Couple of dsb ?'s

[dnj90]

Yesterday I changed my cc over to a dsb.Today when I was testing the water everything was fine except for the nitrates,they were off the charts.I guess my ? is, is this "normal"I changed the cc to dsb then I did a 25 gallon water change.The tank is a 135.
I also read here on the forums that there was some sort of "energizer"to make dead sand alive.This "energizer" contained all types of bacteria and the good stuff Does anyone know what I am talking about?If so have you used it?
The above tank doesent have any fish in it(thank goodness for the qt tank)
Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[bang guy]

It's normal.
You have plenty of Bacteria in your tank... don't worry. You just need some sand critters (worms mostly) and you're all set.
Guy

 

[dnj90]

Thanks bang for the reply.Where would you or anyone else recomend getting the sand critters from?During the switch I lost my big beautiful sailfin How long would you say I have to wait to put the other 2 fish back?I dont know if it makes a differance but I also have about 25 pounds of live rock in ther also(Have to start somewhere)

 

[elan]

what kind of sand did you use? if you didnt use any live sand, get a bag to "seed" your bed... all you need comes in a nice sealed bag

 

[nm reef]

Another good source of "critters" to seed your new sand bed is to locate some LS from a fellow reefer...or even get some sand/rubble/crud from the bottom of tanks LFS's use to cure large amounts of LR. Probably the best source is from the addition of quality LR. In time all the above will provide the diversity needed to activate your DSB.
As for returning the fish....I'd let the new system settle back down...insure there is not a mini-cycle going on...as long as ammonia/nitrite remain non-detectable they should be fine in the 135.

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by DnJ90
Thanks bang for the reply.Where would you or anyone else recomend getting the sand critters from?
A good source would be to buy some of the Premium Florida Keys Live Sand from this site. It's priced very well IMO.
An alternative is to find a fellow hobbiest with high quality live sand and beg for a few pounds of it.