Bacteria in a bottle

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Ry4n7

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If I was to take some water from my healthy established tank and squeezed the filter sponge from the same tank in the water and pour it into a new tank, would that have the same effect as bacteria in a bottle? Is it a viable way of cycling a new tank quickly from anyone's experience?

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Just squeeze the sponge in the new tank. It will be mucky for a couple of hours but the cycle is almost instant. Still worth testing your water daily for a week or two. Last time around I did this using a fishless cycle and was fully cycled in under 2 weeks.
 
The squeezing of filter sponges into water to then "seed" a tank is often mentioned but I am not certain it has much benefit. Bacteria (the nitrifiers) do not live in water but on surfaces, and they adhere quite well. Personally I do not think you could remove many just rinsing/squeezing out filter foam or sponges. The brown gunk that comes out are organics, not bacteria, and you really do not want this in the new tank.

Using the media itself from an established tank in the new tank will seed it faster. I'm not saying the squeezing will not, I just question how much. I rinse my sponge filters under the tap every week, very, very thoroughly; I don't know how much bacteria is still adhering, but from what the experts have told me I suspect a fair number. The chlorine does not kill them either, again depending upon the specifics (chloramine in the water is much stronger).

You asked about the bottled bacteria...these are in a sort of hibernation stage, and they can live like this for some time depending upon circumstances. They can go into a similar suspended state in an aquarium filter too.
 
I have used the squeezing of filter media sponges to seed 2 tanks in the past, it does work but doing things this way makes a mess of your tank as the gunk from the filter sponge goes everywhere in the new tank. Can be cleaned after the tank is cycled but a bit of a faff, nonetheless it does work to help kick start the cycle process.

As for bacteria starter, there are very few product out there that actually work mainly due to not having the correct specific bacteria needed to cycle the tank.

The only product I would recommend is Dr Tim’s One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria. This does have the two main bacterial strains needed for cycling tanks. You must follow the instructions on the bottle exactly tbh.

This bottle can be easily obtained online or at certain LFS’s.


The normal method of starting a cycle with simply plants and ammonia is a process well worth doing as you actually learn more about how the cycle actually works and progresses in my opinion anyway. Only takes about 6 - 8 if all procedures are carried out correctly.
 
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Byron covered it pretty well. If you want to jump start a tank, move part of a filter (some filter media) from an established tank into the new tank. Instant cycled filter.

Don't use the crap from a dirty filter because it is just that, fish crap. It harbours more nasty organisms than beneficial filter bacteria.
 

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