upgrading tank

[Chago09]

OK I will be upgrading my 65 to a 150 gallon. I will be getting about 50 gallons of barrel aged water from a friend. I will be taking all 65 gallons of water from my current system and adding it to the other one. I will be putting all 80 lbs of live rock straight from one tank to the next. Maybe 40 gallons of water will be fresh mix water. I will also be removing my 2 Aqua Clear 110's both packed with biomax and have colonized biological bacteria. I will also be hooking up a sump with bioballs from someone elses sump. Will this tank need to recycle???

 

[Bambalam]

First off - congrats!! I wish I had the space for a 125.

I'm not sure I follow you on the "barrel aged" water.

If it were me I would move everything from the 65 (including the AC 110s), hook up the sump but ditch the bioballs then fill up with fresh saltwater. The ACs will provide stability during the switch, and I really doubt that the tank would cycle again.

JMO, HTH

 

[Chago09]

you said to ditch the bioballs???? should I put nothing for bio filtration??? I only have 80lbs of live rock will that be enough bio filter for this size tank???? If I am not putting any bio filter in my sump then why exactly am I gonna buy a sump???

 

[drummereef]

If it were me I would just add more live rock instead of doing the bio balls. Bump it up to at least 1lb/gallon and if will be plenty for the bio load. As for the sump, put your skimmer in there. If you baffle off an area you can do a fuge too. You'll just need to light it if you want to grow some macro.

 

[LarryW]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9577978#post9577978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
If it were me I would just add more live rock instead of doing the bio balls. Bump it up to at least 1lb/gallon and if will be plenty for the bio load. As for the sump, put your skimmer in there. If you baffle off an area you can do a fuge too. You'll just need to light it if you want to grow some macro.

Yeah, I would just make sure the LR is cured first, or cure it your self before adding it, so it doesn't cause the tank to cycle.

 

[PatMayo]

If you have fish or other critters in the tank you won't want to have a cycle. If you don't have anything in the tank then you don't need to worry. Let it cycle.

If you are going to have corals most folks want as close to zero nitrates as possible. If you have fish only the bio balls are not that big of a worry.

Regards,

Pat

 

[loosecannon]

hi and wellcome to da reef. i just did some ting semaler? i set up a 75 the sump i got is a 50 gal. toy tub form lows. 16 buck! i put dry gavl in some chip dry rock some live rock 60 lbs. some nice rock from 2 other tanks i have, to help seed. im stil going to put 50 lbs. moor fiji. got some good deals from aquatrader. manly refum, and 260 watt light. put some live sand from other 2 tanks in ther, wheted 2 weeks and put some mac and some snails to mag-7 pump 2 150 heeters 1 up 1 down. iput a 15 watt light from a ten gal. tank i had lay in a round on it. i put some shrimp asea haer and some miny stars in it today. stil working on the stocking plan. p. s. go slow.

 

[returnofsid]

80# of live rock isn't going to be enough for a 150. You'll want to get more rock. If you get cured rock, the 80# of existing rock will populate the extra rock in no time at all. Also, take some of your sand to add to the new tank. Don't take it from more than 1/2" deep though. You may end up with a small cycle but I think you'll be just fine. I recently did the same thing going from a 29 to a 75. Although I had about 50# of live rock in the 29. I now have a bit over 100# of LR in the 75 and had a very small cycle.

I agree with ditching the bioballs. If you want to use them TEMPORARILY to jump start your cycle, you will probably be fine. But don't leave them in for long as they'll become a HUGE nitrate factory.