A little while ago I had reduced the ammonia I was putting in to apprx. 2-3 ppm. Well I guess I will just take a break from putting ammonia in for a little while. If i go to lfs tonight to test my water I will beg them for some gravel from a tank as well
nitrite test
- Thread starter gersheff
- Start date
Ask for filter media, an old sponge maybe, that would be the ideal. But gravel will be better than nothing.
Yes, you can replace your current media with it. You can also put it in your tank and give it a vigorous rubbing. That will disperse a lot of crud, but also a lot of bacteria. Then, keep the media in the filter for a week or two.
Getting media, filter squeezings or even a bit of gravel from an established tank can jumpstart a stalled cycle.
Jim
If you've got an Aquaclear filter, just stack your sponge on top of the old sponge or media that you get. If not, try to place it in your tank where there's some water flow. That way you can colonize your media as well.
Ah. Well, I've no idea what that looks like, well, I've a foggy notion... 
At any rate, put the old media in your filter, even if it means cutting it to fit in somehow. Definitely give it a good squeezing in your tank water, that'll let your filter media pick up plenty.
My personal preference is to use new and old media in tandem. That way the old media is there to do the work while the new media gets colonized. Then you'll have 2 sets of cycled media. Heck, you could probably even promise to return some to the store, not that it would make a difference.
At any rate, put the old media in your filter, even if it means cutting it to fit in somehow. Definitely give it a good squeezing in your tank water, that'll let your filter media pick up plenty.
My personal preference is to use new and old media in tandem. That way the old media is there to do the work while the new media gets colonized. Then you'll have 2 sets of cycled media. Heck, you could probably even promise to return some to the store, not that it would make a difference.
