SEEDING a New Tank.......HELP

Although I have kept fish before (15 years ago) I have never tested water, or worried about cycles etc........
I know, I know, but it was 15 years ago and I was a kid.

I have been doing a lot of reading and I think the best way to cycle my 180 gal is to use Media from another filter. I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around this but it seems better than rotting a shrimp in the tank

I have read that this method is almost instant but others disagree. I was curious as to

1) How much used media do I need to use for a 180 gallon tank?
2) How long does it need to cycle before I introduce my first fish?
3) Do I plant it right away or should I wait?
4) Do plant fertilizers hurt if introduced too early?

I know these sound like very simple questions but at the height of my fish keeping 15 years ago, I had 15 aquariums, was breeding many species, and never even owned a test kit and never had any trouble what so ever so all of this is very different / confussing to me.

 

1) get a hold as much media as you can. What kind of filter are you using? The amount of bacteria in the tank grows in correspondence with how much ammonia there is to consume so if you have live media and no waste the bacterial colonies will die off so I would still recommend putting a piece of shrimp or krill in the tank.
2) When I cycled my 55 gallon with used media and 60lbs of used gravel it took 2 days to fully cycle. Its going to depend though, my normal rule of thumb is when the tank gets cloudy white that's a bacterial bloom and after it clears you are safe for fish. The more accurate what is to introduce waste, when you start getting back negative ammonia and nitrite readings you are probably safe.
3) Yes, go ahead and plant right away, plants consume nitrates for growth so it won't hurt them. My ammonia was up to 8+ ppm in my 55 gallon tank and my plants grew like crazy. What kind of lighting and Co2 are using on that big 180g?
4) From my experience, adding ferts did not disrupt my cycle.

I hope this helps out a little bit, using established media helps but it's not a cure-all. You'll still probably need to wait about a week (which is a lot less then 4-6). Also, if you could fill out your aquarium information, it helps other members troubleshoot any problems that you may have in the future. Best of luck with picking up fishkeeping again.

 

What kind of filter are you using? What kind of lighting and Co2 are using on that big 180g?
QUOTE]

Filters are the Fluval FX5 and an aqua clear 110.

Not using any Co2

As far as lighting I am in the process of building a fixture but again it's a little confussing. I use to just use standard "shop light" fixtures.

I was thinking of a t8 bulb fixture that has 6 staggered 4 footers. They will be controlled in a bank of 2 and a bank of 4. First 2 come on and then 2 hours later the other 4 come on. Reverse at the end of the day.

The standard bulbs I can get only go up to 6500K so not sure if I should have them all at 6500K or some down to 5000K (or something different) ?

 

When I did my two additional tanks with seeded media, I added the fish the same time as I added the media. I did let the tanks sit for days before adding both. I always used new gravel so since there was nothing in the tank to feed the bacteria, I had to add the fish at the same time. I've not had an issue with it yet.

Sorry, I have no experience with plants and co2. And for the amount of seeded media you would need, just get as much as you can. If you are unsure you have enough, I would slowly add fish to make sure the bacteria gets up to strength.

 

If you are looking for lower cost light solutions, check out my thread for my high-tech planted

I used three standard CFL bulbs, inside shop light domes, the bulbs are 26w General Electric "daylight" bulbs, they are rated at 6500k. I wouldn't go down to 5000k, if you can get 6500k then stick with just that. I like what you're thinking for the t8 bulbs and for a 180g that is probably better and will look nicer than bulbs sitting on the lids, especially if you build a nice canopy for the fixture to sit inside of.

 

Good morning,

Here is a link on seeding that you may find very helpful. The more Seeded filter media you use the better the chances of having an instant cycle. However, you do not want to remove so much media from the established filter that it causes a minI cycle with increased ammonia levels in your 180g tank.
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...-cycling-with-established-filter-media.66727/

You can also transfer porous ornaments, rocks, substrate added into a filter media bag or NEVER SEEN SOAP nylon hose and place it in your aquarium.

