Start The Cycle Of My New Tank Using My Old Tank

[RobGoldsmith]

Hey guys

Thanks again for all the recent comments!

I have anew tank coming today, I want to keep my older smaller tank running until the new one is cycled.

Is there any way I can use my old smaller tank to kick-start my new tank? e.g. adding some of the water or such like?

As i say, I dont want to change too much on the older tank as it is healthy and running well. I hope to swap the fish over in a few weeks.

Thanks
Rob

 

[marvin]

you answered your own ?? yes new tank.... old tank filter dip in new tank shake..

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Sounds good, perhaps I will clean my filter and poor the water from it straight into the new tank!

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

There is very little beneficial bacteria in the water, it is really on the surfaces of the filter, substrate and deco.....

How do you plan on doing the cycle? Fish in/less? Do you have removable filter media from the 10? Can you take the sponge or other mechanical media from that and put it into the filter on the new tank? That would start it and if you add some (1-2) fish, that would help.

 

[RobGoldsmith]

My plan was to:

Add some deco from the cycled tank
Clean the filter against my new filter so it covers it in bacteria
Add weed to new tank
Add Apple Snail to new tank
Start adding food every 12 hours
Add a cup of gravel from cycled tank

Wait a week, add 2 fish at a time over several weeks.

Would this be ok?

Thanks for your time
Rob

 

[RobGoldsmith]

+ Yes can remove media from cycled filter, it has one sponge in it.

Rob

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

I would do this:

Add some deco from the cycled tank
Clean the filter against my new filter so it covers it in bacteria
Add weed to new tank
Add a cup of gravel from cycled tank
Add a few fish
Check water parameters every day until they are 0-0-more then 0, but less then 20
Change water as necessary.
Enjoy the fish! *twirlysmi

 

[RobGoldsmith]

Brilliant thanks!

Any ideas how long this will take or will i get an answer like "as long as a piece of string" hahaha.

Took 6 weeks ish for my other tank, which was very hard to live through as seemed forever! haha

Rob

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

It should take as long as a sting! LOL Maybe a week or two with all "stuff" from the old tank. Just be sure to check the parameters.

Good Luck!