how do you start a 55gal?

[lucid_boy]

so I finally received my emperor 400 in the mail a few days ago, (it is huge in comparison with my little 10 gal filter
anyway, I filled almost to the top and let it run for 3 days now, when I put in the declorinator I was out of the nov-aqua stuff I usually use. I have this other stuff that is by jungle, it is just called "declorinator and slime coat for cycling new tanks". well it is the 3rd day now and my 55gal is still very, very cloudy. what is causing this?
also what would you use to start a 55 gal freshwater tank?
thanks in advance.

 

[Letsgometsreyes]

Here all you need to know. http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598

 

[lucid_boy]

well i have cycled smaller tanks, just not a 55gal, maybe that will rephrase the question better. it seems like the cloudiness just will not go away, I think i may just start over with the water..., but I don't want to put my fish in as starter fish so I am trying to do the fishless cycle, any extra tips that anyone could give me, I have read that link BTW but thanks for the refresher...

 

[Rbishop]

It is probably a normal bacteria bloom. You should be able to cycle the new tank with some old media from your current tank, and stock very slowly.

 

[lucid_boy]

i have a spongy thing that I have been saving for a few months in the other filter, I was planning on using it for this but I don't want to put it in to early and kill off everything. also is there a rule for using airpumps with UGF's like how many bubbles do I really need with this. the 10 gal obviously doesn't need that much power to operate, but when I tried to use the same kind of pump with the 55 gal it did not seem to have equal bubbles on each side. so I took the 2 smallest ones and use them independently, the effect is lots of bubbles for each side. anyway, the cloudiness has always been there it seems even from day one. is it bad to start tank with methylene blue in water. I guess that is what was in the declorinator and slime coat stuff???

 

[wataugachicken]

do you have sand or gravel in the tank?

if you are doing a fishless cycle, don't worry about the cloudiness until it's almost time to put the fish in. it should take care of itself before then. if the "spongy thing" is seeded filter material, definitely move it over to the 55 to get your cycle started faster.

 

[lucid_boy]

yes, it is a sponge that i have kept in the 10gal ever since I decided to buy the 55gal, i just don't want to put it in prematurely and kill all the good guys living on it. as long as i throw in some food, or maybe when I change the water from 10 gal just dump it in the 55 gal, would that be advisable or is that a bad idea?

 

[lucid_boy]

oh, gravel with an UGF

 

[wataugachicken]

move the sponge over. very few, if any, bacteria live free-floating in the water, so it wouldn't be effective to use old tank water.

 

[yourchoice]

Putting sponge or floss from an established filter is exactly what you want to do.Put it right into the new filter immediately and it will not die but rather start to multiply and multiply.