Installing new sump, will tank re-cycle?

[mpholloway]

Good Evening,

I am current building a wet/dry/sump from a 30 gallon tank for my 55 gallon freshwater. I have completed the DIY weir overflow and I have the sump mostly complete with a section for about 4 gallons of bio balls, when compete the sump should add an additional 15 gallons to my system. I just bought all of the components to building a reverse flow undergravel filter which will hopefully by complete this week end.

Now to the questions:
When I install this system in my tank I plan on removing my Emperor 400, should I expect the tank to re-cycle since the bio balls are brand new?
Does anyone have much experience with an reverse flow undergravel filter?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[stud_man50]

hey, i have never heard of a "reverse" flow undergravel, but i would either leave the emperor installed for a little while so the bioballs can build up good bacteria. or you could rinse the emperor filters in old aquarium water I.E. making all the lose stuff fall off and then just place them in a section of the new sump so again your not losing all of your biological, also since your installing a new undergravel filter when you remove the susbstate don't rinse it with fresh water, again that will get rid of your biological in the substrate.

 

[Lotus]

If you leave the Emperor on there for three or four weeks, you shouldn't have any problems. With a fully stocked tank, you certainly don't want to risk an ammonia spike, and leaving the Emperor on there will prevent a problem with the cycle.

Especially if you're changing to an RUGF, it will change the filtration dynamics, and could cause problems if too much of the bacteria is disturbed.