Cycling A New Tank With Old Tank Water?

[Raindancer411]

Hi All

I have just purchased a new tank that I am due to pick up next weekend. I want to cycle the tank (something I have never done before) but I was wondering if instead of using ammonia can I just use some of the tank water from my other tank each day. I also plan on putting some of the filtering media in to float around the tank as do understand that this is where the bacteria all live. I just wondered if they will be ok in new water and will I need to add food?

Also, people say about getting a water test kit of ebay, what one is the one most people use?

 

[Curiosity101]

Beginners Resource Centre
^^ Above is a link to the beginners resource centre. It'd be useful for you to read the article on Fishless-Cycling as this seems to be the one you want to do.
There are also a lot more articles to read about various aspets of fish keeping that are all really useful.

Now to answer your questions...
The tank water will not cycle your tank for two reasons. 1. It contains no source of ammonia and ammonia is what is needed to feed the bacteria. 2. It contains very few bacteria, so will not speed up a cycle either.

Is the filter media pre-cycled or is this new media?
If it is new media then I don't understand why you would just have it floating around and not in the filter.
If it's pre-cycled then jus leave it/put it in the filter alongside some new media.

How long will the tank you're picking up have been empty (empty of fish and/or water) before you can set it up again?
Also how long would it be before you were adding either ammonia or fish.

Test kit - API Master test kit, normally found for around £18 on Ebay. Should last over a year.

 

[alchemist]

It is easier to run your new filter alongside the old filter in the old tank for a months or so - and then move it into your new tank.

 

[Raindancer411]

The filter media will be out of one of my up and running tanks I didnt think to actually put it in the new filter

As for the tank, it is a BRAND new one so will not have any bactria in there at all...

Am not sure how long it will take for the fish to go in there, as soon as its safe to move them in there I guess

 

[Curiosity101]

Well then this all depends on how many fish are in the tank the filter is coming from

and how many you want to put in the new one.

If it were me then I'd move across one of the sponges from a filter tank, have it alongside 1 or two of the new ones in the new tank. Fill with fresh water and begin a fishless cycle with 5ppm of ammonia. Once the filter bacs had caught up you can then stock it with the peace of mind that you're much less likely to subject the fish to ammonia poisoning.