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Starting a new tank


hungsta

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Hi all,

My friend has a 20inch tank that is being set up.

If i was to run the new filter (AC mini) on my current tanks for 1 week, would that be enough time for the filter to be seeded with bacteria.

Also after one week, is it safe to put the filter back on the 20in and have a few fish in there to start off until the water is stable.

I do use test kits for anything, so i'm relying on experiences from you guys.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanx

Hung

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Hi Hung. The best would be to actually squeeze some material from an existing filter through the filter or use 50% old tank water with the rest fresh and rinse an existing filter sponge into the tank.

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Hi David,

I think i will do the squeezing method into the new tank.

If i was to use an AC500 sponge and squeeze all that gunk in there, would it be a once off process or a day to day basis until the tank is stable??

Hung

P.S. thanks for the quick reply..

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One off. Should be well ready in a week.

Hi David,

I think i will do the squeezing method into the new tank.

If i was to use an AC500 sponge and squeeze all that gunk in there, would it be a once off process or a day to day basis until the tank is stable??

Hung

P.S. thanks for the quick reply..

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Going to disagree.

Put the filter intended for the new tank in your existing tank.

Set up the new tank (including water).

Leave filter in your tank for about three weeks (better longer than not quite enough).

Make sure the water parameters in new tank a good (i.e. pH, temp) and stable.

To cycle from scratch the old fashioned way will take a tank 6-8 weeks to. How can anyone expect a filter to cycle from scratch in one week?

Squeezing out an old filter into the new tank will certainly "seed" the new tank, but for the most part all you will import will be fish waste. Look at a FBF, if anyone thinks the bacteria can't "hang on" when you squeeze out filter material, you better have another look at a FBF.

Adding gravel will assist, but once again have a think about where the bulk of the bacteria are living. This will be the biological media (or mechanical if there is no biological media and the mechanical is not too dirty), why? Because they have a constant current going through the entire media surface, bringing with it food and oxygen. Gravel is only supplied with O2 at the surface.

Be aware also that the new filter in your existing tank will only take up enough bacteria that can be supported by the existing food source in your tank, and this it has to share with the bacteria in your existing tank. That will mean even after three weeks, there will be a potentially limited bacterial population to take across to the new tank. What doest this mean? It means load the new tank lightly, take ammonia reading (test kits are standard in our hobby, if you haven’t got some basic ones get some), and monitor pH till at least till you understand it will stay stable.

Also be aware 20” is small, anything that will go wrong could do so very fast.

Craig

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I have used the method I described many times - successfully. I think the key is that the tank is only lightly stocked at first as Hung initially indicated. I also find that using aged water helps as well.

Going to disagree.

Put the filter intended for the new tank in your existing tank.

Set up the new tank (including water).

Leave filter in your tank for about three weeks (better longer than not quite enough).

Make sure the water parameters in new tank a good (i.e. pH, temp) and stable.

To cycle  from scratch the old fashioned way will take a tank 6-8 weeks to.  How can anyone expect a filter to cycle from scratch in one week?

Squeezing out an old filter into the new tank will certainly "seed" the new tank, but for the most part all you will import will be fish waste.  Look at a FBF, if anyone thinks the bacteria can't "hang on" when you squeeze out filter material, you better have another look at a FBF.

Adding gravel will assist, but once again have a think about where the bulk of the bacteria are living.  This will be the biological media (or mechanical if there is no biological media and the mechanical is not too dirty), why?  Because they have a constant current going through the entire media surface, bringing with it food and oxygen.  Gravel is only supplied with O2 at the surface.

Be aware also that the new filter in your existing tank will only take up enough bacteria that can be supported  by the existing food source in your tank, and this it has to share with the bacteria in your existing tank.  That will mean even after three weeks, there will be a potentially limited bacterial population to take across to the new tank.  What doest this mean?  It means load the new tank lightly, take ammonia reading (test kits are standard in our hobby, if you haven’t got some basic ones get some), and monitor pH till at least till you understand it will stay stable.

Also be aware 20” is small, anything that will go wrong could do so very fast.

Craig

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I have used the method I described many times - successfully. I think the key is that the tank is only lightly stocked at first as Hung initially indicated. I also find that using aged water helps as well.

