Experience on nearly instant Cycling Please

[Katchan]

Ok for those of you who have read of the continuing adventures of serial killer I got a small filter for him yesturday and put the filter sponge and activated charcoal into it from the pump in my 40 gallon tank (I have a cheap power filter pumping water to a trickle filter, which I consider the main filter) with this how long would it take to fully cycle through in your opinions?

Also will probably be setting up a new tank for the wife in 3-4 weeks (40gallon+) if I grapped 1/2 the bio media from my 40 gallon and 1/2 the bio media (its a pourus rock type stuff) from sons 20 gallon (both with trickle filters) would this make a near instant cycle?

Katchan

 

[pnyklr3]

Yes, I would say a near instant cycle. You would be adding a bioload to cover 30 gallons. I cycled a 10 gallon in a week by adding 2 gallons of established tank water, 2 handfulls of gravel from the established tank, and I cut a piece of the sponge filter from my 55 and added it to the 10 gallon. I also kept adding a little food to keep the bacteria fed.

IMO if you added the 1/2 filter from both tanks, or better yet, run the filter to be used on the 40 gallon tank on your current tank for the 3-4 weeks, then just transfer it to the new tank, you would have no worries at all! I think this is the better way to go. You would have an "instant" cycle (filter is already established) and could add fish right away.

EDIT: If you do not add the fish right away, the bacteria will die, and cause you to need to cycle again. Make sure that you "feed" the bacteria!