Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tracher http:///forum/thread/380618/troy-and-andrews-combined-diary/20#post_3341524
Ok, my mom gave me this great idea.... I buy a cheap 15 gallon (same as my bro) put my cpr hob fuge and my light on it then move fish, clam and some of the lr into the tank.Then dry out my 29 gallon for a few days. Add new live rock and water to the biocube. Let cycle. Move everything back into bc. I have a few questions though:
Would this work without harming any of the fish or the clam?
Can i add live sand into the 15 without causing a spike of anything?
Can the bc cycle without a light?
It can be done. It's sort of like how pet stores do it (well, the good ones anyways!). You'll have to watch your parameters very closely. Remember, your creatures only have you to help them if something goes wrong, so I'd recommend having some already ixed saltwater on hand. I always do because I've got such tiny tanks.
You could, but very carefully. Personally, I would go nix the sand in the 15 just because its a temporary thing. If your clam needs the sandbed, get a little cup, fill it with the sand, and stick the clam in there. Having the tank barebottom will really help you syphon out any poop or uneaten food, and you lose the risk of accidently gunking it up by stirring up the sand. I would take a little off of the top layer in the BC while it's still active, stick it in a tupperware container, and put it in the 15 while you're drying the other one. That way, you'll still have a little bit of LS to seed the rest of the sand in there.
Yes, you can cycle without a light. The bacteria that grow on the rocks and sand don't need it. In fact, it's probably better asthetically. Less of an initial diatom bloom without the lights.