What you and I can do, and others who have kept fish for many years is one thing.  But I think it is another thing to give advice along the lines of “what works for me” and having somebody else be successful with that method EVERY time.

I believe the advice I have given will be something that will work for everyone, every time, and the only caveat I’d give would be to say that the filter could be used even longer than the time I suggested thumb.gif . Remember, it won’t hurt to have the filter in use in the existing tank for longer than needed, but it will hurt if it is there not quite long enough. LOL.gif

Yes having a lightly stocked tank is a factor, but aged water is water that has been shat and piddled in blink.gif , it doesn’t hold any magical qualities. There may be a bit of bacteria that have come lose from what ever surface area (which you should get anyway with a properly established filter), it may have an appropriate pH, but it is also the water we discard during water changes. Why would you want to put it in a new tank when you are discarding it when you do a water change in the old existing tank?

I know a lot of people would say use old water, but I have always thought why? I can't see any benifits.

Craig

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With that reasoning it could be extrapolated that it would be best to do 100% water changes all the time. ??? Maybe if the water parameters could be perfectly matched it would be.

As I read the initial post the objective was to get a tank up and running in a relatively short time. I agree that a longer cycling time is better but is it appropriate in the circumstances outlined.

As far as the advice I gave it comes from my own experience obvously but it is also a method used by many others.

Yes having a lightly stocked tank is a factor, but aged water is water that has been shat and piddled in :blink , it doesn’t hold any magical qualities. There may be a bit of bacteria that have come lose from what ever surface area (which you should get anyway with a properly established filter), it may have an appropriate pH, but it is also the water we discard during water changes. Why would you want to put it in a new tank when you are discarding it when you do a water change in the old existing tank?

I know a lot of people would say use old water, but I have always thought why? I can't see any benifits.

Craig

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As I read the initial post the objective was to get a tank up and running in a relatively short time. I agree that a longer cycling time is better but is it appropriate in the circumstances outlined.

David is right. It was intended to be setup in a short period of time.

Beginners often think it is just water and fish, i had to convinve my friend to actually leave it for a week. I even explained the whole process of cycling.

So what it comes down to now is putting the filter on my tank for 1 week, return the filter to the new tank and squeeze the AC500 sponge into it.

I will also be putting an existing sponge filter from my tank into the new tank and run it for an extra week.

After that, add in 1 fish and see how it goes.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

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I agree there is no benefit to carrying over existing water except for maybe bringing over some waste products suspended in it.

one thing i did when setting up a new tank is add the filter to be used to my existing tank and feed the filter directly for a week or so to build up a good colony then when you put it on the new tank any surplus bacteria will die off and you shouldnt have a drama, people look at me weird when they visit and im feeding a filter but it works for me.

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As I read the initial post the objective was to get a tank up and running in a relatively short time. I agree that a longer cycling time is better but is it appropriate in the circumstances outlined.

David is right. It was intended to be setup in a short period of time.

Beginners often think it is just water and fish, i had to convinve my friend to actually leave it for a week. I even explained the whole process of cycling.

So what it comes down to now is putting the filter on my tank for 1 week, return the filter to the new tank and squeeze the AC500 sponge into it.

I will also be putting an existing sponge filter from my tank into the new tank and run it for an extra week.

After that, add in 1 fish and see how it goes.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

i might be missing something here but if you put the new filters in an empty tank for a week before adding a fish all the good bacteria will die off anyway

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I gotta agree, transferring tank water or squeezing a sponge will do little if not nothing.

The key to quick cycling in my opinion is transferring established media for beneficial bacteria from an established tank to a new one. Bacteria colonies will be in the gravel, on slim covered rocks, but especially in filter media like sponge.

So instead of squeezing the established tank's sponge into your new tank, transfer the whole thing into the filter, plus some gravel and rocks.

With one fish you might get away with just transferring a few kilos of gravel and rocks from an established tank, but if possible tranfer a portion of established filter media. thumbup.gif

I think what's meant by "feeding the filter" is keeping the bacteria colonies in your transferred media from an established tank, fed by the new tank's fish, i.e. if no fish and waste produced in the new tank the colonies will just die off.

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