Second Times Not A Charmer!

[dzsigmond217]

ok..so I got this 7 gallon bookshelf tank and tried to transfer media but apparently I did it wrong.
So its going through the cycling process.
I just got the exact same tank on freecycle and am trying to set it up for a good friend.
I was told to cut off a piece of the sponge in my filter and move it to the new filter.
I have a whisper 40 gallon filter and the sponge in it is around 3"x5".
How much should I cut off? Will this affect my filters bacteria?
Plus do I just drop the sponge into the new filters canister?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Dianne

 

[Shrimper]

What you need to do is add the media and the fish that it will support at the same time. For example if you have 6 fish in your exisiting tank half the media can in theory support 3 fish. You then need to give it time to check the water stats and make sure it is working. If you take too long adding the fish after you have added the media then the bacteria will die.

I did something similar with my new tank when i set it up. What i did was fill the tank and let it run for a day so i could monitor the temp. When I was happy with this i moved half the media and half the fish from my exisiting tank. About a week later (1 think it was only 5 days) I added a few more fish.

 

[backtotropical]

What you need to do is add the media and the fish that it will support at the same time.

This is a very important point dzsigmond. Did you not do this last time? Trying to figure out where you went wrong so i can help where it's needed.

 

[dzsigmond217]

What you need to do is add the media and the fish that it will support at the same time.

This is a very important point dzsigmond. Did you not do this last time? Trying to figure out where you went wrong so i can help where it's needed.

Yes last time I did add fish but I only took maybe a spoonful of media (without sponge) and put it in the filter. But as stated above..my tank is still going through the cycling process. My 29 gallon tank has 20 fish in it. I will be giving 4 of the fish to my friend. So would this mean that I would have to cut off a quarter of the sponge and put it in the new 7 gallon with the 4 fish? And again..would this mess with the bacteria left in my tank? Also, does it matter which part of the sponge I cut? Some parts have a lot more of what I'm assuming is the media on it. Is the media the brownish gunk? Ya I need a lot of help . I'm kinda clueless about media. Step by step directions is what this newbie needs!

 

[Shrimper]

What you need to do is add the media and the fish that it will support at the same time.

This is a very important point dzsigmond. Did you not do this last time? Trying to figure out where you went wrong so i can help where it's needed.

Yes last time I did add fish but I only took maybe a spoonful of media (without sponge) and put it in the filter. But as stated above..my tank is still going through the cycling process. My 29 gallon tank has 20 fish in it. I will be giving 4 of the fish to my friend. So would this mean that I would have to cut off a quarter of the sponge and put it in the new 7 gallon with the 4 fish? And again..would this mess with the bacteria left in my tank? Also, does it matter which part of the sponge I cut? Some parts have a lot more of what I'm assuming is the media on it. Is the media the brownish gunk? Ya I need a lot of help . I'm kinda clueless about media. Step by step directions is what this newbie needs!

Ok the media is the sponge, the stuff you have moved is the gunk that develops in the filter (I can't remember what its called but it begins with M ). Both will contain some bacteria but i think the sponge contains the bulk of them.

As you have 20 fish in the cycled tank a quarter of the sponges would be perfect for 4 fish, i don't think it makes much difference where in the filter the sponge comes from, but if you have some with a lot of gunk it wont hurt to use that bit.

Taking 1/4 of the media out of the 29G shouldn't make any difference to the remaining fish. So long as you replace the sponge you take out the bacteria will multiply quickly to make up for any difference.

 

[backtotropical]

I can't remember what its called but it begins with M

Mulm!

You sound like you are on the right track now mate. It sounds like you didn't use enough media last time.

For the avoidance of doubt, the media is the sponge or ceramic rings or whichever medium your filter has in it for the bacteria to colonise. The sludge which accumulates on the media is called 'Mulm'.

Remove 1/4 of the media and put it in the new tank straight away, keep it wet all the time. You want to have the media out of the water for as short a time as possible. You must also add the fish at the same time. If you do this everything should be ok.

The bacteria in question multiply at around 100% per day, so removing 1/4 of the media shouldn't cause any problems. The filter will catch up in around 8 hours or less.

Keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrite levels in both tanks for about a week afterwards. If either becomes apparent, counter it with large water changes. As i said above, the filter won't take long to catch up, so if anything, water changes will be a short-term remedy.

Good luck and if you have any questions, just ask.

BTT

 

[dzsigmond217]

Bwhuhahahah!...and I thought the media might be the 'mulm'! Well you live and you learn! You guys rock! Thanks for the input. It is exactly what I needed to hear! Tomorrow i will get a heater..wait til the tank get up to the right temp and transfer media & fish!