Hello! I'd love your thoughts on something. I currently have a Red Sea Reefer 170 (43 gallons) and I'll be upgrading to a Red Sea Reefer 425 (112 gallons) in the next few weeks. My tank is doing really well (but getting full) so I really don't want to screw this up like my last transfer crash. In preparation for the transfer, I've cycled a 30 gallon container and added fresh prodibio bacteria weekly to seed some of the new rock going into the upgrade. My thought is: the more cycled, bacteria-rich rock that goes into the upgrade, the less likely the transfer will result in a re-cycle or experience issues (more details on this thought process here). I've also loaded my current sump with rubble rock too. Here is my idea and what I'd love you to critique:
I plan to have sand in the RSR 425 because I have a yellow coris wrasse. Not a deep sand bed, maybe 1 - 1.5 inches. I do not intend to bring any sand from the existing tank over; however, I have two, washed mesh bags of sand seeding in the 30 gallon container:
My thought is that (similar to the dry rock that's been curing) the additional bacteria on the sand will help the tank transfer succeed from day one. Since the sand is in the closed mesh bags, they're not collecting detritus. So, in your opinion, do I:
I plan to have sand in the RSR 425 because I have a yellow coris wrasse. Not a deep sand bed, maybe 1 - 1.5 inches. I do not intend to bring any sand from the existing tank over; however, I have two, washed mesh bags of sand seeding in the 30 gallon container:
My thought is that (similar to the dry rock that's been curing) the additional bacteria on the sand will help the tank transfer succeed from day one. Since the sand is in the closed mesh bags, they're not collecting detritus. So, in your opinion, do I:
- Transfer the contents of the RSR 170 + rock/water/sand of the container (will be ~2.5 months old/seeded) and fill the rest up (additional 40 gallons) with freshly mixed saltwater for a holeshot transfer/upgrade. ....OR....
- Transfer the contents of the RSR 170 with fresh sand (not the sand that's been curing/seeding), but nothing else. Run the RSR 425 partially filled with only water/rock from the existing system + fresh sand to mitigate risk of issues. Then every week add 5 gallons of freshly mixed saltwater until the 425 is completely full. Then move over the new rock that will be even more cured by then and ditch the cured sand.