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Thread: Upgrade Question about Cycling

  1. #1
    Join Date
    08-28-2007
    Location
    Stone Oak PKWY, SA/TX
    Posts
    13,593

    Default Upgrade Question about Cycling

    Hello everyone.

    About 2 weeks ago I moved to a new home and upgraded the contents of my 55gal to a 120 gallon. My once 4 inch crushed coral and live sand bed is now spread thin to about 2 inches in depth. I have about 150 pounds of live rock with coralline algae growth and a few polyps and softies. No sump, no refugium and no protein skimmer.

    My question is: "With the transferring of my substrate to a new tank did my tank start cycling again and will I have any problems?"

    Everything seems fine, maybe just a bit of brown slime algae starting on the glass and across the rocks...so I cut an hour off from lighting my 10k and 20k t12 bulbs. I have them on for 9 hours now and my Actinic lights for 12 hours.

    Thanks.
    -Rob-

  2. #2
    Join Date
    02-12-2004
    Location
    Far West SA 1604 and Culebra
    Posts
    4,157

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    my Actinic lights are on a 10 hour cycle, 10ks are 8 hours, moonlights are 7-8 hours. Id cut down at least another hour. You will experience a small cycle but nothing to bad. With a 120g reef id get a skimmer; youd be amazed of what they pull out of the water.
    Ray Allen
    San Antonio, TX
    1604 Culebra/Shanefield
    rba0284@gmail.com
    40g Breeder Reef Aquarium

  3. #3
    Join Date
    08-28-2007
    Location
    Stone Oak PKWY, SA/TX
    Posts
    13,593

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RayAllen View Post
    my Actinic lights are on a 10 hour cycle, 10ks are 8 hours, moonlights are 7-8 hours. Id cut down at least another hour. You will experience a small cycle but nothing to bad. With a 120g reef id get a skimmer; youd be amazed of what they pull out of the water.
    Yeah, I need a skimmer. Will work on the hardware soon when I get some funds together.

    I think I might model my lighting cycles off of yours a bit and possibly take another hour off the 10k and 20k.

  4. #4
    erikharrison Guest

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    I got my Coralife Super Skimmer rated for 220 gallons (needlewheel) for 100 dollars. Keep your eyes peeled on the for sale section! I recently moved two sandbeds into my tank from other people's tanks into my display, and my old washed sand into my fuge. I didn't even have an algae problem, but I guess I can attribute most of my success to luck!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    08-28-2007
    Location
    Stone Oak PKWY, SA/TX
    Posts
    13,593

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    Quote Originally Posted by erikharrison View Post
    I got my Coralife Super Skimmer rated for 220 gallons (needlewheel) for 100 dollars. Keep your eyes peeled on the for sale section! I recently moved two sandbeds into my tank from other people's tanks into my display, and my old washed sand into my fuge. I didn't even have an algae problem, but I guess I can attribute most of my success to luck!
    Thanks Erik, I could use some of that luck you are talking about.

  6. #6

    Default

    definatly get a protein skimmer. And yes, cut back at least another hour on the lights. Your tank might go through another cycle, but then again, it might not. I highly doubt that anything dramatic will happen.

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