cycle

ok so i am upgrading from a 55 to a 135, i have like 70 or so gallons of water (salt water) from the persons 135, that has been sitting in the garage for like a month haha, if i just add the two together, and top off the rest, will the water cycle or no?

 

Well, nitrifying bacteria doesn't really live in the water it stays mostly of surfaces, LR and filter media, so it might help a bit , but not as much as one would think.

 

i have like 70 pounds of live rock, and 100 pounds of live sand or so..... in the 55.

 

Pretty much, water is just part of the nitrification cycle, you need to ad the bacteria, but is always the ammonia, after a period of time that becomes nitrites, to nitrates and so on,
the live rock will do just fine

 

still has to cycle, i'm sure the tank got dried up when moving. might not take as long as usual. just keep checkin' water params.

 

well my 55 is in my room, and so will the 135, and it needs to go in the spot of the 55, so what can i do that will make it work, cause i need to basically move evrything from the 55 then move the 55, then set up the 135, and put everything in. ahha any help???

 

you said it, not much else you can do?

 

Judging by what I have heard I would do back to back water changes in the 55, save the water change water till you have enough. Stick a heater in it for safe measure. Then drain the 55, move it out of the way, fill up the 135 with 55 water, put LR and all other livestock into the 135 as quickly as possible. Common sense and research says this should set up close to the same ecosystem you had. Will you have a mini cycle? Time will tell. Ideally you would set the 135 up right next to the 55 then put water change water into 135 till it is full, then one day switch everything over but life isn't ideal in general! Just some ideas, I wouldn't use anything from his tank, especially over that period of time. Also remember that if everything isn't the way you want it to be in the 55 right now would be a great time to start over and cycle the 135 from scratch. If you have nusaince algae or anything else wrong with the 55 I would start from scratch with the 135 IMO. Just my 2 pennies...

 

well, actually i could if it was in a time period of a week, put the 135 ners the 55, cause i think i am just going to put it on the other wall. i could have the two tanks next to each other, but not longer then a week, because my mom would flip, she is already not happy that i have upgraded more then double of what my tank is now, she already thought the tank was too big ahha.

 

How has this water been stored? If it's just been sitting there without a powerhead or airstone in it, I wouldn't use it at all.