Cycling 100 gal tank

[DoubleReefer]

I currently have a 54 gal with a decent amount of softy and lps corals, a dersa clam, 2 clown fish and a yellow watchman goby. I plan on adding the 54 water into the 100. how long will it take to cycle? Would it be okay to put in the corals and clam? Should I quick start it? I'm planning on using the canister filter I have running on the 54.

Thanks guys!

 

[Idoc]

Some of the nitrifying bacteria can be in the water column, but not much. If you transfer over some of the live rock from the older system, that's where the bacteria are predominantly living. If you can do that, the cycle might be minimal, if at all present. You can also help by adding a bottle of Bio-Spira to the new tank water.

 

[Crustaceon]

Adding all of the contents of your smaller tank (water, rocks, sand, livestock) into the 100 and filling would be the equivalent of doing around a 50% water change, which I’m sure people do here all the time to save their tanks from catastrophe. This most likely won’t cause a noticeable cycle and any new sand and water you add to the 100 will be loaded with plenty of bacteria within a day or so. You probably could add livestock to it soon afterwards but I would still wait maybe a week after the swap just to be sure any pathogens that were freed from the old sand find their way back into it again. If there’s a time that fish seem to pick up bacterial infections, it’s immediately after a tank swap.