new salt water tank?

Question

I Just got an other salt water tank thats bigger then my 75 i got now this time i got a 160 and i`m going to make it into a reef tank. My question is i took some water out of my 75 gallon tank maybe 1/3 of the water and i also took some live rock out of it and added to my new tank. You thing it might cycle faster that way. I have 300 pounds of live rock in and a hell alot of live sand
My pet store dealer told me that it might cycle faster if i used water from my other tank and i also took one of my canistor filters from my 75 gallon tank and added it to my new tank.
Let me know your thoughts i`m thinking its not going to make much differance

Answer 1

It will help build bacteria but it won't cycle any faster. Your smaller tank is a matured tank. Just because you've used water and a couple of rocks does not mature atank, unfortunately only time does. It does give it a good start since you have placed beneficial bacteria into your tank. Patience is the key to a great salt tank.

Your tank will still need to run a minimum of 6 weeks to cycle. 6 months to mature (Approximately) Congradulations on the upgrade by the way!

300 pounds of live rock in your 75! Wow, any reason for the quantity? If you plan on moving your rock to your new tank, do it in stages not all at once.

When talking about live rock (LR), it is a misconception that the rock itself is alive. What makes it live are the many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of it. The rock itself is only made up of the calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms.

There are different types of live rock. "reef rock" basically as pieces of coral or coral rock from outside the reef that have broken off and fallen to the bottom that then becomes covered with encrusting organisms, such as coraline algae and sponges. "Inshore rock" refers to as rock from inside the reef that has a tendency to be more dense and becomes covered with macroalgae, clams, mussels, crabs, shrimps, and other unwanted organisms. reef rock is much more desirable then inshore rock because it cycles more quickly and stabilizes a tank much faster.

There is also dead base rock, meaning it has no live growth on it. This is rock that is devoid of external life that probably won't see much light, so you can put other forms of more advanced live rock and corals on top of it to build your reef system base, once your tank has settled and the base rock is seeded or cured. Beginning a reef tank using seeded base live rock as the center stones of the aquarium is not a bad idea. Once the base rock is established, then you can begin to add, slowly, more advanced types of live rock.

Some descriptions of live rock sold by suppliers can be confusing. For example, Live Rock supplier describes their Pacific live rock as, "Actually pieces of coral skeletons that have broken off reefs during storms. This 'rubble' washes in toward shore where it is collected in shallow water." So, is this a lighter type of "reef" rock, or heavier type of "inshore" rock?
What Is The Purpose of Live Rock?

Live rock becomes the main biological nitrification base or biological filter of a saltwater aquarium, (that is if you are using it) while at the same time enhances the look of the aquarium and provides shelter for the inhabitants. To better understand what purpose live rock serves in an aquarium,:

"The use of live rock immediately introduces into the aquarium numerous algae, bacteria and small invertebrates all of which contribute to the overall quality of the aquarium water. Live rock has just as much, if not more, surface area for bacteria than a trickle filter. Since live rock in the aquarium contains various types of bacteria, algae and corals, waste products such as ammonia, nitrate and phosphate can have a number of fates. Ammonia, nitrate and phosphate are readily assimilated by algae and photosynthetic corals growing on and in the rock. Ammonia can also be quickly converted into nitrate by the bacteria on and in the rock. This nitrate can be either absorbed by the algae and corals, or it can be denitrified by bacteria in close proximity to the nitrate producing bacteria."

No matter what type of live rock you choose to use, as you may know, a biological filter base base has to cycle and settle for your aquarium to run properly, and this pertains to the curing of live rock as well.

If you are planning on adding it to youraquarium:
Don't overload the system! Even top quality, fully cured live rock can be quickly turned into dead base rock if mass quantities are introduced all at once. It is not a bad idea to add small amounts a little at a time, and test, test, and test again. When the tank settles, wait a little longer and then move on to the next phase of adding a little more, repeating this process until you've obtained the total quantity of live rock desired.

Once your rock is in place and your tank has matured, and your water quality is up to par you can begin with your corals.
Honestly changing filters does nothing to help mature a salt tank. What is more important is is the canister from the 75 capable of turning over your 160 3 times per hour? I would reconsider the canister from the 75 and get a filter /proteinskimmer that is suited for your tank now. Are you running powerheads? They are also another important part of your 160 since it is much larger and needs more water movement.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to im or email me.

Answer 2

The main thing you need right now is patience. The one thing you don't want to do is rush it. First check your salinity levels. make sure they are between 1021 and 1026. Then make sure you have enough calcium and other trace elements. If you never had a reef tank before. Next the temperature needs to be around 80 degrees. Hook up a filter and a wave maker to get the salt settled. But l would wait at least 3 to 4 weeks before you put coral in your aquarium. It's better to be safe than sorry. It should help though to gradually put some water from your other tank. The canister filters will help get some of the debree out of the water. Good luck..

Answer 3

It should help a little bit, but I don't think that in the long run it will affect the whole cycle very much.
1/3 of the water of a 75 gallon is 25 gallons, which is a little less than one sixth of 160 gallons, so it really isn't much when you consider how big the 160 gallon tank is.
Moving some live rock might also help, but depending on how your "new" water is, your LR from the 75 gallon tank might just cure all over again when you move it to the big tank.
I think you're wise to complete the cycle as normal.

Answer 4

Ditto to Zoe's answer.

The bacteria you need aren't in the water, but the live rock and substrate (and some in the filter media). By using the canister from the 75 and moving the rock into the new tank, you're increasing the amount of bacteria available to reproduce in the new tank and this WILL speed up the cycling process. Just remember, if you don't use fish to cycle, the bacteria still need an ammonia source (small piece of shrimp) or the bacteria will starve.

Good luck with the new tank!

Answer 5

I agree with Zoe. Better safe than sorry.