Keeping Cycled Live Rock and Sand in Brute

Natural Blue · 12/29/2015, 02:58 PM

I lucked out and purchased 55lbs of really nice live rock and 40lbs of Carib sea agri alive sand for $100.

The guy I bought it from had already cycled the live rock and sand for approximately 8 weeks and purchased everything new before quickly getting out of saltwater due to finding out they are having another kiddo. I currently have it all in a covered brute trash can with heater and powerhead until my tank is setup, which brings me to my questions.

1. Should I continue to ghost feed the rock or am I okay just topping of evaporation with RODI?

2. If I get new sand, does new sand need to be cycled? It's nice that my live rock is already cured and cycled so I'd like not to cycle again if I don't have to but it wouldn't be a big deal since I need to let the funds recover before stocking.

Natural Blue · 12/30/2015, 08:06 AM

Anyone out there?

scooter31707 · 12/30/2015, 08:12 AM

no mix in the new sand, making sure it's clean. You don't have to really ghost feed the live rock, IMO.

Natural Blue · 12/30/2015, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooter31707

no mix in the new sand, making sure it's clean. You don't have to really ghost feed the live rock, IMO.

Okay, the ghost feeding was one of my bigger concerns since the tank won't be here for another week and I haven't ghost fed anything.

Sapelo · 12/30/2015, 08:40 AM

We kept live rock in butes with heaters and pumps to circulate water for 6 weeks with no problems.

MondoBongo · 12/30/2015, 08:55 AM

i would ditch the old sand and get new sand. but not live sand, just regular dry sand. then i would wash it very well before adding it to the new tank.

ghost feeding isn't a bad idea. you may still experience a cycle when moving to the new tank, so keep an eye on params. it should be short, prompted by the small amount of die off when you move the rocks. when i moved my small tank, it had a minor ammonia/nitrite spike that lasted about 18 hours, then was done.

12/29/2015, 02:58 PM	#1
Natural Blue Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 151	Keeping Cycled Live Rock and Sand in Brute I lucked out and purchased 55lbs of really nice live rock and 40lbs of Carib sea agri alive sand for $100. The guy I bought it from had already cycled the live rock and sand for approximately 8 weeks and purchased everything new before quickly getting out of saltwater due to finding out they are having another kiddo. I currently have it all in a covered brute trash can with heater and powerhead until my tank is setup, which brings me to my questions. 1. Should I continue to ghost feed the rock or am I okay just topping of evaporation with RODI? 2. If I get new sand, does new sand need to be cycled? It's nice that my live rock is already cured and cycled so I'd like not to cycle again if I don't have to but it wouldn't be a big deal since I need to let the funds recover before stocking.

12/30/2015, 08:55 AM	#6
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	i would ditch the old sand and get new sand. but not live sand, just regular dry sand. then i would wash it very well before adding it to the new tank. ghost feeding isn't a bad idea. you may still experience a cycle when moving to the new tank, so keep an eye on params. it should be short, prompted by the small amount of die off when you move the rocks. when i moved my small tank, it had a minor ammonia/nitrite spike that lasted about 18 hours, then was done. __________________ [Citation Needed] "You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right" - xkcd Current Tank Info: A rectangular shaped money pit.

12/30/2015, 08:06 AM	#2
Natural Blue Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 151	Anyone out there?

12/30/2015, 08:12 AM	#3
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	no mix in the new sand, making sure it's clean. You don't have to really ghost feed the live rock, IMO.

12/30/2015, 08:40 AM	#5
Sapelo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: North Georgia Posts: 869	We kept live rock in butes with heaters and pumps to circulate water for 6 weeks with no problems.