Jennylynn9579 June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 So I finally got the glass cut for my sump and will be siliconing tomorrow, and gathering all the plumbing bits for my 150 upgrade. I'm having trouble figuring out how to move forward with cycling. I have about 40 lbs of rock in my current tank, and 30-ish lbs of sand, which I will not be using in the new tank, except for a cupful or so for seeding purposes. I will use all new sand, most likely the arag-alive oolite. Now, I have about 90-100 lbs of dry rock, most of which is brand new BRS reef saver rock, Pukani, and branching rock. There is maybe 15 lbs of reef saver rock that was used for a short period of time but has been dry for over 6 months and there is no dead matter visible. I plan to use acrylic rods to support my rock structures. My questions are, what is the best way to go about cycling, given the above? Do I build my aquascaping, then soak/cure in a tub, or build them, place them and cycle everything together in the tank? And is there any benefit to using my old water from changes to fill the new tank? Will I have another cycle when I add all my current rock/livestock? Would it be beneficial to maybe add most of my live rock and leave the fish in the old tank until a cycle passes? Sorry for all the noob questions, once I get this thing up and running, I'm comfortable. I've just never started from scratch before! Thanks for any help :-) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 (edited) Since it all has to be cycled I'd set up the aquascape then add LS and water and let it cycle all at once. Good idea to use old water as well as some new. Even better is to seed the new set up with LS from your existing set up. That's after you've gotten it scaped, filled with water set at the right temp and flow. After it's completely cycled you may want to do another water change and add livestock. this combo given that the rock needs to be cured will take a while, several weeks at least, to cycle. but you'd get it all done at once. You should not have another cycle if you're just transferring from one tank to another but in case you do get a soft cycle you should purchase a bottle of Prime or something along those lines that will protect the livestock from ammonia and nitrites. And adding your existing rock once the new rock is cured will also help cycle the tank faster. some folks just add new rock to their DT's with no problem. I wouldn't take a chance at this early stage. So I finally got the glass cut for my sump and will be siliconing tomorrow, and gathering all the plumbing bits for my 150 upgrade. I'm having trouble figuring out how to move forward with cycling. I have about 40 lbs of rock in my current tank, and 30-ish lbs of sand, which I will not be using in the new tank, except for a cupful or so for seeding purposes. I will use all new sand, most likely the arag-alive oolite. Now, I have about 90-100 lbs of dry rock, most of which is brand new BRS reef saver rock, Pukani, and branching rock. There is maybe 15 lbs of reef saver rock that was used for a short period of time but has been dry for over 6 months and there is no dead matter visible. I plan to use acrylic rods to support my rock structures. My questions are, what is the best way to go about cycling, given the above? Do I build my aquascaping, then soak/cure in a tub, or build them, place them and cycle everything together in the tank? And is there any benefit to using my old water from changes to fill the new tank? Will I have another cycle when I add all my current rock/livestock? Would it be beneficial to maybe add most of my live rock and leave the fish in the old tank until a cycle passes? Sorry for all the noob questions, once I get this thing up and running, I'm comfortable. I've just never started from scratch before! Thanks for any help :-) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Edited June 3, 2012 by Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 Jan- Prime is a dechlorinator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 Prime removes chlorine, chloramine, and locks up ammonia in a less toxic form.... From the manufacturer, Seachem: Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 She can use Prime, Stability, AmQuel or any of the others that create slime coat and detoxify ammonia and nitrite. At 2am I had a hard tme recalling al the name. Jan- Prime is a dechlorinator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 Prime works great for ammonia and nitrite binding. I use it to keep my overstocked QT system running smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennylynn9579 June 3, 2012 Author Share June 3, 2012 Ok, at least I now have a game plan. I didn't want to cure the rock separately because I wanted to build the structures and leave them in place. I have stability from when I bought my current tank, the lady said it would help with bacteria and stuff after re-setting up. So I guess it'll be time to order sand soon!!! Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennylynn9579 June 3, 2012 Author Share June 3, 2012 Ok new bump in the road- my husband put the 55 under the tank to see how it fit, and I underestimated how tall it is under there and realized there's no way to easily work under there :-( I am just glad I didn't silicone the baffles in place! Time to redesign the sump... Thinking of going acrylic but I don't want to drop 300-400 on it. So much to consider... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 (edited) Try a 30 gallon. Edited June 3, 2012 by Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 Jan.. The only problem with a 30g is depending on her pump it wont hold enough water if the power ever goes out... I started my last 150g with a 40L and even then it was very close to the top... may want to check out a 40 or 50 L??? (do they make 50L's?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 (edited) Depends on how much water would drain from her overflows and how high she keeps the water level in her sump, no? Here's a link to standard tank sizes http://www.badmanstr...p?topic=15978.0 Jan.. The only problem with a 30g is depending on her pump it wont hold enough water if the power ever goes out... I started my last 150g with a 40L and even then it was very close to the top... may want to check out a 40 or 50 L??? (do they make 50L's?) Edited June 3, 2012 by Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 you are totally correct.. I just know from experience that about 3" from a 150g into the sump is more than 30g when you have a skimmer and return pump in it and have to keep a constant water level in for the skimmer to run...not including any LR or anything else.. Just sayin, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco's Reefs June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 In my mind, a primary issue is finding a sump that will still fit the glass baffles she had cut. I had the same problem with my last tank, wanted to use a 55g and it was too tall. I went with a 40 breeder but wasn't trying to deal with glass baffles. Would a 40 long work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 3, 2012 Share June 3, 2012 Ok. I trust your experience more than mine with this. I've not had a 150 with a 30 gallon sump. I've had a 75 with a 30 and now a 156 with a 50 or 60 custom sump. you are totally correct.. I just know from experience that about 3" from a 150g into the sump is more than 30g when you have a skimmer and return pump in it and have to keep a constant water level in for the skimmer to run...not including any LR or anything else.. Just sayin, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennylynn9579 June 4, 2012 Author Share June 4, 2012 I'm not worried about having to use the glass baffles, glass is cheap in comparison to acrylic sheeting. If I had cut those, that would be a different story. I was wondering what it would cost to get a bare bones basic acrylic sump made. I'm thinking 3 chambers, skimmer and overflow, return and heaters in the middle, refugium on the right. I had drawn up plans for the plumbing, I'll have to go back to find the pictures and I'll copy it into this thread. My skimmer is about 22" high, so I need clearance to pop the cup off and get it out over the front of the sump, which I never could've done with the 55. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennylynn9579 June 4, 2012 Author Share June 4, 2012 This was the original plan. Obviously my measurements on there won't apply. The green pipes bring water into the sump, red takes water away. In the center is my return pump and pump that would feed my carbon reactor, however, I reconsidered that and now plan to do a bigger pump with a manifold to allow for expansion. We toyed with being able to add in an automated water change system that just needed a couple valves turned. The refugium flow would be controlled with a ball valve. Will also have ball valves on both overflows. Would I need valves on the return pipes or check valves only? I think I considered a true union ball valve for that. Plan to use a combination of hard PVC and spa flex for easier moving of components. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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