Seeding Filter Spongee

[waggie]

Hi all

I am thinking about getting a new 20 Gallon tank in about a months time and using it as a qt tank.

My question is if I was to buy some filter sponge now and put it in a tank with 2 ACF's and a common plec to "Seed" it, would it be cycled enough to go straight into the new tank so I could add fish straight away?

I know I could just buy a filter and run that in the tank, but thats not feasable for 2 reasons. 1 The tank I am getting comes with a filter, heater and everything needed, so to buy a complete filter now would be a waste of money. 2 I am short on plug sockets in that particular location and don't want to run anymore multi sockets as I think I am already overloaded on that circuit.

Cheers
waggie

 

[three-fingers]

I presume your existing tank already has a mature filter?

If so, then when you set up the new 20G, then just take some media from the mature filter and put it in the new filter, first in the flow (as in, place it so that the water goes over the mature media first in the new filter).

You can then buy some filter floss to replace the media you took out of the old filter, but probably wont need to, as you only need a small bit of mature media. One ceramic ring, or a small section of cut out sponge will do.

Like this for example: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=&amp...t&p=2529514

 

[OldMan47]

If you set up a working sponge filter in an existing tank, it will eventually share the bioload in the tank. When you actually need a cycled QT, you just move the extra filter to the QT and presto, you have a cycled tank. I keep spare filters running all the time on may largest tanks so that if I suddenly need a filter for something unforeseen, I will have one. Last week, when I had a cheap filter fail on my Corydoras hastatus tank, I used my emergency spare that was closest in size to the one I needed. I then set up a new filter on their tank so that the emergency filter can go back to being on standby for the next emergency need. The Toms Rapid mini-canister is probably going to end up on the scrap heap. I have hated that filter since the first time I started to use it. When I went to try to revive it, I realized that I can't even get at the impeller on it.