Best Way To Cycle In This Situation?

[lilacamy931]

Hello All

Currently I have three tanks with 3 fully matured filters. An elite mini, aquaclear hang on the back and fluval 2+.

They are respectively for tanks: 5g, 10g and 14g.

I will end of August be setting up the grand daddy tank (at least to me), it will be a 160 litre with a fluval 205.

Which is the best way for me to cycle this tank? The aquaclear and fluval 2+ both use the same pads and have two each. I have not seen the layout of the fluval 205 yet but would it best to put one pad from each of these for a pretty much instant cycle?

I have not done a fishless cycle yet, the 14g was set up first and due to various circumstances ended up being a fishincycle which was not happy about, the 5g had a mini cycle for day or two and the 10g was instant. Need little advice on best way for the large tank.

Option One:
Do fishless cycle - how long does this take?

Option Two:
Transfer media from the two established and have this running and in the tank with the introduction of the fish so to keep bacteria alive?

Option Three:
Fish in cycle - do not wish to do

Option Four:
Suggestions?

The three tanks already set up are great, the 14g was hard work while it was properly cycling doing so many water changes a day due to the circumstances I fell into!

Thanks you lots

 

[m00se]

I'd roll with Option 2. Take a piece of the mature media from two of the filters in your existing setups and put that into your new filter. Take media from the filters from your two biggest tanks (if those are the ones that fit the new one) to give yourself the best possible chance of a good clone (because those filters will have proportionally more bacteria in them, assuming the tanks are fully stocked). Remember to replace the media that you took with fresh media, and don't take all the media from any one filter (otherwise you'd obviously lose all your bacteria for that tank). Then what you'd have is two tanks with slightly low biomass in their filters, but which will reproduce pretty quickly if you leave one mature pad in with no detriment to the existing tanks to speak of, and you'll have a new filter in your big tank with, essentially, full biomass in its filter, basically ready to go. You'll probably have yourself a good clone going pretty quickly, if not entirely instantly, and you have no reason to do a full fishless cycle from scratch if you have mature filter media already.

Obviously make sure you can still process 5ppm of ammonia down to 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrites in 12h when you use the new filter before you put your fish in the new tank, just to be sure your tank is properly cycled, but otherwise that's the best option

 

[lilacamy931]

Brill, thanks Moose, it is good to hear that won't need to start from scratch as such. Guess I will have fun sourcing ammonia like everyone else does!

Still twoish months to go before set up, very excited

Luckily also this time, the fish store is closer so if something goes wrong can ask them to hold a day or two.

 

[m00se]

Guess I will have fun sourcing ammonia like everyone else does!

People have had trouble finding ammonia, but if you find yourself a decent-sized Homebase (and by that I mean anything other than a really tiny one), it's in the Household Products section, in a white bottle with blue writing. It's 9.5% and has no additives. I've checked whenever I've been into a Homebase because people have said on here that their local one doesn't have it, and I've not yet found one that doesn't stock it. I have found plenty, however, where the staff have said they don't Moral: just go get it yourself, don't ask for help

 

[Bobtastic]

I've just bought a new tank, and I don't really fancy removing some of the foam from my existing cycled Jewul tank and shoving it into my new Flual 405 external filter so I'm planning to get a bucket of tank water from the existing tank and and clear the foam filter media into that and then pour the bucket full of water into the new tank. Hopefully this will transfer so bacteria over to the new filter.

I don't think it's as much as butchering a bit of foam from the old(er) filter but it saves any potential "mini-cycles" that may be caused by removing the foam.

 

[OldMan47]

I think I would go with option 4.
Set up the tank with the 205 attached and running using one of each of the sponges from the other filters in it. Add the rest of the supplied media to fill your 205 because those 2 sponges probably won't be enough. Do a fishless cycle on the new tank and expect it to take less than a week. Once you have the cycle working properly on the new tank, put in the fish.

 

[lilacamy931]

thank you for all the input guys!! The suggestion of the bucket and adding squeezed media to the tank would that essentially be fishless cycling as the media is not established? not sure.. will probably go between Moose and Oldman47 ideas conjoined, making sure the filter can process before adding. So reckon with that much bacteria to be fully established within a week - great!!

Thank you very much.

A small add on question if I may, the filter is being bought for me for my birthday (which is why waiting ) can i set the tank up a week before properly along with live plants and just make sure to feed them? Will they be ok without filter running current around the tank. I have a pump and bubble wand but if this is needed may need help setting up as given to me

 

[OldMan47]

You can easily run some plants in a tank that has good water circulation and no filter. There are even some approaches that use a large planting and water circulation as the only filter in a tank with fish in it. Those are not good beginner tanks but they can work fairly well if you have a feel for how to care for it. Been there, done that, but not going back to that level of non-traditional tank.

 

[lilacamy931]

thanks OldMan47! Will set up tank before filter arrives and have a pump going for circulation, this is much better as can start little earlier. Many thanks