How to instant/jump start cycle with old tank rocks and media?

[John Bolden]

So I have a cube 20 water box and am hopefully upgrading to the 100.3 and I'm wondering how to transfer the media and rocks for the best jump start/instant cycle? My plan as of now is to put the rocks in the sump that don't have coral on it and take the sponges and put them in with the rock. I'm not using the rock from my old scape in my new scape.

 

[Tired]

Ignore the sponges, your biofilter mainly lives on the rock. Transferring well-established live rock to your new system will mean that your new system is now cycled, though keep in mind that your biofilter is, of course, ready for 20gal worth of rock as opposed to 100gal. It's as easy as moving the rocks over, maybe with a gentle rinse (using tank water!) to dislodge any built-up detritus.

 

[John Bolden]

Ignore the sponges, your biofilter mainly lives on the rock. Transferring well-established live rock to your new system will mean that your new system is now cycled, though keep in mind that your biofilter is, of course, ready for 20gal worth of rock as opposed to 100gal. It's as easy as moving the rocks over, maybe with a gentle rinse (using tank water!) to dislodge any built-up detritus.

Also add bio balls? And add the nitrifying bacteria stuff?

 

[92Miata]

Transferring well-established live rock to your new system will mean that your new system is now cycled, though keep in mind that your biofilter is, of course, ready for 20gal worth of rock as opposed to 100gal.

Just a couple things here:
1. Cycled doesn't mean mature - you will see algae, etc, on your aquascape (assuming it's new dry rock). Totally normal.
2. Most of the bacteria involved in the nitrifying cycle multiply quickly. You don't really need to worry about capacity unless you're adding a ton of new fish immediately.

 

[John Bolden]

Just a couple things here:
1. Cycled doesn't mean mature - you will see algae, etc, on your aquascape (assuming it's new dry rock). Totally normal.
2. Most of the bacteria involved in the nitrifying cycle multiply quickly. You don't really need to worry about capacity unless you're adding a ton of new fish immediately.

I know about maturity its just that I haven't transferred from one tank to another. So I add the rock in the sump with the bio balls. I add the bacteria and add the fish and coral. Do I add the water from the old tank?

 

[o2manyfish]

Transferring all your old rock from old tank to new system will move your 'filtering' over to the new tank. If you move the same amount of livestock over you will be fine. If you give the new tank a week or two then all the bio-life will easily graduate to all the new aquascaping in the new tank and you will be good to go.

Then you can start increasing the bio load on the new system without any issue.

You mentioned bio-balls a couple of times. If you are using bio-balls in your old 20 cube then yes transfer those to the new sump, perhaps put them in a lingerie bag or a panty hose to make them easy to remove in 30-60 days once the new tank is established. If you are not using bio-balls now there is no reason to add them to the new system.

You don't need to dump any bacteria into the new system. You are transferring plenty of bacteria from the old system with the existing live rock.

The only reason to use any of your old water is if its going to be a problem to mix up enough salt water at the right temp and parameters to match the old system. If you can use all new water, that matches your existing params, then you are just saving yourself adding things to the new system that require filtration to remove. Water holds no benefit to establishing biological filtration in the new system.

Now if your existing tank is packs with pods and a healthy amount of living biodiversity, then when you drain the old tank down and all the bio life gets concentrated then suck that out and dump it into the new tank. You'll be adding some crap to the tank, but the bio-diversity from the old tank is worth saving.

Dave B

 

[John Bolden]

Transferring all your old rock from old tank to new system will move your 'filtering' over to the new tank. If you move the same amount of livestock over you will be fine. If you give the new tank a week or two then all the bio-life will easily graduate to all the new aquascaping in the new tank and you will be good to go.

Then you can start increasing the bio load on the new system without any issue.

You mentioned bio-balls a couple of times. If you are using bio-balls in your old 20 cube then yes transfer those to the new sump, perhaps put them in a lingerie bag or a panty hose to make them easy to remove in 30-60 days once the new tank is established. If you are not using bio-balls now there is no reason to add them to the new system.

You don't need to dump any bacteria into the new system. You are transferring plenty of bacteria from the old system with the existing live rock.

The only reason to use any of your old water is if its going to be a problem to mix up enough salt water at the right temp and parameters to match the old system. If you can use all new water, that matches your existing params, then you are just saving yourself adding things to the new system that require filtration to remove. Water holds no benefit to establishing biological filtration in the new system.

Now if your existing tank is packs with pods and a healthy amount of living biodiversity, then when you drain the old tank down and all the bio life gets concentrated then suck that out and dump it into the new tank. You'll be adding some crap to the tank, but the bio-diversity from the old tank is worth saving.

Dave B

Ok thank you that seems to answer my questions the bio balls are in a bag. And adding the same amount of bio life? So just add the existing coral and fish and nothing else and not anything else.

Thank you for the help

 

[Tired]

And adding the same amount of bio life? So just add the existing coral and fish and nothing else and not anything else.

Yep. You don't really want to be adding new bioload to a tank that's just gone through a major change. If you have a few coral frags or whatnot you want to go ahead and add, that's fine. Just don't try to fully stock the new tank all at once- add fish slowly, with a couple weeks between, when you start getting livestock past what you have in your current tank.