how much of a cycle to expect?

[illal]

i will prolly start setting back up the 125g later tonite when i get home from wurk and was just wondering how much of a cycle if any to expect... i saved about 30 or so lbs or live sand from the old setup and ill be adding it to the top of the dry sand i got to seed wich is about 80lbs, also i have approxemetly 100 lbs of live rock from the old setup as well, and also have about 50 gallons of water that i saved from the old setup as well

 

[Aquarist007]

there will always be some cycling---are you transfering live rock directly from tank to tank?

 

[illal]

some of the live rock has been sitting in my old 30g and the rest in a rubbermaid container since i moved about 3 weeks ago and it was only outa the water for like a 30 mins when i transported it all to the new house

 

[ninjamini]

I would think that if its been in water thats heated with a powerhead you can expect only a little die off. However I would not take the chance with any corals. You can always put them in and then watch the levels daily. Have a QT ready in case the cycle starts.

 

[nyvp]

just keep an eye on it but guess would be 4 weeks for everything

 

[jessp]

i think that the sand will cause more of a cycle than the rock. releasing things that where buried down in the sand.

 

[Aquarist007]

When I transfered one complete tank to another--the tank cycled in a week. I got an immediate ammonia spike about two days later and it was gone within the week. To be on the safe side I would measure the ammonia for the next two weeks--if you don't see a spike then you are ok

 

[tperk9784]

Honestly with 100 lbs of rock with an established bio filter already on it as long as you don't go overboard with stocking I would not expect much cycle at all.

but as always err on the safe side and monitor your ammonia levels.

I personally wouldn't use more than a few cups of the old sand to seed your new sand.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10263810#post10263810 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tperk9784
Honestly with 100 lbs of rock with an established bio filter already on it as long as you don't go overboard with stocking I would not expect much cycle at all.

but as always err on the safe side and monitor your ammonia levels.

I personally wouldn't use more than a few cups of the old sand to seed your new sand.

I agree, I used the whole sand bed and this is what caused the big ammonia spike.

 

[db_triggerfish]

from my experience you will get a small cycle over the next 4 weeks, and a fast growth of that light brown algae that goes away on on it own a week or so later, remember the sand bed is has been greatly disturbed and the new sand starts to colonized.

 

[illal]

i plan to keep all my corals in the spare tank that there sitting in now until im sure the tank is ready... as far as fish go before the move i traded all but 1 back to the lfs for a store credit and ill wait prolly atleast 2 weeks or when ever the tank is ready

 

[illal]

ok just an update but a ran a few tests this morning and heres what i got :
ammonia 0.25 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 10 ppm
ph 8.0

 

[Aquarist007]

that's right on to be what is expected. The ammonia should go down to zero in another 5-7 days. The nitrate won't so do a 10 percent water change after the ammonia is down to zero.

 

[illal]

just tested for ammonia and it looks about right ill give it another day or 2 to be sure