Can Someone Explain What Cloning Means,please

[shelaghfishface]

thats really it, i have 1 cycled filter and 3 tanks so would love to know what cloning involves
many thanks in advance

 

[st24rsap]

what type of filter is the mature one? Cloning involves transfering some of the mature media to the new filter, when i did mine i used 1/3 of the mature filter media. you dont want to remove too much as there may not be enough good bacteria left in your established one to cope with the ammonia & nitrite


im sure someone on here will have a much better explenation than me though

 

[shelaghfishface]

t he filters i have, have sponge in them, so i wouldnt be able to tranfer that would i??.but isnt taking the whole filter and putting it in a tank witha new filter the same thing??
just asking cos i dont have a clue

 

[rabbut]

As above, cloning, is introducing mature media to your tank to have it cycled for a small fish load. I would remove a maximum of 1/3 of your mature media. You can then stock the new tank with upto 1/3 of the mature tanks stocking strait away, and build numbers to full over arround 4 weeks, assuming all goes well. Cince you want to clone 3 tanks, I would clone one to start, then clone the final two from the existing, an dnew a few weeks down the line, once the new tank is fully stocked
The alternative is to take 1/3 of the mature tanks media, and split it between the three new tanks. Run a fishess cycle then, and you will be ready to fully stock in mebe 1-3 weeks, depending in the new tanks sizes, and the fish load in the existing tank.
You could also use media from your mature tank, and combine it with some from a local member

It is important to not remove too much mature media from an estabished tank, as this may put it into a mini-cycle. If your sponge is in one oice, cut 1/3 of it off, and replace the missing 1/3 with new

HTH
Rabbut

 

[st24rsap]

^^^^^^^^^

see told you someone would explain it better than me, and rabbut has helped me out the last month and knows his stuff

 

[Tolak]

A mature colony of nitrifying bacteria can double in 24 hours. Mature means that is has been running for at least a few months, a strong well established colony.

Konowing this, for ease of math, lets say you have a 10 gallon tank with 10 small fish, all the same fish, same size. 1/2 the media will handle the bio load of 5 fish, 1/10 the bio load of one fish. So, when you take 1/3 to 1/2 of your mature bio media, and set it up running on a new tank, it will sustain that 1/3 to 1/2 of a new bio load. Knowing that a mature colony of nitrifying bacteria can double in 24 hours, your existing tank is reasonably safe, as is the new tank, as long as you stock the new tank properly.

There are a couple of precautions you can take, testing daily for the first week is an obvious one. Do not feed the fish in the mature tank for 24 hours before taking the mature media, and feed lightly for the next week. Less food means less waste produced, giving the nitrifying bacteria a chance to catch up if needed. The same applies to the newly set up tank.

The last tank I did any sort of cycle on was a 65 gallon in early '04. I had a 10 gallon, 20, 29, 55, and the cycling 65. The 20 was a clone, the 29 was fishless, as was the 65. Everything since then has been cloned, they're listed in my profile.

 

[shelaghfishface]

thanks Tolak
but as i said i have sponge in my filters so it that media??
the old tank still has a 0 level on ammonia,with a new filter, maybe all the goodies were in the gravel?
the new tank with the cycled filter is reading a 0.5 level of ammonia, im doing water changes, but still the same after a day, will it go down?
when i set up my 4ft tank, i knew nothing about testing/cycling,so i guess i was very lucky that it survived to a 0 level.
on a third tank that i have (2.5ft) i did have some neons in there but still doing reg water changes didnt get the ammonia down from 0.5,
i also got some wisteria plants from ebay that were rubbish, kept falling apart,so could that have ruined the parameters(i did take them out after 3 days)
in the end i took the neons and put them in the new tank,as i felt they were being badley treated having been through 2 lots of cycling, but saying that if the tank is reading 0.5 then they ARE going through it again

i hope to god this makes sense


1x cycled 4ft tank= 1 silver shark 1 betta 3 guppies, i took the filter out to put in the new tank with the fish, so now running at 0 with new filter

1x 3ft (98l)in a cycle(used in emergency when i thought 4ft was leakin)=
2x kissing gouramis
2xopulaine gouramis
2x masagascan rainbow
4xblue wags
4xred wags
6xguppies
4xneons.
READING IN THIS TANK IS 0.5

1x 2,5 ft sitting emty as i couldnt get ammonia level down.

i know there are not really any quik fixes,and the 3ft tank is all living but what am i doing wrong that i can get the ammonia down.i waould be heart broken if any of my fish died, i havent, thank god lost any as yet,
i said i was wanting to change the gravel in the 4ft, should i do this fast and get them all back where they belong in there own tanks??
many thanks ffor reading and any advice is warmly recieved x

and yes i do know that i need more silver sharks,as i was told 3 days ago, but wont get them till i get all the fish i have safely sorted first.

just so i dont keep getting repeated requests to get more of them xxx