Insta-tank?

[Tommy Gunnz]

Ok, so I am looking to check on my own usual advice as far as how to cycle a tank, so feel free to bash apart my somewhat risky plan here...

So, I need to get a 10 gallon live bearer tank set up pretty quickly (long story, wont bore you with the details yet...) and I am looking at cloning the tank with the hopes that in two or three days I can put some very strong fish in it (mollies/platties/guppies -not fancy-). Here is my plan to create the ultima, super quick cloned tank:

Bought the 10 gallon tank in a kit type package that came with everything but a heater and substrate (and fish of course). I have a 55 gallon cichlid tank up and running with two filters which have that type of white, scrubby pad (cant think of a better description) bio filter to grow bacteria on, and so I took one of them off the 55 and put it on the 10 gallon tank. The substrate came right from the established 55 (just bought new stuff to replace the stuff I took out) and I also took 10 gallons of the established tank's water and filled up the 10 gallon with it.

So, basically, this new 10 gallon tank is built with everything from the old tank, minus the glass itself. I plan to run the larger filter from the 55 gallon tank on the 10 gallon tank for about 5 to 7 days in the hopes that the bacteria will 'jump' from one filter to another. Right now, I feel confident to simply put fish in the new tank right away as long as I do not remove the filter from the established 55 gallon tank.

What do you guys think? Am I crazy? If I told you that I have the fish already and they are in one of those breeding net type boxes in my cichlid tank? Yea, now I am crazy right? I didnt have much choice though and I had to save them from a ride down the toilet. They are smallish to medium (maybe inch and a half max) and there are 20 of them!

 

[three-fingers]

So, basically, this new 10 gallon tank is built with everything from the old tank, minus the glass itself. I plan to run the larger filter from the 55 gallon tank on the 10 gallon tank for about 5 to 7 days in the hopes that the bacteria will 'jump' from one filter to another. Right now, I feel confident to simply put fish in the new tank right away as long as I do not remove the filter from the established 55 gallon tank.

Mayby try cutting a small piece of filter media off the filter in the 55 and actually putting it in the new filter of the 10? When you do that possibly add a couple of small guppys or everyday so the bacteria wont die of no fish crap to convert . Then keep adding a couple of the fish every day. Thats what i would do, but they are in a small breeding box so maybe i would add fish a bit faster .

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

Thanks for your comments fingers.

After typing all that out on this question, I figured I could just put the smaller filter media that came with the 10 gallon tank right in the bigger filter from the 55 gallon. I hope this will speed up the 'jumping' of bacteria from the established bio filter to the new one.

The breeding net isnt really all that small actually, definately too small for a long period of time, but there is still some wiggle room for the fish.

I am seriously thinking of just putting the fish into the 10 gallon tank right now. I mean, if I keep the filter from the 55 gallon tank on the 10 gallon tank, then the water parameters cannot be affected too much. Trust me when I say that the 55 gallon tank's HOB filter is way to big for the 10 gallon, so I am almost positive that it can take care of any wastes produced. It actually is wide enough to have less than a half an inch of room on each side as it hangs on the back of the 10 gallon.

Its hard for me because all of this logic really makes sense to me and I am sure if I didnt have the option to ask all of you what you think, I would just put them in!

 

[Tolak]

You're no crazier than me or many other people I know. The 10 gallon is around 1/5 of the 55 gallon. Take 1/5 of the 55 media, and stick it in the 10 gallon filter. The 10 gallon is instantly cycled, add fish.

Nitrifying bacteria in a mature filter can double in 24 hours, the slight media loss in the 55 won't make a dent. Any bacteria growth beyond what is added to the 10 will happen quickly with mature filter media.

This is the reason I run several filters on many tanks, if I need tank space quick I just fill a tank, add a heater & mature filter, and fish.

 

[Araxen]

What I do is, I have some left over filter media from HOB Filter's that died so I cut up one of the filter refills and keep it in the filter I'm using now, Aquaclear 70.

I keep that piece that I cut up along with the regular filter stuff for my Aquaclear. Whenever I need to insta-cycle a tank with some filter media. I just take out that piece and throw it into the breeding/qt tank's filter and it's good to go!

 

[raptorrex]

You're no crazier than me or many other people I know. The 10 gallon is around 1/5 of the 55 gallon. Take 1/5 of the 55 media, and stick it in the 10 gallon filter. The 10 gallon is instantly cycled, add fish.

Nitrifying bacteria in a mature filter can double in 24 hours, the slight media loss in the 55 won't make a dent. Any bacteria growth beyond what is added to the 10 will happen quickly with mature filter media.

This is the reason I run several filters on many tanks, if I need tank space quick I just fill a tank, add a heater & mature filter, and fish.

how do you control the water flow in a 'several filter' tank?

 

[Tolak]

They aren't all power filters; I have plenty of sponge & box filters. With 2 power filters, put one on the short side, and one next to it at a 90-degree angle on the back. I have a 29 full of angel fry with this setup, along with a sponge filter. It had two; one went in a fry tank a couple of weeks ago.

You can aim the output of canisters just about anywhere; straight down, as well as back towards the side reduces turbulence. Power head filters on the bottom keep the bottom clean, as well as keeping the flow down on the bottom. I have a 55 with a couple of Eheim canisters, a 2222 & a 2224, an AC 200, and a 1,000 lph pump with a foam pre-filter on the bottom. This has larger angels ATM, I've had dime size angels in there plenty of times.

Another 55 has 3 power head filters, 2 sponges, and a small internal filter. The other tanks, mostly 20's & 29's have a combination of power, canister, sponge, & box filters.

Different filters do different things better. Power head & power filters are great for mechanical, somewhat lacking in biological. Canisters do both reasonably well. Box filters do some mechanical, mostly bio, sponges are mainly bio.