After a long rethink I decided on a 6ft x 2 ft x 28" tank

with holes for my 3ft sump filter and plan on adding a canister filter

problem is I need the space where my 4ft tank is to put the new home in I'm
thinking of draining most of the water from the 4 ft into containers to be transferred
to the new tank ie: drain one to fill the other with a top up hoping the new tank given cycled water and filter will be ok your thoughts

cheers Gazza

your water is not important its the bacteria in your filter you need to worry about keeping.

Dont worry about keeping water as long as its the right temp and its treated it will be fine for your fish.

niceee gazza i am keen to see some pics
=] i am getting the same size tank its roughly 175us gal [=

as long as you find a way to keep your filters running, you'll have the tank ready to go when it's setup.
But if the filter is turned off for several hours, most bacteria will die.

I'd say put the water into the containers, and tranfer the filter on there as well.
That way you can keep it running until you're ready with the new tank.

Don't forget to treat the new water with Prime or water conditioner, to help preserve the bacteria.

Transfer the old filter onto the new tank and leave it for 6 weeks before removing it. You can save existing tank water ideally but its not neccessary