I want to upgrade my 20 gallon freshwater tank to a 29 gallon tank, to give my little guys a bit extra room....and no I can't go any bigger being that I live in an apartment (as much as I would love to upgrade to a 37 gal or so). I would like to make a few style changes as well, such as rock gravel and real plants opposed to the plastics ones I have now. Is it safe to just add the 20 gallons of water to the new tank and then fill the rest up like a normal water change? I know they say the gravel contains beneficial bacteria, but I would really like to discard of it and get the rock style. Can i make an immediate change or would I have to let it cycle like a new tank? I have mostly cichlids which seem to be pretty hardy..any advice to making this switch? I plan on using my same Aqualear filter since its for 20-50 gallon tanks, so a lot of that beneficial bacteria will be preserved.