Tearing down- will I recycle?

[rk4435]

I have a purple lobster killing my livestock so I am going to tear down my 90 gallon. Since I'm at it I am going to pull out my crushed coral and replace it with sand. I anticipate doing a 20-25% water change in the process.

Will this mean my tank will recycle?

 

[mph84]

I've moved tanks 3 times and never had a problem. I never re used the sand. As long as your rock stays the same that should be where all your beneficial bacteria is.

 

[rk4435]

Thanks guys. I managed to remove 80 pounds of rock and the old substrate and get everyone back in the 90 gallon in a few hours. I forgot how cloudy the water would be with the lighter sand substrate. I'll have fun tonight rebuilding the rock while not damaging anything.

I have an ammonia alert, thanks for the heads up on that.