new tank

[longhorn13]

i just started up a new 10G and i put an established sponge filter in along with a bunch of water from another established tank. how long should i let it cycle or is it good to go?

 

[MadCow]

Should still have to cycle it. I would go with a fishless cycle as long as you don't already have fish. Test everyday and it should cycle pretty fast as you have a good head-start on bacteria. I would rather go ahead and cycle it now rather than add a bunch of fish and then find out after your ammonia skyrockets that you didn't have enough bacteria established to carry the bio-load.

 

[tstenback]

Remember that if you are going to cycle the tank and keep those bacteria alive you will need a source of ammonia. If you go fishless as suggested then you will have to add pure ammonia to the tank to feed the bacteria. Pure ammonia does not froth when you shake it. If you decide to use fish they will supply the ammonia. You should test the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels every other day until the ammonia and nitrite are at zero and the nitrate is positive. If you need further info on this topic have a read of avoiding new tank syndrome by one of our fine members in the forum. HTH

 

[heresmike]

Good advice above! I recently had to set up a 12gallon hospital. I added some of the bio-max from my other filters... ammonia never registered, and nitrites only reached about .1 ... Tank cycled in 3 - 4 days. If you add enough media from an established filter, it really doesn't take too long!