just a lil scenario

April 29th I started a 12 gallon reef tank. I furnished it with 14lbs of Indo live rock and 20 lbs of sand. I waited a 6-7 weeks for the levels to spike and they never did, finally after growing impatient i learned that buying a damsel for the first fish is a good start. a few days after buying my damsel and my cleaning crews i was paging through a magazine and seen the sand i had bought for this tank and it said in huge bold letters "No Waiting Just add fish, LIVE sand" so i felt like an because i had waited all that time to buy any real life for my tank. Anyway, since then i have upgraded a 30 gallon tank setup with sump , protien skimmer, etc.. because the 12 gallon will not house anenome's and certain coral i take interest in.

In the 30 gallon i have furninshed with the 14 lbs of live rock from the 12 gallon and i purchased an additional 20 lbs , plus 28 more lbs. of the same live sand. Since i took the live rock out of the 12 gallon tank my levels in the 12 gal are spiking pretty high in the nitrite and nitrate department. But, the bio levels in the 30 gal are perfect, now for my questions...

1. Are the levels in the 12 gallon tank spiking because i removed the live rock, and if so will it get better if I treat with microbe-lift special blend, and nite-out?

2. Will my levels in the 30 gallon ever spike, or will they stay normal because of the Live sand and all the live rock I have in there? I ask since my reading in the 30 gal. are the EXACT same as my 12 gal through 8 weeks.

3. Would it be a good idea to put my damsel in the new tank(30gal)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Yes, it's because you removed the live rock. I'm not a fan of those products.

Everything is already cycled. Maybe put a small glass of water from the old tank in there if you're concerned.

Yes, if the new tank goes too long without any source of Ammonia, all that bacteria you have in there will go into stasis and eventually die

 

I have Coral beauty in the 12 gal. where the water is getting nasty readings. how much more time do you think the cycle will take in the 30 gal.? How long will it last in the 12 gal with the readings im getting? I dont want to do anything hasty that will cause my beauty to perish.
The Damsel has been in the 30 gal almost a day now, any suggestions on what to do next or things to expect. I heard a technique where one put a piece of fresh shrimp, uncooked and untreated to kickstart a cycle, would you recommend this while the damsel is in there or at all?