Can I Use Water From My Established 55g To Fill Up A New 10g?

[camshaft]

just as the title says.

i have a 55g thats been running smoothly for 9 months. crystal clear water with perfect ammonia levels.

if i buy a new 10g tank can i just put 10g of water from my 55g in it to start off? even start it off with a filter from my 55g as well? maybe wait a few days before adding fish?

i see no reason this wouldnt work.

thanks!

 

[seanc]

Using the filter, and a little gravel will have a much greater effect than the water: most of your nitrigying bacteria is in the filter media. I'v not using this before though, so you might want to get a second opinion: try searching Cloning.

 

[freddyk]

Simply fill the filter for the 10 gallon up with media from the filter of the 55 gallon and you will have an instantly cycled 10 gallon tank because you are literally transfering large amounts of bacteria from one tank to the other. There is little reason to use water from the old tank because it doesn't contain anything good, it's just old fish water. Don't add bacteria from the old tank until you are ready to add the new fish though, or the bacteria will die off.

 

[camshaft]

Simply fill the filter for the 10 gallon up with media from the filter of the 55 gallon and you will have an instantly cycled 10 gallon tank because you are literally transfering large amounts of bacteria from one tank to the other. There is little reason to use water from the old tank because it doesn't contain anything good, it's just old fish water. Don't add bacteria from the old tank until you are ready to add the new fish though, or the bacteria will die off.

thanks! thats just the answer i was looking for.

when you say filter media are you reffering to the charcoal filled filters that i replace or the permanent filter than i dont replace but rinse off?

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

Yep the carbon will work, as will any substrate from the 55g.

 

[camshaft]

also will the same principles apply to a larger tank? i.e. could i use media and substrate from my 55g to cycle a 120g?

 

[Tolak]

You sure could. Unless you have an ugf setup, most of the bacteria is in the filter media.

 

[freddyk]

The difference is if you use some filter from a 50 gallon tank in a 120 gallon tank it's more like you're seeding the new tank and speeding up the length of the cycle, where as when you you set up the 10 gallon from the 50 you can add enough bacteria to complete the cycle instantly.

Any media from the filter works - sponge, biological substrates, carbon, filter floss - anything with a surface will have bacteria on it. In a tank without an undergravel filter the filter media is better to use then the gravel because this is where most of the bacteria resides.

 

[atmmachine816]

ya if u do that u should be good just dont use water from ur 55 gallon b/c then u hav to fill the water up in ur 55 gallon tank and its not gona help ur 10 gallon at all just let ur 10 gallon sit with everything running and temp rith spot for at least a day before u get fish

 

[fishing4exotics]

Adding water from your 55 will help cycle the 10 gallon. The old water will contain the nutrients that the bacteria need. This is necessary since you are not going to add fish right away. The old water is also the environment that the bacteria come from. Adding 100% tap water will kill off some of the bacteria that you are tying to cultivate in your 10 gallon.