Filter cycle mistake, advice needed.

Hi. Just over 2 weeks ago I found some Molly Fry in my main tank. I caught them and put them in a floating breeder tank. I then went out and bought a 24L nursery tank to prepare to transfer them to, and put the filter it came with in my main tank to cycle for a fortnight. However I realised today it has been plugged into the wrong extension, it's in the side that gets turned off every night. It should have been plugged into the extension with my main tank filter, air pump etc that stays on. I was due to transfer the fry to the nursery tank today :-( how long should I leave the nursery tank filter in my main tank from now? (On 24 hours a day) do I need to start again with the 2 weeks, or can I do it for less as it has been in the tank for two weeks already (just turned on in the daytime) Such a silly mistake!


Much thanks, Amy xxx

 

Can you test the water parameters to see where the tank is in cycling?

 

If it stayed wet every day you might be ok. How many fry? I don't think their bio-load will be much.

 

Only 3 molly fry at about 2.5 weeks old. Main tank is currently 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, and about 20 nitrate. Do I set up the nursery and leave it for 24 hours or something first? Or do I set it up and put them in straight away? I'd really like these little guys to survive.


Much thanks, Amy xxx

 

Move a small bit of your media from the main filter to the new one and you should be fine in your situation.

 

Thank you blue streak.


Much thanks, Amy xxx

 

Sure thing. The fry will have almost no bioload until they get a bit bigger, so that little bit of media should instantly cycle the tank and keep it cycled and stable as they grow.


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Do I leave the tank set up for a bit before moving them or do I put them in it straight away?


Much thanks, Amy xxx

 

As long as the parameters are 0 and 0 for ammonia and nitrite, should be good to add them in immediately. You could also add in some of the water from the main tank to help them transition better. This is usually recommended with fry as even though the main things like ammonia nitrite and nitrate may be the same, things like PH, GH, KH, and I'm sure other things we can't measure, can be different between tanks and it's best to get the new tanks water as close to identical to the other as possible to make sure the fry don't go through any kind of changes as they're fragile while they're young.


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Yes I was planning on just siphoning the water from my main tank into the nursery. I'm weary of taking out filter media from the main in case I cock it up somehow. Maybe I should just wait a little longer for the actual nursery filter to be ready? I'm all new to this, it's quite scary!


Much thanks, Amy xxx

 

You literally would just need a very tiny chunk of media from your main filter out into the new one, I'm talking a negligible sized piece, that small of a piece won't negatively affect your main tank.


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Ahh right I see, I was picturing a good chunk!


Much thanks, Amy xxx

 

No problem. They only need as much as their is bioload in the tank. 3 little fry almost won't even register, so just enough to get some bacteria in the new filter and tank, and it will grow with the bioload as the fry grow.


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Fab, thanks so much for your help


Much thanks, Amy xxx