Remember, the beneficial bacteria needed to sustain the tanks cycle is attached to all surface areas of the aquarium with the highest concentrations of it being in your filter.

If you have more than 1 filter on your 180g tank, you could move 1 filter over to the new tank for an instant cycle. Stock lightly and slowly.

If you do not get an instant cycle, then daily water changes and Prime or Amquel + will be needed until it does cycle. The addition of SEEDED filter media, even if you do not use enough, will surely cut down the amount of time that it takes to cycle.

The Seeded filter media will need a food source, being ammonia, so adding a few fish right away is highly recommended.

Ken

 

I would really recommend using as much as is safe. I seeded my 55 gallon and it still took 11 days to cycle. Granted it is a lot quicker, but luckily I used ammonia as a dose in the tank rather than fish, otherwise 11 days is still a long exposure.

Dont always assume it will always instantly cycle, as mine clearly didnt.

 

I have been doing a lot of reading and I think the best way to cycle my 180 gal is to use Media from another filter. I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around this but it seems better than rotting a shrimp in the tank

I have read that this method is almost instant but others disagree. I was curious as to

1) How much used media do I need to use for a 180 gallon tank?
2) How long does it need to cycle before I introduce my first fish?
3) Do I plant it right away or should I wait?
4) Do plant fertilizers hurt if introduced too early?

I know these sound like very simple questions but at the height of my fish keeping 15 years ago, I had 15 aquariums, was breeding many species, and never even owned a test kit and never had any trouble what so ever so all of this is very different / confussing to me.

It IS better. It's pretty simple - instead of waiting for the bacteria to naturally build up in the filter, you just transplant an already established colony.

For a tank that big, your best bet is to combine the media and fishless methods. Once you add the media to the filter, it comes alive. You can then grow it by feeding pure ammonia. Ideally, you would build the colony large enough that it will shrink once you add the fish.

I don't know much about plants.

I too never test the water. Sounds to me like you had it right the first time around, so I doubt it's any different now. The nitrogen cycle isn't any different. Whether you understood why you were successful or not, it's obvious to me that you had good practices. NO ONE keeps that many uncycled tanks

 

I agree. Whatever you were doing was right, so I wouldnt recommend you change to much. Be willing to learn though. It's my most cherished thing about keeping fish. Theres never the end to learning

 

I agree. Whatever you were doing was right, so I wouldnt recommend you change to much. Be willing to learn though. It's my most cherished thing about keeping fish. Theres never the end to learning

Thanks for all the info.
I agree 100%.
I was going to do everything the same way I did it 15 years ago but thought "hey, might as well keep an open mind and possibly try new things".
That's why I'm full of questions this go around.
To be honest though, I really would rather not check water all the time. It seems funny that I had all those tanks before and never had any problems at all with any of them even though I never checked water once and didn't even own a test kit......trust me I'm not that lucky of a person lol!
I guess it is a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. What worked before will work again, but trust me.....many more questions to come!

Thanks again everyone.

 

To be honest though, I really would rather not check water all the time.

There is no reason to. Water chemistry is my favourite part of the fishkeeping hobby but I still take time back to admire and enjoy the life that exists in the tanks

It seems funny that I had all those tanks before and never had any problems at all with any of them even though I never checked water once and didn't even own a test kit......trust me I'm not that lucky of a person lol!
I guess it is a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Exactly. Many of us who started alone didnt own a test kit. I remember when I was very young the nitrogen cycle was called new tank syndrome as nothing was known about the cycle. Even now, my dad refuses to use a test kit. He has been keeping fish for 30 odd years and has been very successful. Had a huge discus spawn a few years back. When I asked him about the cycle he said "huh?!"

Tanks were successful back then so tanks today should be even more so possible

 

Good luck cycling your tank.

Thread moved to the Aquarium Water/Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle forum.