Express Cycling

[Redbled]

I'm looking at setting up a 3rd acquarium. My question is this. Is it possible to use gravel from existing tanks to speed up the cycling process in the new tank? I wondered if I had to go thru the same hassle as when I first started keeping fish years ago. Would doing a water change in one of my tanks and using some of the water in the new tank be a good idea? Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Paul_MTS]

yep gravel will help alot.

a more sure fire way though is to use some of your filter media from an existing tank then place it in your new filter.

jus chop up a sponge from another tank place it inside for new tank and your done.

make sure you add fish with in 1 hour of doing this though otherwise the bacteria from the old sponge will die off being worthless.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Oops... Does rinsing a filter sponge very heavily clogged and adding lots of fiah food do as a substitute for the bacteria? I cloned it but... forgot to add fish. I want some danios for my 20, how many will survive the cycling?

 

[Paul_MTS]

yes adding some fish food would keep the bacteria ticking over a bit, once again though this has to be added quickly or the fish dies and will start the cycle from stratch.

 

[andywg]

Just to cover another point raised - the water in an aquarium contains a minute amount of bacteria and as such moving tank water from one tank to another really doe very little in the way of cycling the tank. Taking filter media from an established tank and adding it to a new one (cloning) is the best way to start an extra tank.

 

[Torrean]

I think you can run a new filter in a new aquarium. While doing this take filter media from an old aquarium and swish it out really good (not too good) into the new tank water. this should seed your tank. Make sure you've already got some fish though.