switching tanks

[dchec2100]

I have a standard 55g right now... it's old and stratched up, and doesn't look very good, so I want to replace it, but with one the exact same size. Anyway, what I would also like to do at the same time is change my substrate... right now it's a mix of crushed coral and live sand... I want to go all live sand. If I buy all new live sand, and transfer over my liverock, baserock, and water, will I start another cycle? Tanks is about 9 months old.

 

[reefkprz]

yes you will. what I would do is this. get the new tank and sand fill part way with water cycle the new sand. then once the sand is cycled. drain off most of the water move it into place and switch everything over. that way you dont have to disturb the sand bed once its cycled and has established its aerobic and anaerobic zones.

 

[dchec2100]

Hmm... what if I went with no substrate, and then added new live sand a little at a time... would this prevent a cycle?

 

[crazyaqua]

no because any way you do it the chemicals in the water are going to have to cycle again regardless of the sand

 

[reefkprz]

yes.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by crazyaqua
no because any way you do it the chemicals in the water are going to have to cycle again regardless of the sand
not true if he took all his existing stuff exept the cc and put it in the new tank there is nothing to cycle, its all already established, if then added one cup of dead sand a week over the next million weeks untill he got the depth he desired there would be no cycle.

 

[dchec2100]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
not true if he took all his existing stuff exept the cc and put it in the new tank there is nothing to cycle, its all already established, if then added one cup of dead sand a week over the next million weeks untill he got the depth he desired there would be no cycle.
ha ha, ok ok.... looks like i'll have to cycle the new sand first. i'm not getting a new stand, so swapping out the tanks is going to be fun.

 

[joojoo]

Any cycle seen will be minimal when everything is transferred over to the new tank. The rocks are already covered in bacteria and will soon spread to the new sand.
What livestock do you have? Any coral?
Get a big rubbermade to hold your existing substrate and tank water, use this as a holding tank for your animals. Once the new tank is up and the water has aged for a day or 2, slowly add livestock back to the tank, one fish at a time, or 2, depending on what you have and what size they are.
You will not start a full blown cycle. 1 week tops, depending on how fast you put fish back into the new tank.

 

[dchec2100]

Ah ok... I have no coral yet (just upgraded lighting), and I have two clowns and 1 flame angel. For inverts I have hermits and a few snails, plus a long spined urchin, a camel back shrimp, and a cleaner shrimp.

 

[joojoo]

OK, that makes things so much easier. After the new tank is settled, add the clowns and inverts back to the tank, keeping the angel in the rubbermade. After a day or two check your water parameters, if good, add the angel. Everything should be fine with only 3 fish in a 55 this process shouldn't take more than 2-3 days. Good luck!

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by joojoo
OK, that makes things so much easier. After the new tank is settled, add the clowns and inverts back to the tank, keeping the angel in the rubbermade. After a day or two check your water parameters, if good, add the angel. Everything should be fine with only 3 fish in a 55 this process shouldn't take more than 2-3 days. Good luck!
I agree here, I thought maybe you were at peak stock for a 55. wich would be a serious cycle if you went with all dead sand and threw everything in at once. jsut have spare water ready for changes if your ammonia jumps.

 

[dchec2100]

Thanks for all the help so far.
So you're suggesting I go through with the new substrate, filling it with water just over the sand level, and the cycle will start but only take a few days? At which point I can move everything over, with the angel last a day or two after the clowns?
Also I should have mentioned I plan on scrubbing a ton of algea off of the live rock, it's out of control. I don't think this will affect anything though.

 

[joojoo]

Hmm... scrubbing the rocks has a high possibility of resulting in loss of bacteria which will mean a longer cycle. Are you going to scrub ALL the rocks? Yes, I think it's a good idea to switch over to a complete sand bed. Fill the tank completely, not just covering the sand.
If there is enough bacteria left on the rocks to sustain a bioload of 2 clowns, no cycle will occur, this is what I was trying to help you attain.

 

[dchec2100]

Originally Posted by joojoo
Hmm... scrubbing the rocks has a high possibility of resulting in loss of bacteria which will mean a longer cycle. Are you going to scrub ALL the rocks? Yes, I think it's a good idea to switch over to a complete sand bed. Fill the tank completely, not just covering the sand.
If there is enough bacteria left on the rocks to sustain a bioload of 2 clowns, no cycle will occur, this is what I was trying to help you attain.
Ah, I understand. A long of the algae is the longer hair type, so maybe I'll just pull as much of that as I can.

 

[joojoo]

How much LR do you have? If you have a full tank of LR, can you rearrange the rock work, putting the algae covered rocks on the bottom of the stack? Pulling off hair algae will really only remedy your problem for a few days or so, I feel for you, we've all been there.

 

[dchec2100]

Originally Posted by joojoo
How much LR do you have? If you have a full tank of LR, can you rearrange the rock work, putting the algae covered rocks on the bottom of the stack? Pulling off hair algae will really only remedy your problem for a few days or so, I feel for you, we've all been there.
I don't have a ton of live rock... about 60 lbs total rock, but only about 45 of it is live rock.
Not sure what caused the outbreak... I mean, I know it was my new lighting... went from normal output to 475 watt T5s... but it's way more than just a bloom... it's totally out of control.

 

[browniebuck]

are we missing that he stated that he wanted all live sand as his substrate??? If the sand that he added was indeed LIVE, it would already have all of the bacteria and little critters in it, wouldn't this eliminate the cycle, especially with the addition of the live rock from the other tank?
I guess it would depend on where he got the sand from, but if he got true live sand (such as what I could get from my LFS's display tank), he shouldn't need to cycle...or am I way off base???

 

[reefkprz]

no your right browniebuck but half the time when people say live sand they mean dead sand and I always play the safe side of the fence on that one.

 

[joojoo]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
no your right browniebuck but half the time when people say live sand they mean dead sand and I always play the safe side of the fence on that one.

It's not very common for people to receive true Live Sand. Bagged LS at the pet store is just bagged dead sand with water in it. The only way to get true LS is to get it directly from an established aquarium.

 

[browniebuck]

I am lucky, my LFS sells their live sand from their growout tank...a little pricey, $2.99/lb, but it is good if you want a tank quick!!!