New Tank - Cycling

[noob23]

I recently purchased a 1.5 gallon tank for my brother. I want to know if i can cheat the cycling as he wants to get a fish like now. I know a little about cycling (the benificial bacteria that converts nitrites and ammonia to nitrate). I have a 35 gallon tank that has been up and running for years. Can i squeeze the bio foam into the new tank? Will that be enough, or do i have to wait a few weeks?

 

[d3sc3n7]

You could get some substrate from your tank, throw it in a stocking or something, and put it in his filter. Or even just place it in the tank. just make sure to keep it in it's own water till you get it to his tank. Thats about the fastest way to cycle it.

-Jay

 

[timisu87]

To fully ensure that your brother's fish is to be kept alive. I would follow the instructions that you have been given above. Of course, you should teach your brother the importance of having a stabilized tank before investing money for fish. I assume that you have a testing kit already so keep an eye on the water parameters and do water changes until the cycling process has completed.

Decorations have a ton of benefical bacteria for instance any driftwood, fake plants... etc will help with the cycling process. Or you can have the small filter from the 1.5 running with your 35 gallon for a week or two so it can claim some of the bacteria.

 

[MissFishy]

You can definitely do the above to cycle the tank, this is called the established media method. I would be more concerned about the size of this tank though. In such a small tank, it is hard to regulate the water temperature and clean. All fish need constant water temperature, adequate filtration, and a clean tank with regular water changes. The only thing this tank is suitable for is a betta, and he will need a heater. You will have to be very careful monitoring the temperature with a heater since there is such a small amount of water in the tank, the temp can fluctuate rapidly.

 

[cchase85]

Simply squeezing the foam into the new tank isn't going to do anything but dirty up the water. The bacteria lives ON the filter media itself, if you put the foam in the new tank somewhere in the filter or where tank water passes over it, this will help jump start the cycle.

Other suggestions, mentioned above, will work just as well and leave you with a filter in your tank.

 

[noob23]

the only thing thats going in there is a betta, and i just ordered a 10 watt heater that is auto set at 78.

 

[tom91970]

The bacteria lives ON the filter media itself, if you put the foam in the new tank somewhere in the filter or where tank water passes over it, this will help jump start the cycle.

Excellent advise *thumbsups I have one or two extra floss or foam filters in an established tank which I can easily insert into the filter box of any new tank I set up. Once it has had time to transfer a lot of the bacteria to the new filter I just put it back where it came from.

 

[MissFishy]

Those "auto" heaters are notoriously inaccurate. Make sure to put a thermometer in the tank as those temp settings are almost never accurate. You'll have to adjust adjust adjust until you get the temp right where it should be.