hey if i set up a 2 gallon using all water from my 6 month old 30 gallon, will that 2 gallon cycle still? or is it good to go! thanks!
quick question bout cylie
- Thread starter Hans
- Start date
It won't do much good at all to use the water from the existing tank in the newer tank. You can, however, take the filter media off the existing tank and give it a thorough rinsing in the new tank. That should transport a goodly number of bacteria into the new tank.
Jim
Jim
get another opinion, but I believe it WILL still cycle. The better thing to do would be use the water AND some gravel from the other tank. Depending on your filter types, if you can pull some biological filter media out fo a filter and move it over too - that would help. If you moved all three things over, I would still think there would be a 'cycle' however it would be very brief and with VERY small spikes.
There is very little good bacteria that is free floating. It attaches itself to something like rocks or filter media. So using old tank water will really do nothing excpet fill your new tank with old water that is potentially low in oxygen and high in nitrates, or has an alterted pH due to changes in water hardness.
Some aquarium gravel or filter media will get things started but beware that 2 gallon tanks and smaller tend to fluctuate quite a bit so keeping up with water changes is the most important thing you can do. If you can spare thge time I would suggest running your new small filter in the old established tank for a week or so and this will help build up the good bacteria level in the filter system.
Some aquarium gravel or filter media will get things started but beware that 2 gallon tanks and smaller tend to fluctuate quite a bit so keeping up with water changes is the most important thing you can do. If you can spare thge time I would suggest running your new small filter in the old established tank for a week or so and this will help build up the good bacteria level in the filter system.
What I understand is the beneficial bacteria does doesn't just "float around" in the water, but gathers on the gravel, filter media, etc. Just using the old water will not transfer very much of what you need.
EDIT: TKOS posted while I was typing. He said it better.
EDIT: TKOS posted while I was typing. He said it better.
It's very easy to show that the tank's surfaces and filter, not the water, hold the vast majority of the beneficial bacteria.
Take the water from cycled tank and put it in new, sterile tank with a brand new filter. Replace that water in the existing tank with fresh water and dose both tanks with the same amount of ammonia (only do this if both tanks contain no fish!). Test for ammonia after 24 hours. The new tank will show little or no decrease in ammonia, while the existing tank will show significant decrease.
When you transfer 'old' water, you're mostly transporting pollutants, organic metabolites and end-products of a number of biological processes. Why would anyone want to do that?
Jim
Take the water from cycled tank and put it in new, sterile tank with a brand new filter. Replace that water in the existing tank with fresh water and dose both tanks with the same amount of ammonia (only do this if both tanks contain no fish!). Test for ammonia after 24 hours. The new tank will show little or no decrease in ammonia, while the existing tank will show significant decrease.
When you transfer 'old' water, you're mostly transporting pollutants, organic metabolites and end-products of a number of biological processes. Why would anyone want to do that?
Jim
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