use old tank to start new one?

Eck36

Active Member
My daughter wants to start her own reef tank and I was wondering if using some LR and water out of my tank would make the tank easier to start. I nay be way off, but would I be able to skip the cycling process this way? I could fill the new tank from my tank when I do a water change and then add new water over a month or so before adding any coral or livestock. Advice on this appreciated.
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
My daughter wants to start her own reef tank and I was wondering if using some LR and water out of my tank would make the tank easier to start. I nay be way off, but would I be able to skip the cycling process this way? I could fill the new tank from my tank when I do a water change and then add new water over a month or so before adding any coral or livestock. Advice on this appreciated.

That would definitely make her tank easier to start. You may be able to skip the cycling process that way.

What I would do to double check is buy a bottle of Dr. Tim's Ammonia Chloride. Dose to 2ppm ammonia, check your ammonia and nitrites after 24 hours. If they are both 0, you are cycled.

Also, read this guide just to make sure you understand how to use Dr. Tim's ammonia. :)
http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling

It's a longer story than this, but I have definitely instantly cycled this way, but I had a lot of cured live rock not just one piece or two. So, I'm not sure how much live rock it would take for it to be instantly cycled. Either way you are really going to speed it up.
 
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Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Rocks contain the bacteria you are looking for, there is little in the water. Use a few rocks from your tank to kick start the cycling in the new tank. It will still take time to build up the bacteria in the new tank, and so you will still see a cycle, but starting it off with rocks from another tank is a good start.
 

Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Yup, did this about 17 months ago now, transferred the cycle to the new.
This is provided that the new bio load does not exceed the previous one.
In essence if you have 1 coral and 1 fish, don't start with 10 corals and 10 fish....of course, that don't work.
 
My daughter wants to start her own reef tank and I was wondering if using some LR and water out of my tank would make the tank easier to start. I nay be way off, but would I be able to skip the cycling process this way? I could fill the new tank from my tank when I do a water change and then add new water over a month or so before adding any coral or livestock. Advice on this appreciated.

This will work, I did add some water from my old tank to the new one as well as the 40lbs of live rock coming from my old 36 bowfront to my new 90 gallon tank and I never had any ammonia or nitrites and I was testing it every day or two for the first couple of weeks. I also double checked after cycling the additional 50lbs of rock that I had in a garbage can and I got nothing there either. Just make sure to keep it wet and out of water for minimal periods of time and your die off should be little to none.
 
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