Delayed Addition of TBS Live Sand in a New System

[dangles]

So I'm in a bit of a bind and need some advice...

I have been setting up a new system in my new house over the last couple of months (see my tank thread). My old tank is still up and running at my nearly-empty old house since I haven't put it on the market yet.

I'm pretty much ready to add the water, rock, sand and livestock to the new tank. I have been pre-cycling my rock scape over the past couple of months in anticipation. It's processing ammonia nicely at this point. My original plan was to fill the tank, add the pre-cycled rock tomorrow, and then add the TBS live sand in a few days when it arrives. I would then give that a few days to settle and go through its own (smaller?) cycle before adding the livestock that currently resides in my OLD house in my previous tank (the house will be going up for sale in January).

I was just notified today that my live sand shipment that was scheduled for Monday needs to be rescheduled until after New Years. The problem is that I am running out of time at the old house. I HAVE to get that tank shut down ASAP.

So I was wondering if I would run into any major problems if I went ahead and added the water and pre-cycled rock, followed by the livestock, and then just added the TBS live sand in a few weeks once that shipment arrives. Basically it would be a bare-bottom setup (with pre-cycled rock) for a few weeks until I could add the sand.

What kinds of issues can I expect from this plan? Is there a better option?

 

[zoolan70]

I wouldn't expect much of anything. Just keep an eye on the ammonia and be prepared for a quick water change if things spike too high.

 

[ReefGeezer]

If you have the live sand shipped in water, there should not be a spike that the "cooked" rock could not handle. I'd put it all in at the same time. I looked at your build thread and the tank and system are awesome. I would suggest that bringing in TBS Live Rock to fill the same space as the cooked rock would be more in keeping with with the care you have taken during your build. I know it is late in the process, but I say that because, like the live sand, it will save some hassles over time and greatly speed the maturing of the tank.

 

[dangles]

If you have the live sand shipped in water, there should not be a spike that the "cooked" rock could not handle. I'd put it all in at the same time. I looked at your build thread and the tank and system are awesome. I would suggest that bringing in TBS Live Rock to fill the same space as the cooked rock would be more in keeping with with the care you have taken during your build. I know it is late in the process, but I say that because, like the live sand, it will save some hassles over time and greatly speed the maturing of the tank.

Thanks for the compliment!

Yes I'm still very much wanting to add the TBS live sand. I LOVE the aesthetic of that sand in particular, plus the bacterial/critter benefits.

In talking with TBS, they are suggesting to just set it up as a "temporary bare bottom" for the few weeks it will take to get the live sand delivered.