bruiser

Hey all,

I'm getting a new tank ready to go. It'll be filtered by a AC70. I plan on cycling fishless, probably with a piece of raw shrimp.

I have a couple other AC70's on established tanks with bio-max that has been there since the beginning.

I plan to take the established bio-max and put it into the filter on the new tank. My question is, should I introduce the shrimp and let it rot for a few days before adding the bio-max?

I don't want to starve the bacteria colony thats already been established on the media, and this is my first time cycling fishless. I really don't know how long the shrimp with take to start decomposing or any of that..

Thanks!

Jaysee

One of the reasons AC filters are so awesome is becuase of the ease at which you can move media around. if the other filters are cycled, then all you need to do is swap out the biomax from an established tank for the new stuff. the sponge will preserve the cycle in the old tank and the old biomax will instantly cycle the new tank. i would cut back on feeding the old tank for a few days to let the bacteria catch up. ive done this a dozen times without fail.

youll need to add fish as soon as you transfe3r the biomax to keep the cycle going - i dont think the shrimp will decompose fast enough to sustain the established colony.

in any case, if youve already got an established tank, you dont need to do a fishless cycle unless you want practice.

bruiser

Really.. add fish right away eh.. I like the sounds of that!

Thanks a lot!

Jaysee

How many fish depends on how much media youre moving and the degree to which the old tank is stocked. IME a bag of biomax can support a school of fish right from the start, meaning you can add 5 or 6 without a problem. if your tank is heavily stocked, then you could add a few more.

its generally a good idea to feed a new tank like that very lightly. the more you feed, th2 more waste is produced...

bruiser

That all makes sense..

The tank the media is coming out of is a 33g long, that is pretty close to the limit as far as livestock goes. But I also a whisper10 on that tank full of filter floss for my q-tank... whether or not that makes a difference..

the new tank is a 30 tall.. Its going to be a South American tank, housing a pair of angels, and some other yet-to-be-determined fish..

Do yah think I'd be alright putting the angels in right away, or should I figure out what else I'm going to keep and put them in first..

thanks again..

Jaysee

Hey im glad to help. if the angels are small, i think you could get away with it just fine. you know, starting a new tank that way is exactly the same as setting up a QT.

im going to be stocking my 37 with an albino angel or two, albino corys, albino swords and some yet to be determined schooling albino fish. mine is obviosly an albino theme, but your tank would do well with some corys for sure, as well as some tetras.

bruiser

Thats what I was thinking.. Add some sort of cory that I like the looks of.. (not a big fan of them, but there are a few varieties that have caught my eye) and I might transfer the 6 Serpae Tetra's from the above mentioned 33g tank into this one.. or go with a different tetra.. not too sure yet..

aquarist48

Hello Brusier
Congrats on the new tank. I agree with JaySee. Seeding your tank with well established filter media should give you an instant cycle. Of course it depends on how much you transfer over and the amount of fish you initially stock the tank with. Two or 3 fish should be fine to add immediately and then I'd wait a 2 or 3 weeks before adding more.

I've had great success with seeding. Keep an eye on your readings as you would any new tank. If something should happen that you don't get an instant cycle, the cycling time will be cut way down. Be prepared for water changes just in case.
Have fun!
Ken