Transferring tank questions

[Angelajean]

Hello,
I received my live sand and dry rock yesterday.

Can I put a bilge/pond pump in my tank with my saltwater, dry rock, and live sand until my powerheads come in the next day or 2?

My second idea was to use bilge pump and my protein skimmer. Will either work?

Secondly, will I see a nitrogen cycle if I seed the rock with my current live rock? It would be 15 pounds of live rock from my Biocube with 45 pounds dry rock from Marcorocks.com in my 40 gallon breeder.

I ask all this because when I dumped my sand in my Biocube that decreased the lighting on my corals. I would like to get them into better lighting in the new tank. My nassarius snails are looking for their sand as well. The Biocube will be my hospital and quarantine tank once everything is moved over.

I see various post about moving a tank. Some saying transfer it all making sure temps, salinity, etc are the same. Others saying that the tank needs to be cycled. Are there guidelines for deciding which to do?

Thanks,
Angie

 

[cvcdrk]

I don't know about the pond pump. You don't need a skimmer during the cycle but if you're just looking for some water movement it should be ok. I'd probably just wait 'til the powerheads got there, imo, though.

You should see a cycle if you mix the dry and live rock, yes. Throw your rock and some of the live stuff in there and drop a table shrimp in. You're going to see a cycle for sure...15lbs of live rock won't be enough to handle a big bioload like the shrimp breaking down.

What do you mean about the sand thing?

 

[Angelajean]

I thought that I need to put the live sand in the salt water. It came from www.marcorock.com and it is live sand unlike what you get in the bag at the store. Can I just leave it in the box and do nothing?

Should I seed with less rock?

40 pounds of dry rock will weigh 25-40% more after it is wet, according to the FAQ on the website. That will be 50-66 pounds so maybe I don't need to take 15 pounds from my current Biocube.

 

[Kelz88]

I used 50lbs of dry rock in my 30g, the sand i got with them wasnt live though, it was dead and dry.

 

[cvcdrk]

You don't NEED to use live sand. Using it will probably contribute to the cycle as there will be some die off inevitably. It will help to establish a bacteria colony, though. :-)

 

[Angelajean]

Kelz88,
How much live rock did you seed with? How much do you think I need to seed with?

My sand is moist. Do I need to do anything with it before my pumps come? I am annoyed because I paid for expedited shipping and it still isn't here?

 

[cvcdrk]

To seed it you really only need one piece. I think your 15lbs idea is fine, personally.

 

[kevdogg]

My sand is moist. Do I need to do anything with it before my pumps come?

I would get it into water ASAP to keep the die off down. Wait at least a day while testing for ammonia. Its going to be a guarantee that there was some die off of the bacteria. As long as its wet you should be fine until the power heads come in.

 

[Kelz88]

I only used like 1lb lol but my rocks are still pretty white.

 

[Kelz88]

Also i let the tank cycle through, which is why i only used like one lb of liverock

 

[Angelajean]

Kev dogg
Sand is in water in tank. I put it in an extra tank I have so my son can do his rockscape first.
Hopefully the powerheads come tomorrow.

I read that you make saltwater and let it sit with a pump in it for 24 hours before using. Do I need to aerate all the water before putting in tank?

I think it will end up taking about 30+ gallons after I get rock and sand in. I do not have a big enough bin for that. I have 3 10 gallon bins and a couple of 5 gallon buckets.

Thanks
Angie

 

[kevdogg]

I read that you make saltwater and let it sit with a pump in it for 24 hours before using. Do I need to aerate all the water before putting in tank?

I think it will end up taking about 30+ gallons after I get rock and sand in. I do not have a big enough bin for that. I have 3 10 gallon bins and a couple of 5 gallon buckets.

The purpose of letting the water sit for 24hrs is to let all the salt dissolve. When you mix the water and salt, even though you can't see all the salt it is not fully dissolved. I would mix as much as you can and when you get your power heads let them run in each bucket/bin for 5-6 hours. Then move them to the next bucket. I think that you will be fine just make sure to check the salinity before and after combining the water.