Quick Way To Cycle A Tank?

[Lawrence]

ok i read about cycling a tank and i have a couple of questions.
to speed up the process of bacteria being produced, and to get fish immediately with my new tank i was thinking of putting a couple of live plants into my tank, and adding some pondwater as there are already bacteria in that water (as well as fish). Also i will change the water 10-20% every day to keep the nitrites and ammonia levels low.

 

[oswoldy]

ok i read about cycling a tank and i have a couple of questions.
to speed up the process of bacteria being produced, and to get fish immediately with my new tank i was thinking of putting a couple of live plants into my tank, and adding some pondwater as there are already bacteria in that water (as well as fish). Also i will change the water 10-20% every day to keep the nitrites and ammonia levels low.

Have a look at the Media Donation link in my signature see if anyone lives near you who is willing to donate some mature media.

I would seriously NOT put fish into a cycling aquarium for the health of the fish, fishkeeping is a game of patience and inpatience will get you nowhere fast.

Mike

 

[Lawrence]

ok i read about cycling a tank and i have a couple of questions.
to speed up the process of bacteria being produced, and to get fish immediately with my new tank i was thinking of putting a couple of live plants into my tank, and adding some pondwater as there are already bacteria in that water (as well as fish). Also i will change the water 10-20% every day to keep the nitrites and ammonia levels low.

Have a look at the Media Donation link in my signature see if anyone lives near you who is willing to donate some mature media.

I would seriously NOT put fish into a cycling aquarium for the health of the fish, fishkeeping is a game of patience and inpatience will get you nowhere fast.

Mike

ok if i change the water everyday more than half, that would be fine right?

 

[oswoldy]

ok i read about cycling a tank and i have a couple of questions.
to speed up the process of bacteria being produced, and to get fish immediately with my new tank i was thinking of putting a couple of live plants into my tank, and adding some pondwater as there are already bacteria in that water (as well as fish). Also i will change the water 10-20% every day to keep the nitrites and ammonia levels low.

Have a look at the Media Donation link in my signature see if anyone lives near you who is willing to donate some mature media.

I would seriously NOT put fish into a cycling aquarium for the health of the fish, fishkeeping is a game of patience and inpatience will get you nowhere fast.

Mike

ok if i change the water everyday more than half, that would be fine right?

Water changes are carried out to reduce the ammonia/nitrIte levels which means there will still have been ammonia/nitrIte present at somepoint during the day that will give your fish permanent health problems.

I personally would not do it, plus as annoying as fishless cycling is it gives you a chance to get a stocking list together and to get to know your tank.

Regards
Mike

 

[Truck]

if you load your tank with plants from the start (80-90% substrate coverage and perform 50% water changes a day...it can be done quite easily)

if you plant to go planted...it is common practice to do a fish in cycle

 

[Lawrence]

ok i was thinking about this:
1. put a sponge in my pond and leave it there for 5 days (bacteria will grow on the sponge)
2. get aquarium with new fish at the same time.
3. plant plants and add water...50% fresh water and 50% pond water
4. add the sponge full of bacteria
5. add fish
6. change 20% of the water every day.

i am convinced that this will work

 

[tropic_john]

do 3 10% changes everyday. 1 in morning 1 and night and 1 at about 6pm

 

[Lawrence]

or shall i leave the sponge bit out?

 

[Tory]

Dude, please dont think im being rude, but it doesnt seem like you are listening to what people have to say - it looks a little like your asking questions, but you kinda got an idea in your head already that youre wanting to go ahead with

These people have saved me and many others from crisis', and made me (and others) learn alot.

Putting filter media in a pond can do the trick id leave it longer tbh, the beneficial bacteria will help but you will still need to do a cycle really, if you read the newbie section (and rest of the forum) on cycling - and fish in cycling, there are lots of opinions - but more importantly good information. Dont make the fish suffer just because your clearly excited (most people are!) and want to get your tank set up asap

I made the mistake, and not only did it when I very first started an aquarium and it not only caused a sizable dent in my wallet, but also needless suffering to the fish who rely on you to take care of them when they cant.

Please dont think im having a go, its constructive critisism!


EDIT DUE TO CHOICE OF WORDING

 

[Lawrence]

Dude, please dont think im being rude, but you clearly arent listening to what people have to say - youre asking questions, and making up your mind what you are going to do anyway!

These people have saved me and many others from crisis', and made me (and others) learn alot.

