Tank Upgrade

[insacron]

So I'm in the process of finishing a new stand for my 115 Gallon tank, and I'm going to be transferring the contents of a 40 Gallon tank into the 115, should I be adding sand to make up the difference right away? Waiting? How long if I should wait, and I'll be adding more rock, but slowly.

 

[insacron]

bump ... anyone?

 

[parkpark]

either way would be fine just remember not to 'suffocate' your current sand creatures with lots of new sand, I you add new all at once put it in first then add your old sand

 

[crvz]

if you're adding dry sand (which I would recommend, the live stuff packaged for the hobby is junk), you could add it right away without any real issues (other than possibly some cloudy water).

 

[insacron]

erm, and if all I have is three bags of this "live" variety? I guess my question is am I in danger of a cycle?

 

[crvz]

that stuff sits on a shelf for how long? I wouldnt trust it, it's probably got as much die off as any uncured live rock in it. I would say yes, if you added that all at once, you would be in danger of some sort of nutrient issue.

 

[insacron]

Is there anyway to still use that sand? Rinse it out really well, or something?

 

[crvz]

well a lot of people just use it, I guess you could add it in a bit at a time and watch the display levels. I suppose most folks use it because they have new setups. Another option would be to actually set up a small tank to cure the sand before you use it, but I dont know if that's feasible for you.

 

[insacron]

I have a 29 gallon that should be emptied in a few days... but wouldn't that create like a 6-7 inch sandbed in there? (for the same amount that I would want to put into my 115)

 

[crvz]

Probably would be a very thick sand bed, but maybe it would work. Hopefully someone else with more experience on this particular issue will chime in, though. I've never really used livesand because of the issues I've pointed out, so I have no real measure to quantify the risk that you'd be taking.