I'm setting up a 5gal tank my mother gave me. I plan to house a betta and 2 or 3 mystery snails in it. I've read that using established media will instantly cycle your tank but it seems to good to be true. If I add filter media from my established 20gal to the 5gal's filter (Aqua Clear 30) am I instantly cycled? Could/should I add fish right away? Or should I add some ammonia and check my levels to make sure I'm cycled?
Instant Cycle?
- Thread starter laurel
- Start date
Actually, I am willing to bet that will be plenty to cycle a 5g with only 1 fish. Just make sure do dechlorinate the water before you get the old fillter media on the tank so that it won't run through and kill all the bacteria. I would not add any ammonia!! I moved the filters and fish from my 35g and 50g onto a 180g and never had any kind of cycle. I would add the betta right away and just check the water for a few days.
This is also how I set up a QT tank when I get new fish.... Just get the tank out, put in gravel, fill with water, dechlor., and put on filter with some media from my big tank and presto
, a cycled tank
This is also how I set up a QT tank when I get new fish.... Just get the tank out, put in gravel, fill with water, dechlor., and put on filter with some media from my big tank and presto
, a cycled tank
Last edited:
I can tell you that I have taken media, and sponge filters from established tanks and "instantly cycled" tanks several times, and never had a problem. However in all these cases, I was adding what most would consider very small bioloads (usually a pair of dwarf cichlids in a 20g or 10g tank). The thing that takes so long with cycles is starting from scratch. A handful of bacteria colonizing your tank and then reproducing by splitting takes several weeks to reach numbers that can handle fish waste. The growth is logrithmic however and once you get a good colony of bacteria, they can repriduce very fast to meet new bioloads. In new cycles you also have to wait for this happen twice, once for the ammonia > nitrite bacterial species and again with the nitrate > nitrate species. (about 4-6 weeks). Your "pre-conditioned" media already has large numbers of both types of bacteria.
Since betas are often kept in bowls with no filtration at all, I would think it would certainly be ok to add it right off the bat. I think the snails would be fine too, but if you're worried wait a week on them. Lastly, it certainly wouldn't hurt to dose the tank with ammonia especially if you've already got it. It should only take 24 hours for the bacteria to metabolize it.
Since betas are often kept in bowls with no filtration at all, I would think it would certainly be ok to add it right off the bat. I think the snails would be fine too, but if you're worried wait a week on them. Lastly, it certainly wouldn't hurt to dose the tank with ammonia especially if you've already got it. It should only take 24 hours for the bacteria to metabolize it.
Yeah, if you start with just a couple of fish (I used 3 male guppies), get enough "established" media to handle that kind of bioload - although really any will do if you are only starting with a couple of small fish. Once the various wee beasties are present, they can double the colony size in a day or so given proper living conditions - ammonia, nitrite, and media to live on.
Thanks for all the info! I makes sense that the bacteria in the established filter media would be able to handle the bioload from a betta. Since my 20 has a bio wheel, I can take a large amount of filter material. I haven't even setup the 5 yet but I think I will add the betta at the same time I add the media and will watch my levels closely.