Tips for Conditioning Water

[Bigguppy]

What's the best way you know for starting out a new tank and getting the bacteria to grow.

Here are some tips I know of:

From an established tank (one that has been up and running for at least 2 months) Add one of the following:

20% of the new water from an established tank.

Take an ornament from the established tank and put in in the new one.

Add a handful of gravel from the established one to the new one.

Take the filter pad from an established tank (not the biowheel itself) and start your new biowheel filter with it. (Great for setting up a 2nd tank)

 

[phanmc]

The water from an existing tank is basically useless. The nitrifying bacteria lives on the surfaces in the tank (filter media, ornaments, gravel, tank wall, etc.) and little are actually floating around.

 

[brookelyn]

Agreed. The water from an established tank will do you little good whatsoever. Also, the bio-wheel from an already established tank can be used. Though, I'd only do so if the established tank the wheel is coming from has another media, such as foam, where the good bacteria are also living on.

While I didn't see it mentioned, and even though in most places you can't currently buy any (not until September it would appear) Bio-Spira is a good way to condition a new tank too.