Cycling a new tank using an already established tank?

MollyFan1

MollyFan1

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Nov 27, 2006
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I have my 20 gallon tank which is still sitting there gathering dust. I'm going to do a fishless cycle this time but I want my already established 10 gallon tank to help me cycle this 20 gallon tank. I read Rbishops post on cycling and taking some gravel or ornaments from my 10-gal to the 20-gal would help cycle it. I don't want to use gravel since I have different gravel that I want to put in my 20 gallon. Also, I don't understand about the filter media. What exactly do I do with my existing filter media to help grow bacteria on my new filter media?
 
Two things,

First, I would take whatever filter you plan on using and place it in the ten gallon for a few weeks; that should give it enough time to culture the appropriate bacteria.

Second, your ten gallon is OS, those mollies grow to 4", but hey, you've got a perfectly good 20 gallon...

Good luck, B.W.
 
Thanks for the fast reply! I am planning on moving my mollies to this 20 gallon, they were the reason I got a bigger tank and I can't wait to see them in this new one, lol.

With the filter media, the 10 gallon filter media is smaller than the 20 gallon filter media. I would have to squeeze it into the 10 gallon filter. Would that cause any problems?
 
oh that makes perfectly good sense, lol. Thank you! So it would make sense to just leave my 20 gallon sit without water for a few weeks till the filter is ready to use?
 
MollyFan1 said:
oh that makes perfectly good sense, lol. Thank you! So it would make sense to just leave my 20 gallon sit without water for a few weeks till the filter is ready to use?
Click to expand...

Yep, no sense filling it until you are just about ready to move the fish and filter over to it. I'd fill it maybe a day or two ahead to let any gravel dust settle and to give the heater a chance to get the water temperature warmed up.
 
i would just run both filters on the for a week and move the filter over and finish with a fishless cycle. it will go really fast and i rather be safe then sorry. the filter jump starts the cycle and adding the ammonia will make sure a good size bacteria colony is grown. since you said it was just going to sit there for a few weeks.
 
I've got both filters running on the 10 gallon. Next week I will move the filter into the 20 gallon and just add ammonia. Thanks for the help!
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but if you already have used filter media that is coming from a well established tank, then you do not have to do a fishless or fishy cycle.

Make sure your temp is the same and add the fish. Also, by removing the mollies from your 10 gallon, it will stop that tank from having a mini-cycle with different filter media.

I would move the filter media and the fish at the same time.

Just do a few extra water changes the first week.

I am new to testing water, but the way I was started was to do exactly above, I did not know it was called cycling at the time. It was what the LFS suggested. I just took filters from a running tank and moved them on a new tank and did 20% water changes every three days for about 2 weeks. I went from a 29 gal to a 55 gal, with no losses. 7 years later most of those convicts are alive. (1 died last July while the person house sitting unplugged the filter. We came home to a tank full of fish gasping for air. The convicts are back in the 29 and with the mother-inlaw. We gave them and the tank to her when we moved. Still all alive.)

From what I have read here this way of "cycling" allows one to put fish in the quickest.

If I am mistaken, please correct.
 
I am completely new to aquariums and was just about to start a 55g tank using some media from a friend's well established tank. I was going to put in 5 danios at the time I add the established media. Then, what do I do to know if the tank is ready to receive more fish?

Your help is greatly appreciated,
Jack
 
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