Start The Cycle Of My New Tank Using My Old Tank

[RobGoldsmith]

Hey guys

Thanks again for all the recent comments!

I have anew tank coming today, I want to keep my older smaller tank running until the new one is cycled.

Is there any way I can use my old smaller tank to kick-start my new tank? e.g. adding some of the water or such like?

As i say, I dont want to change too much on the older tank as it is healthy and running well. I hope to swap the fish over in a few weeks.

Thanks
Rob

 

[anon02]

Hey guys

Thanks again for all the recent comments!

I have anew tank coming today, I want to keep my older smaller tank running until the new one is cycled.

Is there any way I can use my old smaller tank to kick-start my new tank? e.g. adding some of the water or such like?

As i say, I dont want to change too much on the older tank as it is healthy and running well. I hope to swap the fish over in a few weeks.

Thanks
Rob

The vast majority of beneficial bacteria will be on your filter media, if you take about one third of that media and put it into your new filter in a position so that water hits it first, that is the usual advice for optimal benefit

Keep a close eye on your old tank (by means of liquid reagent testing)to ensure that taking the media out doesn`t trigger a mini cycle. A lot will depend on how mature your old filter is and the bioload that the reduced media will have to cope with

 

[waterdrop]

Agree, it takes about a year to fully mature a tank and the filter continues to mature throughout that year. The cycling part in the first few months is just the kick-off. So the extent to which the filter on your small tank is ready to lend a hand to your new tank may depend somewhat on its own age. How old is it? What size bioload has it come in to balance with?

As anon says, the standard maximum donation amount is 1/3 of the older filter, but if the older tank is less than about 6 months old you might want to lower that amount a little. Things other than filter media are close to useless (although gravel or decorations from a very mature tank are not worthless in this regard if you can't get media, I should mention) for helping with a new fishless cycle.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Thanks for replies!

Would it prove a problem to just put the cycled media in the new filter and put all the fish across into the new tank all at once? Or am i better using a staggered approach with the fish safe in the cycled tank while i wait?

Also, would a snail be ok in the new tank or help the cycle at all?

Thanks
Rob

 

[the biffster]

Thanks for replies!

Would it prove a problem to just put the cycled media in the new filter and put all the fish across into the new tank all at once? Or am i better using a staggered approach with the fish safe in the cycled tank while i wait?

Also, would a snail be ok in the new tank or help the cycle at all?

Thanks
Rob

i think your better using
the staggered approach as you
would what to risk losing any of
you fish due to the filter crashing
and the tank going into a full cycle

 

[RobGoldsmith]

ok thanks

 

[the biffster]

ok thanks

no problem