Putting filter media in a pond can do the trick id leave it longer tbh, the beneficial bacteria will help but you will still need to do a cycle really, if you read the newbie section (and rest of the forum) on cycling - and fish in cycling, there are lots of opinions - but more importantly good information. Dont make the fish suffer just because your clearly excited (most people are!) and want to get your tank set up asap

I made the mistake, and not only did it when I very first started an aquarium and it not only caused a sizable dent in my wallet, but also needless suffering to the fish who rely on you to take care of them when they cant.

Please dont think im having a go, its constructive critisism!

excuse me? this is a forum and im just asking questions, advice... i am coming up with ideas that others probably have not thought of, and who knows maybe my quick way of cycling an aquarium works...no-one tried my way yet so it is not garanteed that it will not work. who knows...it may not be bad for the fish after all...and i am taking others advice, and others also mention my type of way of cycling an aquarium...please take a chill pill

 

[Tory]

excuse me? this is a forum and im just asking questions, advice... i am coming up with ideas that others probably have not thought of, and who knows maybe my quick way of cycling an aquarium works...no-one tried my way yet so it is not garanteed that it will not work. who knows...it may not be bad for the fish after all...and i am taking others advice, and others also mention my type of way of cycling an aquarium...please take a chill pill

Yo, did say am not avin a go, so am totally chilled!! Was just offering advice is all dude

 

[arobinson1984]

excuse me? this is a forum and im just asking questions, advice... i am coming up with ideas that others probably have not thought of, and who knows maybe my quick way of cycling an aquarium works...no-one tried my way yet so it is not garanteed that it will not work. who knows...it may not be bad for the fish after all...and i am taking others advice, and others also mention my type of way of cycling an aquarium...please take a chill pill

Im pretty sure plenty of people will have tried your method before in the past, there is plenty of people on this forum with 20/30 years experience in fish keeping.

In my opinion you would need to leave sponge in your pond for a good 2/3 weeks for a decent amount of bacteria to grow on it, BUT personally I wouldnt want to put anything that has been in an outside pond into my aquarium, there will be alsorts of nasties that grow in outdoor ponds as well as hundreds of different types of bugs.

Fishless cycling is the way to go in my opinion.

When performing a basic fish-in cycle, you cant say that you'll do a 50% water change each day and it'll be alright. The amount of water changes required would differ in every tank and need to be carried out whenever indicated by water testing.

Andy

 

[Tory]

Hey again,

felt the need to post again cos am really sorry if you thought I was having a go - I really wasnt

but also cos have just been searching through the forum for info on mature pond media etc, and so far, the stuff ive pulled up is on the lines of what arobinson1984 just said, people have said they have done it, but even though they have cleaned any bugs and leaches off, other stuff has been hiding in it - and that it would have to be left in a good few weeks. From what I can see, it also depends on the ammonia levels in the pond and the fish. Ive just donated some mature media to my brother for his new tank, and thats been in my filter a good few months!

As oswaldy mentionned earlier, it might be worth seeing if anyone in your area is prepared to donate some mature media from a well established tank..

Would carry on having a scout around for you, but am hitting the sack shortly.

Hope you find all the info you need

T

 

[Tina c]

why the need to rush? if you do that you are putting the lives of any fish you buy at risk,
and i agree with arobinson the pond could have all sorts of nasties that you would then be bringing into your tank where your going to add new fish it just dosnt make any sence just take a chill pill and do things right by your future fish.
which in your case i think would be a fishless cycle so you can then learn the process as you go along.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Lawrence

The only safe and fast way to set up a cycled tank is to "clone" one from another well established, and healthy, tank. To do this, just take some of the filter media and put it into your filter. You would then have to add a few fish immediately to keep the bacteria fed. Alternately, you could run your filter in another tank for a few weeks and some of the bacteria will start growing on it. I would not, however, recommend doing this with an outside pond. There are harmful bacteria, as well as beneficial bacteria, and it's just too easy to transfer them to a new tank. It's not easy to cure fish once they get sick, so don't take that risk.

You could do a "fish in" cycle if you are in a hurry to get at least a few fish in your tank. Don't start with very many and test your water regularly. Do water changes as needed to control the ammonia and then nitrite. Once they are staying at zero you can add more fish, a few at a time, and the bacteria will increase to support them. Until just a few years ago, when people started to do fishless cycling, this was the only way to do it. It just takes patience. Go slowly and keep your fish safe.

Here's the link for that:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306

Yes, my oldest tanks were started with a fish in cycle. The newer ones have all been cloned.