Transfering to My new 4 feet tank

[Midman]

Hi fellow reefers........recently I have transferred my LR and sand to my new 4 ft tank. Added more sand for DSB and additional LR too. I have it running since...so this is wat I encounter...

3 days after cycling it I did a water test and found the nitrite was high. I did 2nd test on the 6th day and found the ANN is 0....later on the 9th day did another test...the ANN still 0....by then the dead prawn is almost decayed and slowly diminished.....my tank diatoms and brown like maiden hair algae is all over the LR and the sandbed with Oxygen bubbles too. My question is....

a) Can the cycle shorten since I'm using the old sand as well as the LR? (Till now on the 13th day the ANN is still 0)

What is that small little creature(white) swimming to and fro inside my tank? Is it harmful?

c) Is it safe for me to start stock up slowly?

d) Which coral should I start with? Any suggestions?

in advance....

[porc]

I assume you mean ammonia... and you must be confused on your nitrogen cycle... why are you waiting for ammonia to spike? for a completely new tank, the proper order is ammonia followed by nitrite spiking, after which both should be undetectable. the fact that you used old life rock and sand must have shortened your cycle such that the ammonia spike is skipped... once your nitrite drops to 0 your cycling is complete and you can start stocking...

[Midman]

Porc....I'm not waiting for my ammonia to spike just to clear my doubts over my queries earlier on...can the cycle complete in such a short period?? ( intend to wait for another week b4 stocking up ) Wish I could take few shots on my tank and let u guys see it but I don't have any digital camera lei. Please help lah give your opinion on my queries k.... thank you...hehehe

[alanseah]

first what is your nitrite reading...if 0 your cycle is complete already...

little creature(white) maybe it's cod.. but we cant for sure unless see pic of it..

again if your nitrite is 0 and your ammonia is also in the safe zone..then u can slowly start adding stock..

i assume you will be bring your corals and fish form your old tank to the new one..

well try bring over those more hardly coral over first until all the coral been move over, you wait for 2-3 days before u slowly move your fish over..

in this case you can reduce the stress and sudden of stocking..

[Tanggy]

Yes it can. Due to most of your stuff coming from your old matured tank, there is already an existing population of nitrifying bacteria in your rock and sand. By using it, all they have to do is multiply to accomodate the bio load ogf your new tank.

Whereas for a completely new tank, you need to wait for the decomposing matter to produce armonia, afterwhich, wait for the bact to seed (can take days). And for the bacteria to multiply in enough numbers to cope with the load.

I have had 2 prior experience in moving from old to new. first was from 2ft to 3ft. move the live rocks, water and media over to seed new tank. cycle period was completed in 4days.

2nd time was recently from 3ft to 5ft. 5days. actually 4 but gave extra day to be safe.

[arcanehacker]

I'm just thinking. If we are gonna mix old rocks & biorings with new ones, do the existing bacterial actually multiply on the new rocks and biorings? Or do they actually start all over again?

[Midman]

Yeah...that's more like it....thks Alanseah and to you too Tanggy for sharing your experience......was happy to find out my tank has passed the nitrogen cycle....gonna put my hardy corals first and follow with my damsel later but will still monitor the ANN just in case it spike again..hehee.

About the white things swimming in my tank...might be a pod as Alan said but how about the other type(also white) twirling when it swims against the current..is that copepods too.

[Clownfish]

cos bacteria multiplies veri fast n u prob got help from ur former matured tank, it may be possible....

a gd guage wld be to test ur nitrate level.... if u hav like say 15~20 for ur nitrate, yet no spikes on ammonia n nitrite then prob ur matured tank bacterias r doing the trick

however, be careful not to throw suddenly alot of LS esp. fishes into the tank... might trigger a cycling process if the capacity of the new bacteria colonies cannot cope

[Midman]

Hey Clownfish...thx man...not to worry I'll stock my tank slowly k