n00b Questions

[YoReef]

First of all, this is a great resource with an overwhelming amount of information. Trying to sift through it is quite a task!!

I've been reading up on reefkeeping for the past two weeks, learning as much as I can. My plan was to start from scratch and take it slow, but I've ran across a deal that is very hard to pass up:

120g Tank with Stand & Canopy
2 Actinic Lights
3 250W Hamilton Reefstar MH Lights
Skimmer
Sump
2 Pumps
1/4 HP Cyclone Chiller
UV Sterilizer

All for $1,500; which seems like a great deal, and a hard one to pass up...

The owner is moving most the livestock to another tank, and getting rid of this setup. There will be some sand, rock and coral left over which I can keep. I can pick up live rock and live sand from someone else in my area to finish loading up the tank (I'm thinking 4" sand bed and around 200lbs of LR total).

Now I have about a billion questions floating around in my head, but I'll start it off easy...

How much of a "shock" does an already established tank go through when most of its LR and LS is removed?

Can I add LR and LS from another already established system? Will that cause a cycle?

Is this n00b biting off more than he can chew?

[Andrew]

[welcome]

I would just get some star board and go BB if you want to save the trouble. It could start a new cycle if you use new sand but ive moved the sand from my 36 to my 20 as well as the water and ect and the cycle didn't start over.

[WaterKeeper]

Hi YoReef,

Using sand and rock from an established tank should not create any problems unless it dries out or over/under heats during transit.