Devon

I stuck a couple pieces of filter sponge in the back of the filter of my several-month old betta tank, with the intention of using the sponges later to "seed" my new aquariums with during cycle.
So, can anyone give me recommendations on how long to leave these in before they're good to use?
In case it matters, it's a 6.6 gallon, with a 20-gallon BioWheel. The sponge pieces I'm using are typical Aqua Clear foam filter inserts.

jdhef

From what I seem to remeber other on this forum saying, 2 weeks would be a minimum. Longer would no doubt be better.

Shawnie

yeps I agree with JD..the smaller the tanks the longer you should leave them...betta's arent huge waste producers hence there wont be tons of bacteria in a short time...id also stick a bunch in your 35 gallon because you just never know when MTS will hit ya

also, those balls I showed you a few days ago are always great to have on hand and hide them in your tank under things for the emergency needs

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...2&pcatid=12742

fishbum

I did this with a sponge filters for a fry tank.I put the sponge in a bio wheel,let it sit for about 2 weeks,then stuck it in the fry tank.I added the fry as soon as I added the filter.The tank has never had any ammonia or nitrite readings,and I have not lost any fry.So like the others said,2 weeks or longer to be safe.

Angela_96

I agree with the 2 weeks, when I was setting up my new 58g tank I put filter media in the old tank of mine (larger tank) and left it for about 2-3 weeks before I placed it in the 58g tank, it worked great. I have to ad though I seeded it in a cichlid tank, which produces large amts of waste, so it was easier to seed faster (IMO)
I am still checking my chems daily right now, especially since adding a ton of new fish, so far no ammonia/nitrites.. small amount of nitrates (10)

Devon

Thanks everyone for the info. I've gotten only one week from a SW fish keeper friend of mine, but it seems everyone here is agreeing 2 weeks... better safe than sorry.

Lucy

Devon, I agree with the 2 weeks, but the other thing to keep in mind is how much of a bio load your betta tank has.
I could be wrong, but the less of a bio load, the less bacteria will survive so it might take longer, if that makes sense.

Shawnie

yep lucy thats what I was saying also id seed in the 35 gallon with more bio load to be safe

Devon

That makes perfect sense. This seed-making was actually quite timely, because I was starting to get an algae issue in Bowie's 6.6gal, so I added a couple of snails which have in turn upped the bioload significantly... I'm sure the bacteria are going nuts in there right about now. So now the algae issue is under control now and I've just barely moved one of the snails out; I think it's probably prime time right now to be making seeds.