elvis

55 gallon tank
so far the levels are
ammonia 0 and 0.25
nitrate 0
nitrites 0
and pH is 7.0
Heater running at 28 degrees ( 82.4 degree Fahrenheit)
Media in filter is , from the top/down
bio balls--
rocks--
rocks--
noodles--
Filter is "AQUA ONE CF-2400" , 2400 liters per hour.
no live plants--
X3 fake plants--
X4 logs
around about 1 and half inch of gravel all over..

Cycling going good so far, im slowly adding in "nutrafin cycle"....

My brother in-law has very well establish 55g tank with cichlids in it, around 10 to 15 to be exact...
my question is, if i put a canasta filter in my brother inlaws fish tank for around 2 weeks then put it in my tank , will that be of any benefit to the cycling process

Beth1965

Yes, the canister fileter will help. But easier and faster, how about taking a handful of his gravel and or plants or other decoration to your tank. this way the bacteria is immediatly moved to your tank!
OOHH!!! Welcome to Fishlore, you're gonna love it here.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!!
even better than waiting 2 weeks is seeing if you can grab some of their filter media/subtrate from their tank and have an instant cycle done in yours?
the product cycle needs to not be used as it will not cycle your tank properly...."So the product "cycle" contains the bacteria that do all the necessary conversions. But they are actually a terrestrial form of the bacteria, and cannot survive in an aquatic environment. So the bacteria dies and your ammonia levels begin to build. That is why you need to add "cycle" weekly for the life of your tank" (thanks john!)

good luck! and cant wait to see pics

beth great info!!

elvis

thanks for the cheerio!

OK, Taking some gravel and plants shouldn't be a problem..

Q1 am i scattering the gravel around amongst the other gravel or am i putting the majority near the "inlet" pipe where its sucking up the water so it (the bacteria) goes straight into the filter??

Q2 Is 1 or 2 handfuls enough??

Q3 will the full cycle actually happen or will only a matter of a few days untill it ready?? thanks in advance !

Beth1965

Oh, goodie, your're gonna do it. Take a handful and put it anywhere in the tank. i really don't think it matters where. Scatter it.
I swear, I did this with my 20L a month or more ago and the darned thing was cycled instantly. I didn't believe it so I added a smidgen of flake food for a few days to see what the readings would be each day adn low and behold!! I was cycled instantly. I read others doing it but didn't believe it.
Good luck!
Cheers.

elvis

OK nice,
im gonna take a few good handfuls (gravel) tomorrow and some plants and let it sit for a few days, do the flake test, ill post my results ASAP



Are we voting for "plants are good" for cycling or leave them out ??

Beth1965

I'm excited for you! Have fun and do post your numbers. You could keep some extra media in your tank once you have it going so you can either help yourself out with a new tank or help someone else out!

elvis

Are we voting for "plants are good" for cycling or leave them out ??

from wot ive read on most forums this always seems debatable !!!

jdhef

Welocome to FishLore!

If you have a cannister filter, you could put the gravel in a media bag (or a never seen soap piece of nylon stocking) and put it right in your cannister. Or you could just put this "bag" in your tank. (Of course if your not worried about the gravel mixing with the borrowed gravel you could just put it in with your garvel)

One other thing, once you put this gravel in, you need an ammonia source to feed the bacteria or else it will starve off. So you will need to either add pure ammonia to the tank, or have some fish in there.

Shawnie

I agree with john...if you decide to do this, you MUST add fish with it or small amounts of ammonia to feed the bacteria...

mommybaby295

Hi elvis, welcome to FL!

I was given the advice to use Cycle as well, but then I learned that it doesn't help. I think your tank would be better off if you don't use it. Like shawnie said, since it can't survive long-term in your tank, once you stop using it, you'll probably have an ammonia issue. I like your idea of seeding with media from an established tank much better.

Beth1965

We are voting to put plants in the tank same time you get gravel from you brother if not sooner. As for what the other posters posted, I did add flake food for a few days until i got the fishies I wanted.

Elvishswimmer

Make sure to keep the gravel wet while transferring it from tank to tank. The bacteria on the gravel will die if they dry out!

Beth1965

Oh, yea!! Good reminder!

elvis

ive taken a few huge scoops of gravel and 3-4 plants , so we,ll see how goes now, ill keep ya posted !!

elvis

I lucky enough to have my brother in law living next door to me.. It's almost a direct transfur

Beth1965

Have you taken "before cycle" readings (just for kicks)?

elvis

I have done them before but only the usual ones..

ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
ph was around mid 6 from memory

any other ones I should have looked out for??