New 50G tank questions...

[cutter]

Hi all. I already have two 10 gallon tanks at home and i will be buying my third tank next week! Only this time i won't repeat the same mistake and i'll buy a bigger tank this time; a 50 gallon. I have some questions though. I'm thinking of buying the Jewel Rio 180. Does anyone know of the manufacturer or the model? I'm concerned mainly about the filter. In both my 10 gallon tanks (although from another manufacturer), the filters were both indequate and extremely noisy, up to a point where it was impossible for me to sleep at night! I had to replace the filters with jbl ones, two filters actually for each 10G (call me paranoid! )

My second question is about the cycle of the new tank. When i bought my second tank, i waited for the tank to properly cycle before i introduced fish in it. I didn't even use gravel from my already established first tank or its filters because a clerk at an LFS told me that i risk ammonia spikes in the future. Is this correct, does nature really know when we try to cheat this way? I HATE waiting and unfortunately Biospira in Europe (where i live) is not an option... By the way, if you guys believe that i could use the filter of my established tank, what exactly do i do? Do i just use the entire filter on the new tank or do i have to do something else? And how much time will that save me approximately? Is it realistic to expect to have my new tank cycled in, say, a week?

Thanks for your time...

 

[derajer]

Using gravel from your existing tank won't cause spikes. You will not really be able to use your existing filter either. Keep in mind though, using gravel or the filter from the other tank will only START your bacteria. It does not mean that you can throw in all of the fish you want. I think what caused the clerks remark is that people think that just because they have seeded their tank from an existing one means that they can load up the tank with all of the fish they want. No matter how you get bacteria into your tank, cycling, seeding, chemical, or otherwise you should always add fish a little at a time. As for your filter, a 10 G filter just won't cut it for 50 gallons. Seeding from another tank is definately a good idea, it's probably the most reliable way to do it. Just add a few fish at a time, starting with the toughest ones.

 

[phOOey]

i've got a JUWEL rio 180 and love it. isnt rio 180 the name of the model? anyway i've found the filter to be deadly silent, and it is more than capable of filtering the tank sufficently (have seem how much filter media's in there!?! ).

 

[FisheyLisa]

haven't heard of the ammonia spike thing. If you are starting a completely new tank, gravel in a nylon, filter media, decorations will help. you'll be moving the colonies on these objects to the new tank, and they can handle small amounts of fish as stated above...more fish, more waste, more need to get bigger colonies. Never done this, have no time guess.

If you are moving things into the big one, then what you have in established tanks, transferred, will keep things going, no cycle.

have fun with your new tank!

 

[discus4everGrl]

The filter from a 10 is not going to be enough to filter a 50. But seeding, as stated above is a very smart idea to jump start the cycle, however it won't completely cycle a tank. I wouldn't even worry too much about not getting bio-spira. IMO, the more natural way will help towards long term success which will be creating a bacteria colony through patience by gradually adding ammonia (either pure ammonia, or fish) so that the bacteria never get overwhelmed, but rather consume the bacteria and multiply in large proportions.

 

[cutter]

Thanks for all your replies. To Phooey, yeah the manufacturer is Juwel and the tank model is rio 180. I'm glad you love it; i'll go ahead and buy one...
As for the cycle, i think i'll seed my tank from the older one but to be on the safe side i'll move my fish to the 50G gradually...