few questions

[Starry]

Hi all,
Just a few questions from a newbie. (although I have been lurking forever)

I will be purchasing a 70 gallon(48x18x18) tank with 80lbs LR. It comes with 4 NO 30watt flourecent tubes and 2 175watt MH. It also has a prizm skimmer (plan to replace this) and 2 aquaclear 50 filters (will be using these as well as my fluval 404 with carbon for current) and 2 powerheads. Has no fish but does have tons of hermit crabs and a few snails.

My question is if the tank is now established, how long do you think I will have to wait before adding any inhabitants? I realize I may have a small cycle after I setup the tank again, but it shouldnt take more than a week, no?
Also, with this type of lighting could I pretty much have my pick of corals? Plan on making it a reef tank with mostly corals (definatly want a colt) and zoos only a few fish and inverts, maybe an annenome.

I have an old 25g tank I plan on turning into a sump in the future, (with an overflow) and a DIY refugium made from plans with an AC 300 filter I found on the net a few years back.

I have been doing freshwater for about 15 years but other than research, haven't done anything with Marine aquaria.

Starry

[ahullsb]

Depending on how you move it, the cycle could take much longer than a week. I bought an established tank and it took me a month and quite a few water changes to get my parameters back in check . I think the biggest factor involved here would be how you move your sand bed, and how much it gets disturbed. I'll let someone else chime in, but you might be better off starting with new sand, and using a cup or two of the old one to seed it. If that tank has been up for a long time, you risk releasing a lot of bad things back into the water once it's moved.

[dileggi]

I'm thinking, from what I've read from other posts, that I would agree with ahullsb regarding the sand. I believe the sand disturbance...how much or how little, will be the key factor in the water quality.

How deep is the existing sandbed in the tank?

[an411]

You could rinse the sand but before you do that keep some of the already live sand and add it afterwards to reseed . That is what I would do

[Starry]

not much sand at all really, maybe an inch or so. will be adding more for a 4" bed.

[dileggi]

You may not be that bad off if the sand bed isn't that deep. Do you by any chance know if the person who owned the tank generally cleaned thier sand bed or how long the tank was set up?

Again, if not sure, I would probably say to play it safe.