Cycle Tank

[cheerycherry]

Ive heard you can use mature filter media to kick start a new cycle in an aquarium?

If so what do I need to do? I have a mature fluval 2 filter and want to help get my rio 300 cycled when ive filled it up etc and that has a jumbo juwel filter on it.

 

[OldMan47]

The way that I clone a filter is to remove maybe 1/3 of the media from the mature filter and replace that with new media. Then the mature media goes into the new filter in front of its biological media. The new filter will be put on a new tank and treated as if I was doing a fishless cycle. Usually I find that I have a ready to use filter within just a few days. I then keep the flter alive by "feeding" it with ammonia until I get the new fish. It is something that I do before going to a fish auction so that if I bring anything home there is a place ready for them. One massive water change and I am ready to start acclimating the new fish to the empty tank.