Will it cycle again?

[12gallonsofhex]

Hey all. I am planning a tank transfer from a 12 gallon hex to a 20 long. My reef is only 4 months old so I will be using the same substrate after I gravel-vac it. I will be transferring all my rock and livestock, just in a different position. I will be adding more live sand and a couple pieces of wet Reel Reef rock from my lfs. I have been reading many threads and it seems some people say it will go through a cycle, and some people say it will be okay. What is your real world experience? I thought about transferring slowly over a month but thought it would put both tanks out of balance.

 

[ChuckD76]

I think as long as you're not adding a ton of new sand and rock all at once and as long as that sand and rock is "healthy" to begin with you should be okay.
Still, your best/safest option would be to add more over time to give your tank a chance to adjust. Maybe store whatever new rock you get in the 12g with a heater and powerhead to keep it live and then slowly transfer it over.
I added a 6" dsb (used a bag of live sand) to a 7 gallon section of my sump long after it was up and running and didn't have any issues, just cloudy water from the sand.
And for a while I was convinced I needed a cryptic fuge so over the course of a few months I loaded up what was my refugium with live rock. No issues there either, other than not wanting the cryptic fuge anymore and being scared to remove the live rock.
Just take it slow.

 

[cracker]

IAgree with Chuck. You may or not have a cycle. No probs though, just test for any Ammonia & be ready with a big water change some am remover Amquel or such. & wait it out. We look forward to seeing your new 20 long!

 

[12gallonsofhex]

I will load up on some Amquel just in case and move stuff over in stages. Thanks for the advice. Here is a pic of its current state. The build thread is https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/big-jons-nano-upgrade.586416/#post-6004677

 

[ChuckD76]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/big-jons-nano-upgrade.586416/#post-6004677

That looks really good.
I'm glad you didn't ask me for diy stand advice. Mine came out with four different leg lengths and the brown paint I used ended up being a really dark purple.