Cycling Question-New Tank Set Up

[Bill_Moorman]

Hi all-

I am setting up a new tank to transfer fish into from my parents house. If you've read my other post, long story short, my parents don't want to take care of the tank anymore, so I am taking the fish (2 clowns and a watchman goby, plus a few hermits and a snail) and setting up my own tank.

I've purchased a bag of LS, in addition to a few bags of dry sand. Planning to put all three into the tank. The dry sand is already in the tank, but I am apprehensive to adding the LS for fear that the die-off will cause Ammonia to be produced.

Since the tank that my parents have has been established for over 5 years, all of their LR is cured and ready to go. They have no corals.

I used their test kit on my tank this morning, which I have no clue how old it is. It's the API master kit. I got a reading this morning of .225 Ammonia and 5 'trates. This doesn't make sense to me, as there has been nothing in the tank that could begin the cycle. I have used the return pump, skimmer and return nozzle from their sump (which was leaking and taken down, starting this whole ordeal), but it took me a week or two to use them, so they dried out and I don't think any nitrifying bacteria would have survived that long.

So my questions:

1.) Would it be likely the test kits are expired producing inaccurate results?
2.) Would the bacteria survive that long dry?
3.) If it were you, how would you proceed:

a.Bring a good amount of their live rock and put it in your new tank, add the live sand which will have die-off to feed the nitrifying bacteria on the LR, wait a few days/week to make sure you get proper readings for NH4, NO2, NO3, leaving their essentials to maintain their fish and get them later​

b. Bring all of their LR, fans, and in tank EQ, add the LS, and the fish, because the bacteria on all of the in tank EQ should be able to process the ammonia from the die off from the transfer.​

Also, using all RO/DI, aragonite for substrate, 10 gallon sump with skimmer and small fuge for chaeto and LR rubble.

Thoughts?

 

[thegrun]

1. Yes, also note that the API ammonia test kits are notorious for reading 0.25 ammonia when there is no ammonia present.
2. No, the bacteria will not survive after drying out.
3. I would first by a decent ammonia test kit. If you do in fact have ammonia in the new tank bring over a few pieces of live rock from the established tank, it should process the ammonia overnight down to zero. I would not transfer the livestock until the ammonia does zero out. If in fact the ammonia is actually at zero I would transfer all the live rock (keeping it wet) and the livestock over at one time. The established live rock will handle all the livestock waste. I would wait a week before adding the "live" sand.

 

[Bill_Moorman]

Thank you for the reply!

I ended up bringing all of the rock to my tank, kept it wet with newspaper, and have been drip acclimating the clowns and goby for the last few hours. Making sure parameters match before releasing them.

I've been doing research and found a general distrust of API tests. Any recommendations on better brands? Not dosing anything, and won't be dosing anything I don't have a test kit for.

Eventually the plan after a few months of success with FOWLR I plan to upgrade the LEDs and begin with softies and some LPS like frogspawn.

 

[thegrun]

Salifert is my favorite, but the Red Sea Pro test kits are good also. You should have some Prime, Amquel or one of the other ammonia neutralizing products on hand and use it if you get any signs of ammonia from your test results.