Washing In Tank Water

[Genie]

small question, before i soak some bogwood. when soaking and cleaning filters etc i know you're not supposed to use tap water. But what if your tank isnt cycled? My sister has an established tank, would it be better to use her water or mine?

(we discussed me borrowing some of her filter media before, but I have a jewel filter and she has something completely different so we dont think we can)

thanks

 

[MHunt]

I'm not sure what you want answering in this post but I'll have a go.

Bogwood can be soaked in whatever water you want, water straight out the tap is fine, it's just to get excess tannins out of the wood, and also so the wood gets soaked with water so there's less chance of it floating in the aquarium, it's never happened to me but you never know, it is wood!

I wouldn't bother cleaning out your filter till the cycle has finished, give it a chance to get all mucky with loads of bacteria in it first! We say to use old tank water to clean the filter because it has been dechlorinated. Basically you don't want the chlorine out of the tap water to kill all the good bacteria you have been colonising in your filter during the cycle.

Good luck with your new tank!

 

[Genie]

thanks! i just didnt know whether it being uncycled was good to wash stuff in. For the ammonia/nitrites etc.
Thank you

 

[MHunt]

thanks! i just didnt know whether it being uncycled was good to wash stuff in. For the ammonia/nitrites etc.
Thank you

No, as long as the water has been dechlorinated you can wash the filter with it.

Now a little tip that may help you in the future, when you are cycling a tank, you are really cycling the filter, the water holds little or no nitrifying bacteria, the substrate will hold some, but again nowhere near as much as the filter. You could take a cycled filter, put it in a brand new tank and you have a cycled tank.

When stocking the tank, i would advise doing it slowly. Even with a fishless cycle the filter may need time to cope with the new additions so just take your time, the fish will thank you for it later I'm sure.