Used filtration, instant cycle..

FreshyFresh

FreshyFresh

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Jan 11, 2013
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West Falls NY
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Following my recent 29g tank disaster (it cracked and leaked), I wanted to set something up in it's place as quickly and cheaply as possible. For a replacement I went with a 20g long, since my existing stand, lighted hood, filtration and heater were a direct swap, going from 29 to 20g. Well... that, and I was afraid to go with another 29g.
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I setup the new 20g with brand-new gravel, a few fake plants and small rocks from the 29g, the sponge filter and HOB filter from the 29g and all new dechlorinated water. I then transfered my 21 fish from their temporary storage tote, to their new 20g home.

~5 days later, my water parameters are 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite, 20ppm nitrate. I never saw any ammonia or nitrites. Instant cycle as they say! I know several of you have suggested this in the past. I just wanted to post about it's great success.

Not only are air powered sponge filters cheap, I have a feeling they can pack quite the colony of beneficial bacteria. My Top Fin 30 HOB filter has only a thin section of biological filtration downstream of the replaceable mechanical filtration pad. My guess is the sponge filter did most of the work here.
 
One thing to bear in mind, is how quickly that the size of the bacteria colony will increase.

I believe, but am too lazy to look up a reference, that the bacterial colony will double in size within a day or two assuming there are enough nitrogen compounds to support them.

Testing daily, or multiple times a day, you might have seen some ammonia or nitrite in the first day or so. 5 days later is less likely.


Personally I love sponge filters, but find them pretty ugly and they take up valuable tank real estate. Another option would be to run canister filters, then you can pull ceramic rings or whatever biomedia you have, and then put it into a new canister or into a box filter, or in the media bit of a HOB.


Coming home from an auction or sale with ~8 different kinds of fish, all going into individual tanks, it's easier to manage with rings as opposed to keeping 8 sponge filters running somewhere.

But at the end of the day, testing the water is the key to making sure you're cycled.


That and the more tanks you have, the more filters you will be able to take media from :)
 
I tested this 20g for only ammonia and nitrite on days 2,3 and 4. Never saw any of either.

I hear you on the ugliness of sponge filters, but the one I use is relatively small. About the size of a soda can. I also had a box bubbler with sponge and rings in it that I seeded the canister filter with for my 55g. That one read 0,0,0 for a long time and finally showed some nitrates after weeks of being lightly stocked.
 
That is why I run 2 AC HOB filters on all my tanks - when you start up a new tank it is simple to just transfer 1 filter to the new tank and you are good to go. Good luck with the new tank.
 
vanillarum said:
That is why I run 2 AC HOB filters on all my tanks - when you start up a new tank it is simple to just transfer 1 filter to the new tank and you are good to go. Good luck with the new tank.
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my experience with HOB filters was that there was enough bacteria in the tank and on the filter itself that it wasn't a big deal to switch some or all of the media to a new tank without any downfall on the first tank.

extra flow and covering the whole aquarium would be another matter though.
 
dougall said:
my experience with HOB filters was that there was enough bacteria in the tank and on the filter itself that it wasn't a big deal to switch some or all of the media to a new tank without any downfall on the first tank.

extra flow and covering the whole aquarium would be another matter though.
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Just run multiple AC 110s. Chances are pretty high that just transferring one over will put you in a situation where you don't have to worry about being unable to take care of the new tank. :woot:

I'm actually considering "replacing" my AC 70 with a 110 on my 55. It would actually be running it in addition to the AC 70 and Aquatop CF400UV, but that would let me swap the 70 over to a QT tank at any point, and that'll *definitely* have sufficient filtration for a 10. I used to use a Top Fin 60 (noisy POS that I replaced with the Aquatop) and just dialed down the amount of flow, but I figure I can use an extra sponge block on the return if I need to reduce/redirect flow.
 
I was really talking from a seeding another tank perspective.

there are really enough filters on FW tanks at our place that I don't need to worry about a bacteria colony for a new tank. But in most cases, for a similar sized tank that needs seeding, taking the media from a filter on the first tank and using on the new tank will suffice for biological filtration on both tanks.

there's really not the need (at least from a biofilter perspective) to run a pair of filters IME
 
Oh! I get your meaning now. I (obviously) wasn't on the same page.
 
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