Cycle question

[RockinReef651]

Ok, so I am getting live rock and sand from another member this weekend from their established tank, and I had a couple of questions. The drive is going to be about an hour and a half, if kept in bags/containers with water from the tank how much die off should I expect? And second given the amount of die off I can expect, would this cut down on the length/severity of the cycle in my tank? I have a 29 biocube. I am getting 30 lbs of this rock and 20 lbs of live sand. Thanks for any info you guys can give!!

[mthomp]

it will be minimal.

[muttley000]

+1, keep the temperature from swinging too wildly also

[RockinReef651]

I mixed the salt water about a week ago and have had it running in my tank since to get the temperature where I wanted it and to make sure s.g. was going to be as close to where I wanted it as possible (although it may change after taking some water out to add the sand and rock.) So I am hoping a huge change in temperature wont be a problem

[mthomp]

i see you are in IL. what kind of lights you planning on? what iam doing is not turning them on till 4pm because its so hot here durring the day.

[RockinReef651]

It has the stock compact lights in it now, one 10k and one actinic plus the 3 led moonlight. At some point I may upgrade to a VHO setup, but that will have to come later lol.

[RockinReef651]

And if the heat keeps up like the last few days I may have to get an ac unit in the room with the tank lol.

[muttley000]

I mixed the salt water about a week ago and have had it running in my tank since to get the temperature where I wanted it and to make sure s.g. was going to be as close to where I wanted it as possible (although it may change after taking some water out to add the sand and rock.) So I am hoping a huge change in temperature wont be a problem

I was refering to the hour and a half drive, baking in the sunlight or having an AC outlet blasting it with 65 air

[RockinReef651]

I was planning on getting a foam cooler to try and help with the ride. Would this work, or do you have a better suggestion?

[j5hughes]

I think using a foam cooler or 2 would be more than efficient.

[muttley000]

I think using a foam cooler or 2 would be more than efficient.

Agreed, s long as you don't need to stop anywhere for long

[RockinReef651]

Nope, it will be straight back from their tank to my tank as quick as possible. Will cycling this way cause any issues with the amount of time it will take for the tank to become stable?

[RockinReef651]

Also thinking of putting a pair of true percs in, how long after the cured lr and sand would I need to wait before adding them? I am more than happy to wait until it is safe as I am doing this on a budget and would really prefer to not make costly mistakes.

[cpl40475]

My biggest concern will be the Sand for you and the guy your getting it from. Taking 20lbs out of his will cause it to stir up in his tank and if its already established the zones for the tank its coming from it could cause his tank to spike Amonia Nitrates or Nitrites. Unless he vacuums his regularly then there wont be much life in the sand anyways.Keeping the rock and sand as wet as possible will help with Die off. I'd run everything for a week in your tank (with out fish or coral)with skimmer ETC and do daily water checks to see if anything is spiking,

[mthomp]

i would wait a week or 2 minimum. you are going to have some kind of cycle, my guess is if everything goes as planned it will last a week, I would then add my CuC if everything is on order, wait one more week to check on things and again if everything is in order consider a fish or 2. yeah what cpl said, i dont know if i would use more then a cup or 2 of the guys sand only because of other issues, get your own sand and add a cup of his.

[RockinReef651]

He is taking down his tank, so I'm not sure he will be too worried about things spiking in his tank. Will getting the sand this way cause any problems for my tank?

[RockinReef651]

sorry mthomp saw your post after replying, would I still be better off just getting a cup of his sand and buying a 20lb bag also? Wouldn't a bag of sand have more dead matter in it causing a larger cycle? Or should it be dry sand seeded with his ls?

[mthomp]

yeah do not waste your money on livesand in a bag, use a cup or 2 of your friends sand and get clean sand to go with it. Regardless of how long or short your cycle is, do not try and rush anything. Wait out whatever you need to. One more piece of advice, do not buy into everything your LFS tells you, research everything 3 times and then get another oppinion.

[RockinReef651]

Thanks for the advice, I have been doing a lot of reading on here before I even bought my tank, but now that I am getting to the point of adding life to the tank I just want to be sure to do things the right way the first time. I want to be able to provide the best home for my future pets as possible!