Complicated cycling question

i want to otty, in my experience with him money has been no object. My main concern is the animals well being, if it were my tank it would be empty into the new year but its not. In all the tank transfers ive done (my own) the water and rock was maintained, this tank was neglected so this cycle thing has kinda thrown me. Im not sure if im reading the end result of a cycle or leftover nitrates and cycle has yet to start. Im just thinking with the live rock i saved and all the live sand that claims u can add fish almost instantly i have to be looking at the tail end of a cycle since no nitrites or ammonia is even remotely registering on my test kits.

Dennis

 

i'd say it depends on what you put in there coral wise.. mushrooms for example are indestructible/cheap and might hold him off until the tank is properly cycled and you're confident about adding stuff, don't risk killing something for some impatient rich asshat!

 

i planned on some mushrooms and gsp, maybe some xenia nothing spectacular, maybe a leather. A few dozen snails and hermits and maybe 4-5 fish...clownfish, neon goby, a wrasse of some sort, i dunno...nothing hard to keep. Just enuf to buy some time til im confident with the tanks parameters.

 

If he has millions then whats the problem just fly don't to the reef and pick up some fresh water and rock and throw it in his tank. Just kidding. Sometime it is just better to tell the person no matter how much money you throw at something time can produce better results. Ask him nicely do you want dead fish or do you want shock and awe. The leval head will prevail.

 

put a fish in there if the levels are reading right, and wait a week to two to see if the cycle really is done. i've moved live sand, live rock and even some water into new tanks and the cycle really only took a few days.. so just keeping doing the tests, best way to go about it and be patient

 

corals, clean-up crew, and 4-5 fish in one weekend is not a good idea for any tank, no matter how well the cycle is going. JMO
I think that you are just reading the left over nitrates from the old water. IMO I would have waited and figured out what was going wrong in the first place with the original tank before even thinking of upgrading to a larger one.

 

even as it leaked water all over the floor?

 

This whole tank wasnt lets start planning a new tank build. It was a phone call at 10am telling me we need a new tank, the 150 is leaking water all over the lobby.

 

The reason I said your levels will be low is that all that bacteria on the sides of the old tank as well as the 50 lbs you cleaned up are no longer there. Playing catch up is tough. That's what I did with mine for a good while......and I am lucky I didn't kill more than I did. I think I rode the ragged edge and won.

 

not that i know anything but are you still running the same sump that was on the old tank and how big was that, and what is in it....is it a fuge?