matty Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I have set up a new to me 40b and am using all dry rock and dry sand. I will be transferring the contents of my 10g into it including about 10lbs of live rock. I am going to toss out the old sand from the 10g. I have also moved one piece of the live rock into the new tank to try and seed the dry rock, along with a small amount of the old sand. How long should I wait to transfer the entire 10g into the new tank? The new tank has been set up and running for a week. Here is a pic: I am also looking for fish stocking suggestions. I would like to have a lot of movement in the tank so I going to stick to mostly softies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Looks good bud. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Looks good bud. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2 Thanks! I am stoked to have more room plus this one is in the dining room and not hidden away in the bedroom. I am going to start a tank thread once I stop being lazy and upload the pics. (whistle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 This new set up will still go through a cycle colonizing if I am not mistaken, especially starting with dry rock. All the LR you will be using will help but the new stuff needs to seed-IMO/E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 This new set up will still go through a cycle colonizing if I am not mistaken' date=' especially starting with dry rock. All the LR you will be using will help but the new stuff needs to seed-IMO/E[/quote'] That's what I was thinking. I have never dealt with a basically sterile tank before. I have never had any pests in the rock I have now so the idea of keeping it that way was the reason I did not use LR. Should I add any products to help or will the piece of LR I added be enough to seed it? I have read some suggest adding an ammonia source to jump start the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I would add a raw prawn in a nylon or micron sock until it starts to melt then take it out. Once the tank goes through the cycle do a good size water change using the water from your current tank then you can move everything over-thats how I did my last 2 tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramy Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I agree that giving the bacteria somthing to feed on will help other wise you could be waiting a month for the new rock to be ready. How many fish do you have in your ten gallon tank that you will be transfering over that will also make a diffrence on how long you need to let it establish itself before transfering. You dont want to dump a huge biolad in there all at once with virgin rock that has not has a chance to really get seeded well =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cirenus Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Sound advice from everyone, make sure to feed the bacteria, or add 1 hardy fish into it, so that its poop can help the bacteria start growing. That is a good looking tank, and I think a Tiger pistol shrimp + any type of goby combo would look amazing in it. what lights are you using? It looks amazing in that tank. The purple and red fire fish gobies would look amazing under that color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 I won't be able to add much water from my old tank since it's so small. I think total water volume is like 5g. I only have one fish and I won't be adding it to the new tank, I'm going to take the opportunity to finally get the ugly, brown, and very mean damsel out. Basically I will be moving over coral and 2 shrimp. I'm not really in any hurry, just want to make sure I do it right. The light I am using is a 4 bulb finnex t-5 with all ATI bulbs (2blue+,1 coral+,1 fiji purple) with 15 1 watt led's. Eventually I will be removing the 1 watt led's and adding 10 3 watt led's. I think the combo of t-5 and led's will work well. I like the idea of fire fish and with the screen top I have for the tank they would be a ok and not be able to jump. I have also thought about clowns but I would like to have something a bit different. Whatever I add it won't be another damsel. (nono) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramy Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thats good news the bioload from the corals and shrimp will be very low and will help the new rock be seeded well before adding any fish. I would wait a few weeks after the transfer to make sure everything is stable before adding fish. I love the way juvi damsels look but there are such a pita fish as they grow up and must dont keep the cool colors. They are kind of a let down over all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Yeah mine started out a half inch and vivid yellow and black. Not so much anymore (laugh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold B Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 IMO you'll need some more seed rock and some good seasoned sand for a boost, heck you could probably add most of the sand you have unless your changing color/size/shape. One little piece isn't going to be enough bacteria to handle the load of even a med sized prawn, It would be a verry s l o w cycle. Lights out or you'll have unnessary algae that takes a long time to leave dry rock. The longer you wait the better off you'll be. Just let it do it's thing. IMHO min. of one month. It's hard, believe me I know but thats one of the best lessons TIM (westside) taught me. Once your ammonia/nitrites drop to nitrate you'll need to keep feeding the bacteria or put one small fish in and slowly add the rest of your stuff. Just early morning rambling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Yeah that was my plan from the beginning, about a month. I do have the patience and am not in any hurry but when I started reading on other forums and some people were talking about multiple months, it sounded kinda like overkill. I think I will add a few more pieces of my LR to the tank but I don't want to disturb the sand bed in my old tank. I would hate to lose my coral and shrimp because of all that