Filter Media/Cycling Question
- Thread starter BettaNewbieX03
- Start date
it's good if you can't detect any ammonia.. it means your tank is cycled!
getting the bacteria from a well established tank (either by using the filter media or some gravel) can potentially speed up the cycling process a LOT. and the more bacteria you can get, the better the head start will be.
however, you have to be careful not to take ALL the bacteria from the established tank (you wouldn't take out all of the gravel and all of the filter media, for example) cuz then that tank would have no bacteria (or not nearly enough anyways) and it would have to start cycling all over again!
getting the bacteria from a well established tank (either by using the filter media or some gravel) can potentially speed up the cycling process a LOT. and the more bacteria you can get, the better the head start will be.
however, you have to be careful not to take ALL the bacteria from the established tank (you wouldn't take out all of the gravel and all of the filter media, for example) cuz then that tank would have no bacteria (or not nearly enough anyways) and it would have to start cycling all over again!
lol...
It was a little more than 'one squeeze.'
I cleaned all of the media in the 10g tank the same way I'd clean them in a bucket during my water changes. We're talking about an emperor 400, AC 500, and a HOT magnum from a 75G cichlid tank. The tank has more than enough bacteria to never have seen any ammonia or nitrites. Nitrates are at 15ppm, which the plants will begin to use as soon as they are introduced.
...and cleaning the media from all the filters at the same time does not harm your bio-filter unless they are completely cleaned in tap water. I also have a bio-chamber on the 75G full of bio-chem stars and the Emp 400 has bio-wheels. Not to mention plenty of bacteria within the tank, as well. Getting rid of the sludge is a good thing. The nitrates in this cichlid tank are 0...and that's without live plants.
If you are transferring media, you will not be doing a fishless cycle. You will need to feed the bacteria transferred over, either with fish and their wastes or fish food. I would do the media transfer and add a small bio load right away, then monitor and do water changes as required.
Dirty media = food for bacteria. You just have to make sure there's enough sludge/detritus to keep the bacteria happy until fish can be added. In my case, the fish and plants were ordered online. Just waiting for them to arrive. 
After the first week after adding the fish, I'll lightly clean the filter on the 10g (which is a Rena Smartfilter 55, btw). I've started many tanks this way very successfully. Don't be afraid to get the new tank dirty when using this method. 
After the first week after adding the fish, I'll lightly clean the filter on the 10g (which is a Rena Smartfilter 55, btw). I've started many tanks this way very successfully. Don't be afraid to get the new tank dirty when using this method. Like Slappy*McFish, I set up a new aquarium by realizing that my existing, well established aquarium was a gold mine of biologics. The fiter medium fit my new filter so what I did was set up the new aquarium with tap water. Next step was to mechanically filter all the dust and such that I had not been successful at rinsing off the gravel. Now the aquarium was very clear, the chlorine had evaporated off after a couple of days and the water was still basically dead.
The established aquarium was in need of a water change and a filter cleaning so I drained the change water into a bucket and used it to do a partial chnge on the new aquarium. Then I removed the biological from the established aquarium and split the medium between them. The result was a tank that had just had a partial water change and had an established biological filter but had no fish. The solution was to begin stocking at a low level right away so that I was beginning with what was a partially cycled aquarium.
Losses of new fish was zero and both aquaria benefitted from the partial water chnge. The established one got rid of the usual build up that happens over time and the new one got a biological jump start.
The established aquarium was in need of a water change and a filter cleaning so I drained the change water into a bucket and used it to do a partial chnge on the new aquarium. Then I removed the biological from the established aquarium and split the medium between them. The result was a tank that had just had a partial water change and had an established biological filter but had no fish. The solution was to begin stocking at a low level right away so that I was beginning with what was a partially cycled aquarium.
Losses of new fish was zero and both aquaria benefitted from the partial water chnge. The established one got rid of the usual build up that happens over time and the new one got a biological jump start.
