Cycling

[sharkbng]

So say i have a 20 gallon tank and a 55 gallon tank.

The 55 gallon tank has been going for a year or two.

The 20 gallon i just bought.

Could i take 20 gallons from the 55 gallon tank and some filter media and put it in the 20gallon?

Maybe wait a week instead of waiting 6?

 

[waterdrop]

The water from the 55g in unneeded. Just some mature media from the 55g filter transferred into the new filter of the 20g will greatly speed your fishless cycle, hopefully chopping weeks off the process.

As long as you keep 2/3 of the biomedia (sponge etc.) of the 55g still in there, its filter will continue to do its job. The 1/3 you transfer into the new filter should be an excellent "seed" for new bacterial growth in the new filter once you add ammonia to feed it.

I'm assuming you have a good liquid-reagent based water test kit and have gone on your shopping adventure and found the hard-to-find correct type of household ammonia to feed the bacteria and have read the fishless cycling article in the Beginners Resource Center, right?

~~waterdrop~~
ps. welcome to TFF!

 

[sharkbng]

The water from the 55g in unneeded. Just some mature media from the 55g filter transferred into the new filter of the 20g will greatly speed your fishless cycle, hopefully chopping weeks off the process.

As long as you keep 2/3 of the biomedia (sponge etc.) of the 55g still in there, its filter will continue to do its job. The 1/3 you transfer into the new filter should be an excellent "seed" for new bacterial growth in the new filter once you add ammonia to feed it.

I'm assuming you have a good liquid-reagent based water test kit and have gone on your shopping adventure and found the hard-to-find correct type of household ammonia to feed the bacteria and have read the fishless cycling article in the Beginners Resource Center, right?

~~waterdrop~~
ps. welcome to TFF!

Sounds good. Yes i have a good water test kit and idk about the ammonia I have "ACE Ammonia Janitorial Strength Formula contains 10% ammonium hydroxide."

Havent read that but will do

Edit: Just checked ammonia no ingredient list but does not foam when shaken

 

[cowboy507]

should be good, the ammonia from ace is what lots of people do.
and do read the fishless cycle, i have a link in my signature.

 

[sharkbng]

should be good, the ammonia from ace is what lots of people do.
and do read the fishless cycle, i have a link in my signature.

So should i add the Media to the filter then add ammonia to get to 5.0 then once everything 0s out im ready?

 

[cowboy507]

yes, add the media the the ammonia.
you will add ammonia up to 5ppm let it drop to 0 or close to 0, then add back up to 5ppm, once you are processing 5ppm of ammonia in less than 12 hrs for at least a week then you should be cycled.
you will want to start checking for nitrites also, mkae sure these are also at 0 for the trial week

 

[sharkbng]

Sounds good thank you. Ill report back to you

 

[djl08]

yes, add the media the the ammonia. you will add ammonia up to 5ppm let it drop to 0 or close to 0, then add back up to 5ppm, once you are processing 5ppm of ammonia in less than 12 hrs for at least a week then you should be cycled. you will want to start checking for nitrites also, mkae sure these are also at 0 for the trial week

you have to procers ammoniaAND nitrites in 12 hrs

whoops, read that wrong

 

[OldMan47]

With the ratios of tank size you are working with, a 1/3 media sample is almost an instant cycle. The 20 is about 1/3 the size of the 55 so I would actually be willing to just add fish. It is always safer to use ammonia and do some sampling but it should all be over, except convincing yourself that things are OK, by Monday.

 

[sharkbng]

What would be some good, colorful fish for the 20gallon? The aquarium is a taller one not a wide one.

I was planning on putting a tall piece of driftwood then maybe cover that with a patch of java moss? Then put a group of neon tetras and i dont know what else haha. Possibly some rams and a blue arcara(sp)

 

[OldMan47]

A 20H strikes me as a bit small for a blue acara. I like the idea of the neons and a ram or two.

 

[sharkbng]

Rams and neons are 1-2inch right? So could i say get 8 neons and 2 rams and be good?

Edit: Oh and is java moss a hardy easy to care for plant? No need for a DIY CO2 thing?

 

[OldMan47]

Java moss is as easy as it gets. I have some in some unlighted tanks and the bit of light that comes into the room through a North facing window is enough to have the plant grow in a bare bottomed tank. The plants are even growing bigger under those circumstances. If you got 8 neons and 2rams, I would think you also have room for a few nice cories in a tank that size.

 

[sharkbng]

Thanks man youve been a big help ill keep this thread updated as i go along

So far my shopping list is
Drift wood
6-8 neon tetras
2 Rams
Cories/some other schooling small fish
2 Sword plants
Java Moss wrapped around slate and drift wood with fishing line?