Speeding Up Cycling...

[fall-apart-dave]

Well, when I transfer to the 55 litre, I'll do a large 60% water change in the big tank and use the water from that, top up with fresh, put in the plants, leave for a week, check levels, and then add fish slowly and see what happens.

 

[Squid]

Well, when I transfer to the 55 litre, I'll do a large 60% water change in the big tank and use the water from that, top up with fresh, put in the plants, leave for a week, check levels, and then add fish slowly and see what happens.

Just to check.. if you move the new "now cycled" filter from the old tank to the new tank, you must add fish within 12 hours or so, or the filter will un-cycle. It needs the ammonia source to stay cycled. That will be provided by the fish.

Squid

 

[fall-apart-dave]

Good point, well presented sir!

 

[Ryan_R]

My Sweetie swapped our fish from our 30g tank to the new but not-yet-cycled 75g tank (was cycling for a week or so) while I was at work one day. I came home to that surprise.

I quickly took the still wet media "floss" from the old tank, cut it up so it would fit into the media cartridge of the new tanks filter.... scooped a cup full of old tank's gravel and dumped it in the new tank.... crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Worked just fine. A week later when my test kits showed up in the mailbox, ammonia and nitrites were at naught.

-Ryan

 

[Mikaila31]

I normally take 1/4 or 1/3 of the mature filter media out of one of my established tanks and move it to the filter in a uncycled tank, then add fish right away.