Will This Work?

jess6905 · Dec 5, 2009

Alright so I've herd of using mature media to kick start the cycle process in a new tank before adding the fish. What I'm doing is upgrading the whole tank from 15 to 55 gallons. My question is could I safely set up the new tank with with the new filter for few days(small amount of mature media in the filter and water from the original tank), then add the filter in the current tank when I switch the fish over for a few weeks while the new filter has a chance to catch up? I won't be able to add any new fish aside from the ones I already have till after Christmas so the tank would be pretty well understocked for a while. Would this work or should I just sit out the full cycle process? Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated.

BigFairy · Dec 5, 2009

yes i have done this successfully on many occasions.

Your tank will go through a hiccup when the new gravel starts building up bad bacteria, which will take some time to stabilize.

kniesh · Dec 5, 2009

putting a small amout of media from a 15 gallon to a 55 gallon may not be enough. I do this often but always just put the fully mature filters across. You have to remember a 55gal requires a lot more filtration than a 15gal. It will help speed it up, but not cycle it completely.

Alliecat420 · Dec 5, 2009

i did this with my upgrade from a 20 to a 55.. i added the filter media after i had one danio in there for a few weeks.. once i moved all the filter media i moved my fish and everything worked nicely.. i did like big fairy said would happen got a "hiccup" but that didnt last long

Tolak · Dec 5, 2009

The media in the smaller tank filter has no idea what size tank it is running on. It has enough nitrifyinmg bacteria to handle the bio load of the fish in the smaller tank, provided that tank is cycled. It will handle that same bio load in a larger tank.

If you do large frequent water changes on the smaller tank, 50% weekly or better, there will be no significant difference between the smaller tank water & the larger tank filled with 100% fresh.

Knowing this to be the case, set up the new tank and new filter, heater, etc, and get the larger tank water to the same temperature as the smaller tank. Add the fish from the smaller tank, and the filter from the smaller tank.

Your filter media cycles, the tank is just a glass box. Unless you are running UGF the substrate holds an insignificantly small amount of nitrifying bacteria in comparison to the filter media. Just to be on the safe side, fast the fish for 24 hours before the move, and feed lightly for the next week. This will produce less waste, usually eliminating any sort of spike.