria colonization need to developed to handle the new bio load. That is why when you are dealing with a bigger tank you should only introduce a couple fish every few weeks.

When it comes to your substrate, I would get rid of your crushed coral. Hobbyist use too think crushed coral would be great for the tank, but today that isn't the case. Crushed coral can cause your levels to be off and may cause problems in your tank later on. I would add a new substrate and add like a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your crushed coral to seed the new substrate. This though is only my opinion.

As for the shrimp, just scoop it up in a net or bag and place it into the new pico tank. I am always afraid to handle my livestock, but they are a lot tougher that you and i think.

One last thought. Make sure you fill your new tank with around 50% of your old tank water, which i guess in your case would be most of the water from the old tank. This will make sure the water chem doesn't change as much from one tank to the other.

I think that is about it. Good luck and keep us informed.