Cycling New Tank Using Existing Tank

[Sharknado99]

Hi all
 
I have just bought a Juwel 180L and my existing fish are going to be moving house soon.
 
The filters are completely different from each other so its not like I can stick some of the stuff from my old filter into the new filter.  
I was thinking of putting a bag or bowl of gravel at the bottom of my existing tank..and then after setting up the NEW tank, I will move that gravel into it.
I have heard that the good bacteria live in surfaces rather than water so putting some of the existing tank water into the new one might not help.
How long do you think I will have to leave the new gravel in the existing tank before the bacteria start growing on it?
 
Also once i put that gravel into the NEW tank, I have to put some fish food in there for them to feed on right?
 
Do you guys have any tips or suggestions for me to cut down on cycling time if possible?
 
 

 

[Ninjouzata]

Can you have both tanks up at the same time? If so, why not do a fishless cycle with ammonia on the new tank?

 

[Sharknado99]

Hi
 
Yes I am going to have the established tank going at the same time. I was hoping to cut down the cycle time by using media from the existing tank (ie the gravel etc). 
 
Our stores don't sell ammonia as such, so it will have to be fish food and plants etc. 
 
I'm just keen on getting the fish over to their new premises because the angelfish is looking quite big now and i think he has outgrown the tank. 
 
I was hoping to put some new gravel separately in the existing tank and then moving that separate gravel to the new tank so that the bacteria can migrate too. And of course feeding them with fish food.  What do you think?  Will this method hasten the process a bit?
 
Thanks

 

[Ninjouzata]

The gravel should help a little, but the thing with fish food is you can't measure how much ammona it will put off. It also takes longer as it needs to break down first
 
Have you seen THIS? It has some sources of ammonia for NZ. Also I think I've heard of something called cloudy ammonia around there that has been used successfully. You just don't want to shake it up I think.

 

[Gruntle]

What sort of filters do you have? We might be able to advise a way to get the media (foam, floss, ceramic rings, whatever's there) from one into the other. If there's an easy way to transfer the bacteria it's definitely via bits from the filters. Pictures would be good.
 
You could have luck with your gravel plan, but unfortunately there's no guarantee it would work.  What might work is transferring the old gravel from your old tank into the new, and putting new gravel in the old tank. I couldn't begin to estimate how long it would take (if ever) to get bacteria to grow on your new gravel, but if your old gravel has been in the tank a while, there's a likelihood you'll be able to transfer it (and hopefully without disturbing your old tank too much). The closer to the water you can get (i.e. the top half inch of gravel) would have more bacteria than the lower stuff.

 

[Fishmanic]

if you are no longer going to use the old tank,  cut up the old media to make it fit into the new filter---if you do so, you will definitely speed up the cycle which should be done using ammonia per the cycling guide on this site

 

[Sharknado99]

Thank you all so much for your help. I will try to take pics if i can. THe existing tank uses the filter with the noodles, carbon, foam etc. It all comes in a black box and i have to replace the wooly foam and carbon every month or so. THe new tank however is a juwel system and they have these lil sponge pads which fit exactly in the container, so there is no space for me to put the noodles etc.
 
I will not be using the old tank after the transfer but I will most definitely make sure the tank is fully cycled before adding any fish and thank you all for your suggestions and help. If you have anymore, please let me know.

 

[Essjay]

You can put the noodles in a mesh bag. The foam can be cut to shape. You don't need carbon, though if it has been in your existing filter a while it will be covered in bacteria so it might be best to move that across too.
 
When I got a Juwel tank, I had noodles and a long thin sponge in the old filter. I replaced one fine sponge with a bag of noodles and one coarse sponge with the chopped up sponge from the old filter (that was a coarse sponge) then filled the gaps with Juwel media. If your filter will have cirax, replace that with a bag of noodles, mine was made before they brought out cirax. After a couple of months you can replace part of the old media (carbon) with Juwel media, then a bit more after another month or two and so on till all the old media has gone. Or just leave it there.
 
Don't bother with the carbon sponge that comes with the Juwel filter, leave it in the cupboard in case you do need it. And buy a roll of filter wool and use a Juwel white pad as a template to cut the roll up. The white pad is first in the water flow; it is designed to catch bits of mess to stop them getting to the sponges. It clogs quickly and needs washing weekly - but it will only wash once, maybe twice, before going holey and shapeless. Juwel white pads work out expensive to change every couple of weeks, a roll of filter wool is much cheaper.

 

[Sharknado99]

You can put the noodles in a mesh bag. The foam can be cut to shape. You don't need carbon, though if it has been in your existing filter a while it will be covered in bacteria so it might be best to move that across too.
 
When I got a Juwel tank, I had noodles and a long thin sponge in the old filter. I replaced one fine sponge with a bag of noodles and one coarse sponge with the chopped up sponge from the old filter (that was a coarse sponge) then filled the gaps with Juwel media. If your filter will have cirax, replace that with a bag of noodles, mine was made before they brought out cirax. After a couple of months you can replace part of the old media (carbon) with Juwel media, then a bit more after another month or two and so on till all the old media has gone. Or just leave it there.
 
Don't bother with the carbon sponge that comes with the Juwel filter, leave it in the cupboard in case you do need it. And buy a roll of filter wool and use a Juwel white pad as a template to cut the roll up. The white pad is first in the water flow; it is designed to catch bits of mess to stop them getting to the sponges. It clogs quickly and needs washing weekly - but it will only wash once, maybe twice, before going holey and shapeless. Juwel white pads work out expensive to change every couple of weeks, a roll of filter wool is much cheaper.

 
Thank you...Thats great advice. Much appreciated...