Used sponge to cycle 20g, when can I remove?

[TrickyD119]

I used a sponge filter from my 30g to cycle my new 20g.

Currently the 20g is fully stocked with 6 Bleeding Hearts and 6 Head & Taillights along with a new sponge filter, the sponge from my 30g and a power filter that I seeded with my 30g mechanical media.

I've had the fish in there almost 2 weeks now and have been checking the levels daily and they are good.

When will it be safe to pull the 30g sponge out and put it back in the 30g?

 

[TKOS]

Why not just put a new sponge in the 30 gallon? It has been out long enough that the 30 can obviously cope without it.

The only way to know for sure is to remove the sponge and then 24 hours later test for ammonia and nitrites. If they appear then it is still too early.

 

[TrickyD119]

Why not just put a new sponge in the 30 gallon? It has been out long enough that the 30 can obviously cope without it.

Never really considered that. I suppose I could, but the only thing that makes me lean against that if possible is because the sponge from the 30g is significantly larger than the one I bought for the 20g and so it is somewhat overwhelming in there.

The only way to know for sure is to remove the sponge and then 24 hours later test for ammonia and nitrites. If they appear then it is still too early.

Thanks for the advice there, I will definitely do that when/if I take it out.

Any other opinions as far as how long it will usually take for the long-term media to house enough bacteria to support the tank?

 

[Kasakato]

Well when the sponge in your 20g turns brown and has bacteria in it, you can take out the sponge from your 30g.

 

[TKOS]

It is also possible of course to cut the sponge from the 30 gallon and make it into smaller sponges. It doesn't have to impede water flow to work, it just has to have water flow through it to feed the bacteria. Then you could take the part you aren't using in the 20 gallon and put it back in the 30 gallon to speed its seeding back up. That is the great thing about the sponges, cheap and easy to manipulate.

 

[gsk177]

I don't quite follow what you have done.
Do you have 2 filters on your 20g and one filter has a used sponge?
Or, do you have 1 filter on your new 20g and used an old sponge from an existing tank in it?

If you have 2 filters, then I would ditto what was recommended by TKOS and remove the older filter and retest in 24 hours.

If you simply have the 1 filter then I would trim up, as TKOS suggested, and put a new sponge in the older 30g filter.

But the question I have is what was the older 30g filter on? If you had only one filter on the 30g and it had 2 sponges in the filter, then removing 1 sponge removed 1/2 of your biologicals. Just don't forget to test the water of THAT tank as well for any possible spikes.

Since you are talking in "sponges" I am going to assume you have Aquaclear filters. If so, do not make things too overly complicated as Aquaclear filters are the easiest filter I know of to customize. And their cost and their ability to move water makes them my ONLY choice of HOB filters.

 

[TrickyD119]

Since you are talking in "sponges" I am going to assume you have Aquaclear filters. If so, do not make things too overly complicated as Aquaclear filters are the easiest filter I know of to customize. And their cost and their ability to move water makes them my ONLY choice of HOB filters.

Sorry for the confusion there, here is what I actually have...

30g tank >> 1 Penguin Bio-Wheel 170 HOB

20g tank >> 1 Whisper 20 HOB (came in kit), 1 Hydro Sponge 2 (new), 1 Hydro Sponge 4 (from 30 gallon).

The reason I'm in the situation I am in is because prior to joining this site I was completely ignorant to tank stocking and care and took whatever the LFS sold me.

After reading on here and purchasing and reading "Tropical Fishlopedia..." I realized what an idiot I had been to have 27 2" or larger fish in a 30g aquarium.

I have since purchased 2 new aquariums (one of them being this 20g) and given 10 fish and 1 pleco away.

I wanted to seperate the remaining fish as quickly as possible which is why I moved the 30g sponge down into the 20g and have been doing multiple water changes on the 30g a week since to keep the water in check... Which is also why I want to be able to move the sponge back up there as soon as is safe.

Hopefully that clears up what I've been doing a little bit.

Also, are my HOB filters insufficient? Or will they get the job done with proper water changing and the additional sponge filters?

Thanks

 

[TKOS]

The whisper is kind of minimum for that tank. But the 30 should still be doing okay with the biowheel on it. I would just cut the used sponge into pieces and place some in each. That is what I would do at this point. Sponges are cheap to buy and replace later if need be.

If you have fluourescent lighting on those tanks then I would suggest adding some easy to grow live plants. Java fern, crypts, java moss. Live plants will also help compete for ammonia and nitrate and help keep your tanks healthier.

With lower levels of filtration you will need to be diligent with water changes each week, making sure (once things are established and cycled) to do good water changes of 30% minimum, 50% would be better.

 

[TrickyD119]

The whisper is kind of minimum for that tank. But the 30 should still be doing okay with the biowheel on it. I would just cut the used sponge into pieces and place some in each. That is what I would do at this point. Sponges are cheap to buy and replace later if need be.

Sounds fair, I suppose I can either make another new one or simply buy another for $10 or whatever it was and eventually remove the pieces whenever the new ones are both fully seeded. Thanks for the advice!

If you have fluourescent lighting on those tanks then I would suggest adding some easy to grow live plants. Java fern, crypts, java moss. Live plants will also help compete for ammonia and nitrate and help keep your tanks healthier.

Luckily I planned ahead with the 20g and did actually plant 4 hardy, low light requirement plants in there. I need to get some Java ferns up in the 30g though as it does not.

With lower levels of filtration you will need to be diligent with water changes each week, making sure (once things are established and cycled) to do good water changes of 30% minimum, 50% would be better.

I've been in the habit of 30% changes, but never 50. I was under the impression that 50% might be a bit too much/too stressful.

Not so?

 

[TKOS]

50% is fine. As long as things match (such as pH and hardness and temnps are close). If you prefer 2 30% changes a week are pretty much the same as 1 50% water change. fewer smaller ones will get the trick done or one big one. A good gauge is often the level of nitrates. If they get above 20ppm then a change is needed. But when plants are involved they consum nitrates so it isn't so cut and dry.

Low stocking levels in the tank will also make a big difference. With medium to low levels of stocking things will be much better.

Or finally adding another small filter can work wonders as well. The Whisper 5-15 is quite small and would definatly increase your filtration.