Question About Cycling?

[mrcobrajet]

Question? If I have 2 tanks that are the same with the same filter... 1 tank has been going for a year and has already been cycled, if I take all the filters, bio media, etc. out of the cycled tank and place them in the NON cycled tank... Would the second non cycled tank now be cycled and safe for fish?
THANX

 

[Staxx]

yeah it would be completely safe and completely cyled.

. but then what about filtering your first tank?

 

[Mauigirl]

Question? If I have 2 tanks that are the same with the same filter... 1 tank has been going for a year and has already been cycled, if I take all the filters, bio media, etc. out of the cycled tank and place them in the NON cycled tank... Would the second non cycled tank now be cycled and safe for fish?
THANX

It sounds like you have 2 tanks and 2 filters.. but plan to put the old filter on the new tank. Kind of a confusing read really , sorry just trying to clarify your intentions.
If you are planning on keeping both tanks I would recommend taking no more than 1/3 at most of the media from old filter and stuffing it into the new, take 1/3 from the new to replace the now missing in the old,
the original should see no ill effects ( shouldn't anyway maybe a mini cycle) Follow a fish-less cycle in the 2nd, it should be drastically shortened And fully cycled in almost no time.


If you did like your original post read,

then yes, as your filter is what is cycled not the tank ( well a small amount of the bacteria live elsewhere but nothing too substantial.)
Putting a fully cycled filter on a tank is a done deal, good to go.

 

[4seasons]

Question? If I have 2 tanks that are the same with the same filter... 1 tank has been going for a year and has already been cycled, if I take all the filters, bio media, etc. out of the cycled tank and place them in the NON cycled tank... Would the second non cycled tank now be cycled and safe for fish?
THANX

You would only want to do that if you were replacing your first tank with the second. As soon as you remove the media from your first tank it would then be uncycled and you would have to start the cycle over on the first.
You would be much better off to follow Mauigirl's instructions using only 1/3 to jumpstart the cycle on the new tank.