Setting up another tank

MA4446

New member
I have a 7 month 55gal tank with fish and corals. I was planning on starting a small 8gal ADA to culture coral frags as they are more proportional to the tank, then when they get bigger move them to the 55gal. I waited for 3 months for my tank to get established enough for corals in my 55gal. My questions are;

Can I use live rock and sand from my 55gal to speed the cycling process?How long do I have to establish my tank if I use live rock and sand from my 55gal?
Is it just better that I do it how I have done with the 55gal and slowly establish the cycling process?

Thanks
Gil
 
Rock and sand from your existing tank will probably be an instant cycle as long as all your rock comes from the tank. If you try to put in some new and some old you may get a cycle. Your test kits will tell you if there is a problem, and you could always move the frags back to the 55 in a worst case scenario.
 
You should be able to use some LR and sand from your 55 to cycle your 8. It will go faster since the bacteria for the nitrogen cycle is already in the rock and sand. It's hard to tell how long it will take though. That will still require testing. I'm setting up a 20gallon and used some fully cured LR and it cycled in about 2 weeks.
 
Rock and sand from your existing tank will probably be an instant cycle as long as all your rock comes from the tank. If you try to put in some new and some old you may get a cycle. Your test kits will tell you if there is a problem, and you could always move the frags back to the 55 in a worst case scenario.

+1. Your cycle will likely be an instant cycle. Since your LR/LS only got exposed to air for a few seconds, then there will probably be no die off.
 
I have a 7 month 55gal tank with fish and corals. I was planning on starting a small 8gal ADA to culture coral frags as they are more proportional to the tank, then when they get bigger move them to the 55gal. I waited for 3 months for my tank to get established enough for corals in my 55gal. My questions are;

Can I use live rock and sand from my 55gal to speed the cycling process?How long do I have to establish my tank if I use live rock and sand from my 55gal?
Is it just better that I do it how I have done with the 55gal and slowly establish the cycling process?

Thanks
Gil

Yeah people do this all the time. You may see a small spike in your params from stirring up the sand bed but nothing to worry about.
 
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