Another cycling question I'm afraid!

[JohnH123]

Hi All,

I'm upgrading my 50lt Fluval Edge to a 300 Lt Aqua One with Sump which I have bought secondhand. The tank was empty and dry but hadn't been scrubbed clean. I filled the tank, got salinity to 1.025 and then put my live sand in (CaribSea Florida Coral Sand). This created an absolute dust cloud that I didn't think would settle and if it did it would just clog everything up. So I took the sand out, effectively washing it, refilled the tank and replaced the sand. It is now crystal clear. I have moved a couple of kg of live rock from my existing tank and added 10kg more. I'll get more in time and make a better sea scape.

I left it a couple of days and then tested the water. Salinity 1.024 Ammonia approx. 10 ppm, Nitrate 0 Nitrite 0 and ph 8 ish.

I have left it for another couple of says and ammonia looks like zero to me.

I have a 3" Regal Tang, 2" Clown, 2" Wrasse and a 2" File Fish. Do you think it will be safe to start moving them across to the new tank as they can't put too much bio load on a tank 7 times the size of their current home if you include the sump?

Thanks in advance,

John

 

[Reeferdood]

Just make sure your ammonia is in fact zero, your fish will appreciate it..
Also, do you plan on keeping softies? If so, I would consider finding the file fish another home more suited for him...

 

[BestMomEver]

I would give the tank another few days just to make sure. Then I would move the fish one at a time. Give each four or five days to adjust and your tank to “grow” to meet the demand. Add the most docile first.

 

[JohnH123]

Many thanks Reeferdood and BestMomEver, I'll give it a few more days then. Not thinking of keeping softies as I put one in the existing setup and spent my entire life battling with Calcium and Magnesium levels. It didn't make it I'm afraid. Would the File Fish be ok with hard corals? He is an aptasia eating FF and I can see a hitch-hiker he will be looking forward to meeting!

 

[Reeferdood]

They usually do ok with hard corals but they are fish and can develop an appetite for another type of coral. They can be good for aptasia control but once the aptasia are gone they can start nipping.

 

[dansreef]

If your fish are ok where they are, I would try to let the tank continue to cycle and mature. Are you introducing any other form of ammonia to the new tank? I would do so and then measure the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels. If the tank can make the conversion, over the next week...and you get zero for Ammonia and Nitrite.. then I would be inclined to move slowly to introducing one fish every few days. What you don't want to do it introduce stuff too fast that you get toxic Ammonia and Nitrites to build up because your tanks denitrifying capability hasn't been firmly established...that then stresses out the fish... and make them more prone to disease.

Go slow... Nothing happens fast in reef tanks... except bad things....

By the way... Welcome to R2R!

 

[JohnH123]

Ok, many thanks for your help Reeferdood, any idea what this hitchhiker is? cheers John

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R John !!! Nice tank. You can put a Seachem Ammonia batch to watch for any ammonia raise. Adding fish one at a time will let the BB to work their way up and compensate the bio-load.

 

[Reeferdood]

Spionid Worm... Reef Safe...