Gravel for new tank

Jrobber

Member
If I put about a cup of gravel in a glass dish and set it in a current tank for one to two months, then moving it to a new tank, would that gravel have any effect on helping establish beneficial bacteria?

I already have a HOB filter going on my current tank that will be switched over to the new tank when the times comes, but I was thinking a bit of gravel would help too. Am I right?
 

Beth1965

Member
Yes, the gravel will help a lot. You can put it in a new stocking (pantyhose) if you don't want to deal with the dish.
 
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Jrobber

Member
When I put the new gravel in the new tank, should I sprinkle it all around or just dump it in one spot? I'm just trying to make sure I promote the quickest growth and not setup a cycle.
 

Meenu

Member
put it in pantyhose and then put it right in front of the filter intake - the closer it is to the filter media, the better. In fact, if you can take a small cutting from your established filter and stick it into the new one, that'll help a lot too.
 
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Jrobber

Member
What if I have this glass dish setting right below the water coming out of the filter? Same idea right?
 

Meenu

Member
Nope, the opposite. You want the water sucked into the filter to take the bacteria from your dish into the filter. The outtake would blow it around the tank instead. That would help some, but MUCH less than if the bacteria was being pulled into the new filter.

Does that make sense? I can try to explain better.
 
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Jrobber

Member
Do you mean when I put the gravel into the new tank to put it by the filter intake?
 

Meenu

Member
Yes.
 

AlyeskaGirl

Member
Taking a cup or two of established gravel from your other tank and some media from your filter will help.
 
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Jrobber

Member
Meenu said:
Yes.
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Gotcha.

Another question, about using establish gravel/filter media; if this will cycle the new tank, how quickly will it cycle?
 

Nitro Junkie

Member
Jrobber said:
Gotcha.

Another question, about using establish gravel/filter media; if this will cycle the new tank, how quickly will it cycle?
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There really is no way to say. Just like when you are starting from scratch,you will need to do water tests to make sure the ammonia and nitrite and not going off the chart. By using gravel and filter media from a mature system,this will jump start the cycle in a new tank,but you should not fully stock it.Add fish slowly to allow the BB to catch up,just like you would do when cycling with fish.
Also,make sure you are not taking so much gravel and media from your existing tank to crash the cycle in it.
 
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Jrobber

Member
Alright, so do tests for a week or two to make sure everything is in line?

I'd only be taking a cup or so of gravel and an extra filter off my current setup. According to Aqadivsor, I didn't have enough filtration on my current setup so the filter I would be removing will be replaced with a new one eventually. However, Aqadivsor doesn't have a listing for my power head with also acts like a filter, but that's another topic for a later time.
 

Nitro Junkie

Member
If your water parameters are good after 2 weeks,your tank probably has enough BB in it to handle the bio load of the stock that is in it.

What size tank are you setting up,and how many,and what kind of fish are you getting?
 
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Jrobber

Member
Just posted this stocking list. I'd definitely take it slowly on the stocking, because I've been down the road with adding too many fish at time before.

Thank you for the link AlyeskaGirl, that is very helpful.

Does temperature effect the growth of BB?
 

Nitro Junkie

Member
10x neon tetra
6x Cardinal Tetra
1x Bristlenose Pleco
3x Guppy (Females)
3x Platy (Females)
6x Rummy Nose Tetra

Here is your list. JMO,but I would get the Guppies first,then the Platy,then the Rummy Nose,then the Cardinal,then the Neon,and add the Pleco last.I would wait 2 weeks between adding new fish.

Also JMO,but I would not have neons and cardinals in the same tank. They look way too similar. Get one big school of one or the other.If you choose to do that,don't add 16 all at once. Add 8,then 8 more in a couple weeks.
 

Nitro Junkie

Member
Jrobber said:
Does temperature effect the growth of BB?
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I have heard a higher temp will speed up the cycle. I don't know if it is true or not.
 

Meenu

Member
Nitro Junkie said:
I have heard a higher temp will speed up the cycle. I don't know if it is true or not.
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It's true. That's why people crank up the temp when cycling fishless.
 
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Jrobber

Member
What about using some of the water from my established tank? Say 10 gallons. How would that help, if it would?
 

Nitro Junkie

Member
Using old tank water will just add nitrates to your new tank. The BB lives on surfaces,not in the water.
 
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Jrobber

Member
So adding nitrates to the tank wouldn't help the cycle complete quicker?
 

Meenu

Member
Nitro Junkie said:
Using old tank water will just add nitrates to your new tank. The BB lives on surfaces,not in the water.
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+1. And no, nitrates in a tank are waste. Need to be taken out through water changes or used by plants.
 
  • Thread Starter

Jrobber

Member
So if I do install live plants, it will be beneficial to those plants?
 

Meenu

Member
Live plants process nitrates, and are generally good to have I think. (I don't have any). You still don't want to add water from one tank to the other, though, I don't think. No benefit, unless you were doing it for some pH-related acclimation purpose.
 

Nitro Junkie

Member
Plants will help speed up the cycle. They like ammonia more than nitrates. As long as you get low light plants,they are pretty easy to keep. Here is a link to give you an idea of what is good for beginners. On the left hand side of the page,go over to aquarium plants,then click on beginner plants. This is just to give you an idea of what is easy to keep. Then you can look around locally to see what your LFS carry.
 
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