Help Needed

[clarepulley]

Hi Guys,
Just looking for a bit of advice really. i have just purchased a new 125 litre tank and currently have 2 smaller 60 litre approx tanks that have been running for 6 years plus with very few problems. i have relatively large 6-7 inch bristle nose plec in one tank and due to a fish dying last week 1 cardinal tetra in the other (please note the fish died due to old age not disease it was a 6-7 year old corydora). i am planning on putting the 2 tanks together and obviously need to move the 2 fish i have into the new tank. i have put some filter media from the plec tank into the new filter and also topped up some of the water from a recent water change as well. do i still need to cycle the tank or will this media be enough to kick start the new tank. p.s i have used nutrafin cycle as well just in case and treated the tap water as normal. also which will be the best fish to move first as i am planning on getting a few more cardinals to keep my single one company as i know they need to be in a shoal.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Hi Clare..theoretically your tank should be instantly cycled, depending on how much of your mature media you moved across to your new filter (bit of a waste of time using the old water ,very little, if any, of our beneficial bacteria live in the water)..what i would do, personally, is now continue as if you were doing a fishless cycle by adding some sort of ammonia source (preferably household ammonia) and do regular water tests.If you choose to do this, make a continuous note of your results and post them on here, that way any questions you may have can get answered in a more clear, positive way.
If your results then come back as would be expected, you could move all your fish (and your extra Cardinal Tetra) into your new 125L tank..but again, that depends on water test results and what filter you are using and how much media you have within it.

Best of luck with it, keep us all posted

Terry.