Cycling an empty tank with established media?

[Kimm87]

Im going to use part of an established sponge filter to cycle a new tank but i wont have the fish for like 3 weeks so do i just feed the tank fish food to keep the bacteria alive till i add fish?
I was going to just buy sponge and run the new filter on the old tank till i got fish but no joke neither pet store has sponge or sponge filters. I thought about just useing dish sponge instead but they all say not for aquarium use and im not going the hour to the fish store just to buy a $3 sponge. Ok none of this post actually makes sense im to tired to fix it .

 

[Colin_T]

order some Aquaclear hang on back sponges from ebay or online somewhere and get them mailed to you.

set the tank up with water, plants and gravel, then the day before you get fish move part of the established filter onto the new tank and then add fish. Alternatively, set the tank up and move a couple of your current fish into the new tank with some of the established filter material.

 

[Kimm87]

I dont bave any money on my card right now and i only have my 2 frogs so no fish to move i guess i can wait till fpayday to order sponge tho. Fluval has a small pack that has some ceramic media and a sponge, its supposed to be a refill kit because they say to change it ever other month or somthing stupid. I may just get that its like $3 for a small bag of media and a small sponge that should fit this filter .

 

[Colin_T]

if the bag contains small white granules like gravel, it will be Ammogon, an ammonia absorbing granule and should not be used.

If they have actual ceramic beads, then they do not need to be replaced and can be used.

 

[Kimm87]

Its fluval biomax. im pretty sure its ceramics and fluval just wants you to keep spending money at the cost of your cycle and a bunch of dead fish so they can make a buck. Their sponges have pretty bad reviews that they degrade after a few weeks or months but the biomax has good reviews it just so happens the size bag of media i woukd need for this small filter also comes with the sponge.

 

[Colin_T]

ceramic beads are fine. Sponges should last 10 years or more, I know the Aquaclear HOB sponges last at least 10 years.