Hi from HB, CA

[lemmy_k]

I have been keeping saltwater for a while. I just upgraded from an 80gal. to a 180gal. I put all the water from my 80 and mixed new water for the rest. I finally found a guy in my area that will give advice based on what is best for the fish and not his profit. With his help, I got rid of my green algae and have started getting some of the purple to come back. The transfer went well with the exception of losing a few to the overflow box, a problem I corrected as soon as the store opened. Everyone else seems to be doin' good, they are all eating. My Copper Banded Butterfly isn't quite the pig he was before the move, but he is eating. In the old tank, I was running all standard fluorescent lights, I have put those in and also added a compact fluorescent fixture. I plan on adding at least one more CF and maybe a metal halide. Any advice on how long to leave it alone and let it run it's cycle, or did the original 80gal and old filters do the trick?
Thanks!

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! I'd love to see pics of your tank setup. I wish I could offer you some advice but I'm a freshie and not likely to be much help.

 

[fijiwigi]

Welcome To AA

I would suggest testing the water to see if there is a mini-cycle and then after 2-3 weeks once things are stable I would think you would be ok to progress with some new additions

 

[Wy Renegade]

Did you move LR and LS when you transfer the tank or just the water? The bacteria that breakdown nutrients are found in the rock and substrate, not in the water column. If you didn't transfer and even if you added which is likely, your probably in for at least a mini cycle. If you didn't transfer any LR and LS, test frequently and get ready to do frequent water changes, cause you will definetly be going through that new tank cycle.

 

[melosu58]

Welcome to the site. Glad you are here. As asked previously you did transfer the old LR over, right. You still might have a mini spike due to not having enough unless you found some already cured LR. I would have added all new sand and seeded it with a cup or two of your old sand. Transfering old sand can get quite nasty. Again welcome to AA

 

[lemmy_k]

Yeah, I transferred all my rock and sand and added enough new sand to cover the bottom. I am on my way to get some water for a change and have it tested. I will post the results later tonight.
We rinsed all the old sand with fresh water from the tap and drained it out.

 

[lemmy_k]

I just got the water tested and other than salinity being a little high, the water is all good! We are going tomorrow to get some more sand and LR. I can't wait to get some fish! It looks so empty!