nasty stuff being released. If I am not in any hurry should I add the shrimp? Maybe some fish food? I guess I could move my damsel into the new tank for the cycle but I hate the thought of having to catch him a second time to remove him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbird Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 The new tank looks great! You are going to love the extra room (clap) For cycling I added a raw shrimp from the seafood department and let it rot a bit. The cycle went really fast after that. It is not too much fun to look at an empty glass box but it shouln't take too long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Good mention on the lights Harold, no need to run them at all while you are cycling, it'll just add to a bloom as mentioned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I'm just going to throw this out this but if this were my tank I would not hesitate to transfer everything over in one shot. Let me explain my reasoning. Because you are using dry reef rock and dry sand there will be zero die off. The established live rock you have from the ten gallon will be plenty to handle your low bio load. For example, if you were to plumb in a 40 gallon tank full of dry rock and sand to the existing ten gallon there would be no cycle. I would how ever let the rocks establish bacteria for a month and then slowly slowly increase your load with new fish and coral after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 I'm just going to throw this out this but if this were my tank I would not hesitate to transfer everything over in one shot. Let me explain my reasoning. Because you are using dry reef rock and dry sand there will be zero die off. The established live rock you have from the ten gallon will be plenty to handle your low bio load. For example' date=' if you were to plumb in a 40 gallon tank full of dry rock and sand to the existing ten gallon there would be no cycle. I would how ever let the rocks establish bacteria for a month and then slowly slowly increase your load with new fish and coral after that.[/quote'] This is another idea that I have also read about in my research. I know when I moved everything from my old 3g to the 10g I did it all in one shot. I set up the 10g, added about 8lbs of dry rock and dry sand, waited for the water to clear and moved everything over. I did not lose anything then but with this larger tank I was not sure if I could do the same? I don't feed any kind of coral food and only a small pinch of pellets once a day for the damsel and the cleaner shrimp. The other shrimp is a harlequin and he is currently taking care of the asterinas that have multiplied. I will say that the many limpets, colanista snails, feather dusters, and the one asterina that was on the small chunk of live rock I added are all fine after being in the new tank for a week. I am not running the lights at the moment. I only turned them on for the pictures I took. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 I am curious. Would mysis shrimp work for an ammonia source? How much would be good to add in place of a raw shrimp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbird Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I am curious. Would mysis shrimp work for an ammonia source? How much would be good to add in place of a raw shrimp? Anything that is decomposing would work just fine. So if the mysis is dead go for it. I just grabed a raw shimp from the seafood counter. Since then they have gotten used to me buying one shrimp or scallop LOL. They will ask me "how is your anomone doing" Love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 So I had a bad turn of events...maybe? I was moving some rocks around in my 10g to find some smaller ones to move to the new tank and released a huge cloud of some nasty smelly poopy from under it and the sand bed. Long story short I freaked out (this stuff looked really nasty and instantly clouded the water) and moved all of my coral and rock to the new tank. I left the fish and shrimp in the old tank for now. Should I move the shrimp over also? I am taking the damsel into the LFS tomorrow if he lives. He does not look very good but he is also a bit stressed from being in an empty tank without any where to hide. What should I do now in the new tank? I am thinking a water change might be in order but I need to mix some water up. I had just tested the water in the new tank an hour before and the levels were as follows Ammonia: 0-.25 Nitrite: 0 nitrate: 0 PH. 8.6 Here is a pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re_Run Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Most likely will have a nasty bloom on your hands IMHO. Move you coral to the sand bed for now if your lights are stronger than what you had before and try a few layers of window screen to dampen them remove one every day or so, so you don't burn out your corals then move them up slowly. But IMO if you watch your water they will most likely pull thru.. do a 50% water change asap on the other tank watch to see how they are doing.. if not so good move to new tank. Thats what I would do. You might ask Kimberlee she is the bomb on this kind of thing always willing to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 I am going from led's to t5's so I think they will be ok. I did a small water change on the old tank already but only like 1-2g as thats all I had mixed. The fish looks ok but I actually moved the cleaner shrimp to the new tank and he seems to be doing better. He was freaking out and twitching. After a few hours most all of the coral is open. On the plus side the harlequin is doing great and took advantage of no rock to hunt down a few asterinas. (laugh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re_Run Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 sounds good keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 If you every need a halfway home for anything let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 If you every need a halfway home for anything let me know. I will let you know. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.