Switchover Idea

[Geoff]

In a couple of months I will be switching my 55 reef into a 125 reef. I was wondering if the following idea is usefull or just wasting time. I was going to get a 40 gallon container and fill it up halfway with my DSB sand, then fill the rest with water. Add a couple of cheap empty filter for circulation. Add a couple of fish. Seed the sand with some from 55 bed and let sit until I get everything ready in the 125.

Is this going to help the DSB any? Is this going to make the shock less for the inhabitants when the switch happens. Will this speed up the cycle time for the tank. The 55 now has about 75# of LR. This tank has been setup for about 8 years, so it is fairly established.

Thanks,

G~

[Desolas]

I think it would help a little in cycling the sand with nitrifying bacteria, but overall I think it would hurt since your not supposed to stir up the sand bed when you move it from one tank to another; you need to attempt to keep the levels that the bed was at as consistant as possible .. which I think would be hard to do coming from temp container.

I would cycle the 125 the old fashioned way, seed the bed, and run them both for a month or so and then move everything over. Shouldn't too too traumatic, and you will still have the bed from the 55 in the 125 to act as a biological filter, same with your LR. You will have some cloudy water, but everything should survive.