hey guys i got ANOTHER question, i am moving my tank over spring break into my new house 1 exit down ga 400, i will be getting rid of all my old crushed coral and getting black sand. anyways, i am getting a really good deal on some Nature's Ocean bag-fine black sand. i was wondering if using live sand would cause a cycle or if i should use some dry sand, if i use dry ill get fiji pink.
Live sand and cycle
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Yes it will cause a cycle, as the live stuff is usually dead when you get it. You could take the live sand and clean it, I'm sure. I think black would look killer in your tank.
BTW, next time I'm up that way I'm going to try to bring you back a frag of the mint zoas
BTW, next time I'm up that way I'm going to try to bring you back a frag of the mint zoas
I had replaced all the sand in my breeder tanks and to do it I used new live sand that I put in to a spare tank with powerheads and HOB Filter for two weeks. I tested for ammonia regularly and never saw any while I ran it. I swaped out the sand in the tanks and saw nothing.
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K, well I'll trade you for a superman mushroom.
You have it backwards.
The addition of live sand to an otherwise healthy reef will not cause another tank cycle.
What you need for a tank cycle to occur is ammonia and not enough nitrifying bacteria to keep up with its production in a tank. If there is not an excess of ammonia in the tank to start with there will not be another cycle.
Simply stating that the bacteria in a bag of live sand are dead when you put it in the tank does not make it true. If you have some data to back this claim up, then please note it.
The only thing adding a live sand aragonite substrate to a tank that is being moved will do is lessen any ammonia spike your tank may occur from incidental die off from the move.
It will not hurt your system, but help it.
Dave
The addition of live sand to an otherwise healthy reef will not cause another tank cycle.
What you need for a tank cycle to occur is ammonia and not enough nitrifying bacteria to keep up with its production in a tank. If there is not an excess of ammonia in the tank to start with there will not be another cycle.
Simply stating that the bacteria in a bag of live sand are dead when you put it in the tank does not make it true. If you have some data to back this claim up, then please note it.
The only thing adding a live sand aragonite substrate to a tank that is being moved will do is lessen any ammonia spike your tank may occur from incidental die off from the move.
It will not hurt your system, but help it.
Dave
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I added "live reef substrate" to my aquarium and it caused an ammonia spike. I did this after my cycle had completed and I decided I wasn't happy with just the sand particles and wanted some crushed shells and stuff. As I didn't have any livestock, I just poured the stuff from the bag into the tank. The next morning I tested the water as I was wanting to get my first fish, and the ammonia had risen up to .5ppm after being at 0 for several weeks.
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