I agree that you will need to try and get your bacterial populations up there if your dumping all livestock at once. I'd be (reasonably) feeding just as though it was stocked. Adding anything with bacterial populations will most certainly go a long way. So your train of thought seems right on track to me and seems like a good solid approach. I don't think there would be much issues on donor tank. Might not want to make and drastic changes during or instantly after on donor system if concerned as it will no doubtably experience some level of population shift but normal circumstances I would assume would be problem free. IMO not even an issue. But understand the concern for buddy system. But I don't know your bioload nor would I have any clue as to the filtering capabilities you'll have at that time so who knows. I think your on track though. But honestly I don't know. My head is to preoccupied right now to think straight. Lol

IMO the best approach for dry rock if you don't want to spend months cooking it is to simply nuke it. Less the bleach. Unless there is a lot of organics. Then bleach first. Bit just give it all a good acid bath and then cycle it. Such a simple process that can make worlds of difference. If you keep getting sluff off at the bottom of the holding container, it's not yet clean. This should be minimal though anyways and you should be able to just cycle and be done. After you won't have (or shouldn't have) any phosphate issues with the rock itself. Although it sounds as though you have started cycling already and then the above may not be appropriate with your time frame and it is far more effective when the rock itself is dry.

Good luck!

Wayne is going to seed a large foam block for me, it should be enough to make up any lag in the LR filtration.
Dry rock is in a rubbermaid soaking away. I'll borrow some fresh LR from the LFS tomorrow and add that to the dry. Add some food and some snails.

I did the 14-day zeo cycle when I started the 280. At day 10 I added some small chromis (5 maybe? I don't remember). Otherwise though at 14 days I moved basically everyone over in one go from the old tank. There were no issues.

Tony

Think I'm in the same boat. Started with a huge amount of dead rock that had a good acid bath and bleach bath. Added some live rock from a local tank and soaked it in the garage all together for 4 to 6 weeks, skimmer, power heads, and a bit of light.
Now the tank is about 1.5 years in and I'm still leaching PO4. Other than pulling the rock out and replacing, are there any other options?
Really don't want to replace rock but don't want to be fighting this in another couple years as well...

Jesse

If the tank is already 1.5 years old. The rock would have had ample time to purge itself of any bound nutrients. Phosohates can only bed themselves so deep into the rock. After 1.5 years of potential purging opportunity there would have been more then enough time for it to have been purged out. Take this how you want, but your nutrient issues go deeper then your rocks. Granted after 1.5 years the rocks can be a contributing issue now again as they may very well be full again.

Brad Hagen Cycle is some amazing suff I have always used it and it worked great run the tub with that and a power head and heater and you wont get a spike nothing and it will be all GTG .. I have done this with all my tanks and never had a problem.

So how do you know if it works?

pfft, I just spit my tea at my monitor :razz:

Pfft... shouldn't that be bzzzt crackle poof? ;)

lol, it doesn't give up that easy. Thankfully :wink: