New Tank Cycling Fast

[paperdog9]

Hey, I was wondering if there is any way to cycle a tank more quickly. I currently have a five gallon, but am getting a ten gallon. I was just seeing if you could like transfer water or gravel to help cycle it. Thanks!!

 

[brian1973]

Gravel but you also have to add fish, if your filters use the same size media you can use the sponge from the old filter in the new tank and this will pretty much prevent a full blown cycle.

 

[FroggyFox]

If your 5 gallon is completely cycled then like Brian said you can use the filter media from your current tank to help the new tank cycle more quickly.

 

[epond83]

Also you don't need to add fish just ammonia, basically do a fishless cycle but add some materail, such as a sponge or gravel from a cycled tank

 

[paperdog9]

thanks everyone!

 

[MadridKid]

ya. dont use fish to speed up the cycle... filter media and gravel are both great ideas.

 

[GregBox]

You could actually just use the five gallon filter in addition to the new ten gallon filter and reuse the substrate, this really speeds things along, also transfer the water from the five into the ten and then add water to that instead of all new water..

 

[Newman]

but what if he wants to keep the 5 gal...
do you paperdog? or are you upgrading completely?

 

[paperdog9]

I might keep it for a betta tank, but I know I am not going to have fish in the fifteen for a while. I have a few projects in mind for it, so I'm basicly keeping the five for at least a few months after the fifteen has water. Sorry if thats confusing.

 

[MEng]

but what if he wants to keep the 5 gal...
do you paperdog? or are you upgrading completely?

i'm fairly new but couldnt he do a 50% water change on the old tank and instead of dumping the water, put it into the new tank, and then top up both tanks with new water?

 

[FroggyFox]

he could, but there really isn't any point in transferring water over, such a small amount of bacteria is free floating in the water that it usually makes more of a mess than is even worth it. The bacteria tends to colonize on any porous surfaces that are in the tank, mostly where the water has a lot of flow...like the filter media.

 

[paperdog9]

so I only need to transfer some gravel/filter media for a while? sounds good! thanks!

 

[FroggyFox]

well do a search on seeding a tank. I find the best thing to do is set the new tank up and get it going on a fishless cycle (or fish-in cycle if you choose) and then every other day or every 3rd day take the filter media (the dirtier the better) from your established tank and squeeze it over the new tank's filter media...and then swish it in the tank water and the water in the filter (if there's room). Then put it back in the other tank. If you have enough in the established tank to take some and put it in the new tank that will also work, but some of the bacteria will die off...so the continual transfer helps better in my experience.

The gravel acts as the filter media in a tank with an undergravel filter, but if you dont have a UGF then I'd probably stick with filter media as moving gravel over probably won't help a ton...it also won't hurt.

 

[paperdog9]

Thanks froggyfox