How To Do A Fishless Cycle With No Ammonia But Mature Filter Media

[branjie]

Hi all,
I'm getting a new tank for my birthday. I'm upgrading from a 100L tank to a 370L tank. Where I live, you can't get hold of pure ammonia. Is there a way I can do a fishless cycle by somehow using a sponge from my current filter. Keeping in mind, I need to keep the current fish tank cycled until the new tank is ready. I'm currently using an internal power filter, the new tank is an Aqua One tank with a built in filter. I do have a spare 200L per hour power filter, but if I start running that one in my old tank, (with a view to putting it in the new tank for cycling the water) my current tank will be a real washing machine. What would you do?

Thanks!

 

[Majjie]

If you're swopping one tank for the other, all you need do is transfer all the old filter media into the new tank somehow. That will give you sufficient bacteria for your current fish and you just need to gradually swap the old stuff for new media of the correct size/shape for the new tank (in the same way as you would ocassionally replace part of the filter media in an established tank). The challenge is to get the old stuff to fit in somehow!

I'm about to do the same - with media from 3 smaller tanks into a new 300 litre one.

Failing all else, just hang the old media (in a cut off toe from tights/stockings) in the water flow.

 

[znk]

Hi all,
I'm getting a new tank for my birthday. I'm upgrading from a 100L tank to a 370L tank. Where I live, you can't get hold of pure ammonia. Is there a way I can do a fishless cycle by somehow using a sponge from my current filter. Keeping in mind, I need to keep the current fish tank cycled until the new tank is ready. I'm currently using an internal power filter, the new tank is an Aqua One tank with a built in filter. I do have a spare 200L per hour power filter, but if I start running that one in my old tank, (with a view to putting it in the new tank for cycling the water) my current tank will be a real washing machine. What would you do?

Thanks!

If you use media from an established filter you are ready to put fish in the tank imediatly. When cycling a tank what's actualy being cycled is the filter. But dont let the bacteria die of dont put the established media on an empty tank because the bacteria will starve.

Also are you sure the 200l filter is too much for your 100 l tank? Filtering the tank 2 times per hour is not that much.

 

[rdd1952]

As mentioned, if you are taking the old tank down completely, all you need to do is move the filter media from the old filter into the new filter and move the fish over. You will lose a small amount of bacteria that may be actually on the surface of the old filter but you will certainly move enough to prevent any ammonia or nitrite spike. Another option (if it can be done on the tank) is to run both the old filter and the new filter together on the new tank for about 4 weeks. That will allow the new filter to start building bacteria. Since your current filter is an internal, that should be easy to do.

If you simply move a sponge or some media over to the new tank and don't add an ammonia source, the bacteria will quickly die off. It is definitely possible to cycle a tank using seed media but you still have to have an ammonia source. Moving everything over at once is your best option.

 

[branjie]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I'm pretty nervous about doing this.

How's this for a plan? Half fill the new 375L tank with aged tap water. Once it's at the correct temp, add 50L from my old tank. Then add my old cycled filter to the tank. After a few mins, transfer a couple of mollies or swordtails over, and see what they think. If all is o.k, add the rest of the fish, and the other 50 L of old tank water. After a day or so, all going well, top up the tank to 375ml, and turn on the Aqua One built in tank filter. Maybe I could squeeze some gunk from the old filter, into the new filter pads or something first, or run both for 4 weeks as rdd1952 said.

Does that plan sound any good?

 

[tetraqueen]

Run the new filter in the old tank for a comple of weeks.

Aqua one have nodules I would transfer these and the waste collected as this is sure to have ammonia in it. Test it and see.

I would not add fish until the readings are good because even having done that I have just lost all my fish.

 

[rdd1952]

Since the new filter is build in to the new tank, I don't think it's possible to run it in the old tank. I'm not so certain I like your plan on moving things thouh. It it were me, below is what I would do.

1) Do a 50% water change the night before making the transfer.
2) When you're ready to swap, move as much water as possible from the old tank into the new one. It doesn't help with cycling but will mean you are keeping the fish in water they are accoustomed to, meaning no acclimation necessary. Leave just enough for the fish.
3) Add any plants or decorations to the new tank
4) Net the fish and move all of them.
5) Move the last of the water that you can.
6) Finish filling the tank with fresh water.
7) Move the filter media from the old filter to the new one.
8) Start it up.

As mentioned, the alternative to moving the media is to run both filter together for a few weeks and then remove the old one.

Edit: I hate when it changes my 8 and ) into a cool emoticon.

 

[Tolak]

The problem with not adding fish until the readings are good is that there is no source of ammonia, from the fish or added, to keep the nitrifying bacteria alive.

Your plan sounds like a good one, and you are actually being more careful than I am when I do nearly the same thing with angel fry. I would start running the new filter once the old filter & fish are in the tank. It will also help if you do not feed your fish 24 hours before the move, and feed every other day for the first week. Less food eaten means less waste produced, which will give your nitrifying bacteria a chance to do any catching up if needed. If the old tank is decorated there will be some nitrifying bacteria left on the decoration & gravel, but this is minimal.

I take 2 week old angel fry from a 2.5 gallon to a 10 or 15 gallon with 100% fresh water in the new tank, and transfer over the sponge filter after a quick clean. These are bare tanks, and I am doing 50% to 90% water changes on the 2.5 gallon fry tanks every other day, so my tap water & tank water are so close to identical that it doesn't make a difference.

If you do some larger water changes on your current tank the week before the move the effect should be the same. I do the same thing when moving the fish from a 10 or 15 to a 29, or a 29 to a 150. The only difference is I leave about 1/2" of water in the larger tanks for the corys who do cleanup on the bottom.


Edit; Rdd beat me to the post, his plan sounds good!

 

[branjie]

tetraqueen, so sorry to hear you've lost all of your fish .

rdd and tolak, thanks for your advice. I might even print off the last couple of posts so I can have them handy when I get the new tank set up. I don't really think I can put my current powerfilter sponges in the Aqua One filter, as they are completely different shapes. I guess I'll be running the old filter in the new tank for a few weeks.

Thanks guys!