Finally my second tank!! Cycling question

Previously I had a 10 gallon better tank, with a nice crown tail betta and 4 harlequin rasboras. I just bought a 20 gallon tank yesterday, and looks beautiful. I guess each new tank just gets better. It is not planted like my other one. Is there a way I can cycle it faster, maybe with my old tank or with my betta?

 

Do you still have your rasboras? You could take a piece of filter media from the 10 gallon and put it in your 20 gallon filter along with the rasboras and it should be instantly cycled.

 

I've got the rasboras still, all four. What do you mean by the media filter. Is that the cartridge or the other part? Also, my 20 gallon tank has a different filter, but they are both hang on the walls.

 

The filter media would be what's inside the filter whether it be cartridges, foam, sponges, ceramic rings, bio balls, etc. If your 10 gallon uses cartridges, you could cut the floss surrounding it, cut it in half and put one half behind the new cartridge in the 10 gallon and the other half in the new 20 gallon filter. Are you planning on keeping the betta in the 10g?

 

I am planning on keeping the better in the 10 gal, but I can move it around until the tank is cylced.

 

You could do what I suggested or if your betta is ok with the rasboras, move everyone over including the 10 gallon filter into the new tank for about a month until the 20 gallon filter is seeded. Then move the betta and 10 gallon filter back.

Just don't add any new fish to the 20 gallon until after a month and after a few days of checking water parameters to ensure no spikes occur.

 

So move the betta, rasboras, and filter into the new tank and have 2 filters running? Will my fish die due to the change into the uncycled tank? And will they be okay to move back later?

 

The cycle is actually in the filter itself. As for the 10 gallons did you know that rasboras are schooling fish and they should be in a minimum school of 6. Also the minimum tank size for them are 20 gallons.

So basically just move the filter and fish into the 20 gallon. What kind of filter do you have (as in brand and model)?

 

So move the betta, rasboras, and filter into the new tank and have 2 filters running? Will my fish die due to the change into the uncycled tank? And will they be okay to move back later?

Yes, move everything over into the 20 gallon and have both filters running. As mentioned above, your beneficial bacteria resides mostly in the filter media so you should not lose your cycle. If you see a small spike, you could always dose Prime to detox that until your BB catches up.

Yes, your betta will be fine to move back to the 10 gallon along with the 10 gallon filter after a month. I'm assuming you're keeping the rasboras in the 20g?