An introduction :P

[Spewn]

On impulse, I started buying all the stuff I'd need to set-up an aquarium one day. No fish, reading told me I shouldn't go that far yet. I'm happy with the equipment I have(save the heater, but I can return that and buy a different one, so no problem). I've made a couple other posts detailing some troubles I'm having, not sure if it's the test kit or really my water. If it's the water, I'm not sure what I'll do, but that's for another thread :P

Suddenly(strange, I know), today I remembered that a friend has been keeping freshwater aquariums for years! So I asked if he could "culture" some bio-media for my AC20 in one of his filters, he said no problem :D

So, what do I need to know from here? Do I add the fish right away after adding this biomedia to my tank(At the same time, or so)? Anything I need to know about transporting it(distance of maybe 15 mins...I know :P)

His tanks look pretty nice, he's got two going right now but I'm not sure of their exact specs. 120ish gallon long, and I think ~35gal hex(fairly tall). He's got a discus in the hex named Discus Stu(though, this is Discus Stu the third as apparently discus are finnicky about their water). His fish are all in great health.

I'm excited :)


The tank is a 10g, so I know I don't have a lot of options for stocking. I'm thinking a dwarf gourami, some pygmy ottos and a few platies maybe?

[Mgamer20o0]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598
read up on cycling.

it should be fine in a bag for 15 mins......

[rcaterin1]

keep the bio media in some of his tank water while transporting it..... ur gonna want to "feed" the as well after applying to you tank.... now you could do this with a fish (recommend only adding one at a time as to not shock and kill the bacterial culture you have)... just make sure to keep an eye on your water readings and make the necessary water changes...... good luck and enjoy!!!!

[OldMan47]

1. Bring the media home and get it in place, using his tank water for transport as suggested.
2. Treat it as if you are doing a fishless cycle but expect things to move much better than a typical fishless cycle.
3. When things are stable and cycle is finished, do the massive water change and start stocking. as you would after a fishles cycle.
The last step could be as early as next week if you get seeded material today but be sure to test everything before getting fish.

[Rbishop]

Depends on how much establishe media you get and what form it is in.

[msjinkzd]

I agree, if you are getting a filter sponge from his 120g to put in your 10g, I would think you could stock the tank immediately. What are your stocking plans for it? Oh, and welcome to AC!

[Spewn]

I'm not sure, but I think he'll be giving me something like biomax or substrat etc. How much I get depends on how much I want, really, he seemed eager to help and has at least 150g to filter.

Stocking plans are as in my first post, 1 dwarf gourami, 3 platies, and maybe 4 pygmy cories or 3 otos, then maybe something(s) to clean the tank/stir up the sand? Some snails burrow, that would be neat. We'll see.

Thanks everyone. I'll be sure to post back with more details when I get this going :D

[wataugachicken]

keep the bio media in some of his tank water while transporting it..... ur gonna want to "feed" the as well after applying to you tank.... now you could do this with a fish (recommend only adding one at a time as to not shock and kill the bacterial culture you have)... just make sure to keep an eye on your water readings and make the necessary water changes...... good luck and enjoy!!!!

?? adding too many fish doesn't "shock and kill" the bacteria. . . fish waste feeds bacteria and makes it grow. the problems start when you add more fish than the bacterial colonies can handle and so you get ammonia and nitrite present in the tank until the bacteria grows enough to handle the extra waste.

[SchizotypalVamp]

I agree with wataugachicken. Honestly, I prefer a fish cycle-in this case, I would recommend cycling with either the platies or a couple of cories, if you wanted to do that. If you put the media in there without any ammonia or fish the bacteria will all die. There are some easy to care for shrimp, such as cherries, who will also act as cleaners.

[wataugachicken]

cories and shrimp are both very sensitive to ammonia and nitrites. it would be best to use the seeded media and fishless cycle the tank with ammonia. if you didn't plan ahead and already had fish, you'd have no choice, but since you did your research, it's better to leave the fish out of the plan until the tank is truly safe for them.

[leighasnana]

Your friend will likely suggest you do one of 2 things: 1) Take media out of his filter (don't rinse it but keep it wet with his tank water) and put it behind the new media in the new filter. I've done this and added fish (slowly) with no problem. Add some substrate from his tank and just put it into a nylon stocking in your tank. Borrow ornaments from his tank. Anything with beneficial bacteria on it (porous is better). I like adding live plants (they take up ammnonia etc...). - or - 2) Take your filter and run it in his tank for a couple of weeks, for extra insurance add some established media from his filter to yours and you're good to go. You can also do the gravel in the stocking - ornaments and plants.

Don't add delicate fish until your tank is fully established. I don't mean cycled but running for a long time. Feed lightly for the first couple of weeks.

[SchizotypalVamp]

I didn't mean to add the shrimp in first, lol.
I've run a couple cycles starting with cories, though all in heavily planted, understocked tanks. All of them got through it fine, though I don't particularly like doing that to fish :(.