LS & LR conversion from established tank to new tank HELP!!

[smt91278]

ive got a 44 gal corner setup for FOWLR. i recently bought a 90 gal to upgrade to. i want to put everything i already have into my 90 gal. my 90 gal cycle has started, getting ammonia readings of 0.50ppm-1.0ppm. i've heard that my live sand and rock can speed up the cycle process once put in a new cycling tank. IS THIS TRUE?? if its not true, must i wait until the tank is completely cycled?
I'm also worried about the transfer of fish, LR & LS. I want to re-use everything in my new setup, but don't want to harm my clowns by doing so. Any suggestions on how to make the switch a smooth one?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Live sand and Live rock will definitely speed up the cycle. The more rock, the faster it will go.

 

[smt91278]

put the sand and rock in with the ammonia still bound to climb higher than 0.50ppm-1.0ppm???

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by smt91278
http:///forum/post/2774015
put the sand and rock in with the ammonia still bound to climb higher than 0.50ppm-1.0ppm???
it might get higher but after that it will go down, then nitrites will start to go up then down, and then finally nitrates.

 

[aztec reef]

Its complicated (but it can be done).
First you'll need a tote big enough to hold lr, fish and most of water in 44g..(you'll need a powerhead and a heater).
Now, transfer all the sand to the 90g(cloudyness can be diffussed by carbon) or a small water change.
Now that the cloudiness has decreased, u can add liverock , check levels and do a water change if necessary. Finally add fish to 90g, check levels again for the next few days..
If ammonia increases higher than .5-1.ppm, do a water change..
If ammonia doesn't rise beyond .5-1ppm, Let it be.. And presto...
I can walk u through if u need any more help..

 

[smt91278]

thank you aztec. i guess i made the process harder than it is. just had to think about it.

......im just trying to speed up my cycle and i heard adding live sand and live rock from an established tank would do it. i still have shrimp in the 90 gal for my ammonia spike. ive got 0.50-1.0ppm. just wasn't sure when it was safe to add the LR and LS.

 

[rotarygeek]

In my experience, whenever you disturb the sand bed too much you get an ammonia spike, so remember that before you start switching sand or you could end up killing some fish.

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyist,2 years ago I upgraded from a 75 to a 150 gallon aquarium. I siphoned out and kept most of my saltwater,then placed it into clean plastic garbage cans with an air stone and heater, along with the fish inside of the garbage cans. Then I removed all of the sand and crushed coral,strained it ,and placed it into the new aquarium. The sand and the cc were the 1st,the coral 2nd, the used water 3rd ,circulation,heating and filtration (filters) 4th ,and fish last . I've had no problems .within a few weeks,I started to see green algae growing onto the back wall of the aquarium . I did it with the help of my wife who enjoys the larger aquarium just as much as I do .

 

[smt91278]

ok thanks for the transfer from tank to tank info. so far only one person has given advice on putting LR and LS in the tank during a cycle. no offense to the one reply, but i was looking for more than one opinion. ive got ammonia readings of 1.0ppm. can i put the LR from my established tank in my cycling tank??????????? what about my live sand????????

 

[maxalmon]

You can, but what I'd do is not rush the process. If your Am levels are really high you run the chance of killing off all the beneficial critters that inhabit the LR from your established tank. So to answer your questions, you can move the LR, but the sand is another story. I'd remove it, then wash it in the old tank water, then rinse it in a batch of fresh saltwater and repeat, then you could add handfulls over a period of a few days. Just don't use freshwater to rinse the sand or it'll kill all the bacteria.

 

[smt91278]

Originally Posted by maxalmon
http:///forum/post/2776772
You can, but what I'd do is not rush the process. If your Am levels are really high you run the chance of killing off all the beneficial critters that inhabit the LR from your established tank. So to answer your questions, you can move the LR, but the sand is another story. I'd remove it, then wash it in the old tank water, then rinse it in a batch of fresh saltwater and repeat, then you could add handfulls over a period of a few days. Just don't use freshwater to rinse the sand or it'll kill all the bacteria.
thank you. that was what i was looking for in my post. it seems to me like the LS would be more of a pain in the butt to transfer to my new tank. ive got 110lbs of playsand in my 90 gal when i started my cycle. dunno. i guess i will mull it over.

 

[aztec reef]

I would add liverock and sand now.
It seems more detrimental to add it once the cycle has found its equillibrium.
Since your 90g ist already at 1ppm ammonia. That's all u need.(For cycling)
Most life on liverock can endure up to 1.5ppm.ammonia.
That's all u have to worry about. Not letting ammonia go beyond 2ppm. As I said earlier, this can be diluted via a waterchange.

 

[smt91278]

thanks again for the help. i guess ill start the conversion today. my ammonia has started to go down already, so i should be ok.

 

[aztec reef]

Originally Posted by smt91278
http:///forum/post/2780710
thanks again for the help. i guess ill start the conversion today. my ammonia has started to go down already, so i should be ok.

You should be ok, whatever u do. Just don't let ammonia get higer than it is.(Doing small water changes as needed). But don't do a water change unless ammonia starts to climb higher.
Let the nitrogen cycle process take it down to 0 naturally.
Liverock and sand will give u a boost. So u may not even need to do a waterchange untill cycle is completed.