Seeding Sponge Filter for Grow Out Tank

I am setting up a small grow-out tank for my cory fry and I currently have a sponge filter sitting in my main tank that I plan on moving to the grow out tank to use. How long should I expect to wait before the sponge is seeding with enough bacteria? Should I be running air through the sponge while I am trying to get it seeded? Thanks.

 

I'd be running the sponge in the main for a few weeks to make sure it picks up the cycle. Hook it up to an air pump and get it switched on - having it just sat in the tank won't do much to seed it.

 

I'd be running the sponge in the main for a few weeks to make sure it picks up the cycle. Hook it up to an air pump and get it switched on - having it just sat in the tank won't do much to seed it.

Thank you!

 

I would seed it for at least a month myself.

 

Thank you!

Should also mention it can be bioload dependent - if your main tank is lightly stocked it could take longer for the new sponge to be seeded, so bear that in mind too.

 

I'm not good at this kind of advice, and I'm sure some folks will disagree with me on some things. Here goes.

A new sponge should run in parallel in the established cycled tank for about 3 weeks at a minimum, 4 weeks plus even better.

Simple answer! Now for not so simple.

Barring this being a possibility, out of time, have to make a move or lose a spawn or most of it, and you have a new tank and sponge filter and an old sponge filter and old established tank..... and low bioloads for both locations (not heavy ammonia production, lets say a couple adults in the main tank, 50 to a couple hundred or so fry in the new tank, they are really tiny).

***I've got 3 tanks, I can use the 3rd if something goes wrong here. that should be kept in mind, It's why I made the gamble on splitting the colony as the only viable solution, i couldn't wait two weeks to a month for a sponge to colonize, and I didn't think that far ahead to do it well in advance.

On the same day:
1. install the new sponge filter in the old well established tank.
2. take the old sponge filter out of it and wring it out in the old tank to release as much as you can from it into the old tank it will get dirty with what was in the sponge. the new filter will pick that up.
3. put the old filter that is established onto the new tank.

I've had this work for me since the old tank is well established and beneficial bacteria is at least partially in the tank on the surfaces. the squeeze out seeds the new filter some I believe and gives it some gunk for the bacteria to hang on to.
Even if you are reduced to 10-20% of the colony in that tank just from what's left on the surfaces, when you pull the filter, they are doubling roughly every day so 10-20-40-80 and back to 100%. Or 20-40 80 back to 100%. you can treat it as fish in cycle for a couple days until it catches up and use prime and test and water change if it hiccups on this and shows ammonia or nitrites, until it catches up if..

the old filter on the new tank should immediately cycle without a problem it having 80% roughly of the bacteria colony. And wringing it out, even roughly, would only knock it back to maybe 50% of its max and should recover in a day also.

if it works, you'll know it and not see ammonia or nitrites at all, if it doesn't work those will appear, and then you got to go to work and hopefully it all gets up to speed in under a week in both tanks, which it should.
It should not completely fail and crash the colony in both tanks and should take to some extent in both locations, but it could take a while if the pH is down near 6 or the water is cool for the bacteria to multiply and get back up to speed.
the majority of the colony moves to the new tank, and the minority of the colony remains in the old tank in there in the substrate, on the glass, on all hard surfaces and multiplys for the waste and recolonizes the new sponge.

Now, i've done it this way exactly once, it's hardly proof that it works, but it did work, the new tank was fully cycled in 1 day, the old tank with the new filter was back up to speed in 3 days.
I just don't trust it to always work because I haven't done it more than the one time.
Now that it's done, I shut down the 10g that I don't need and moved the sponge to run in parallel on the 20g. with two adult angels that are paired.

I don't recommend doing this, I recommend giving a new sponge filter a good month of running in parallel on a fully cycled tank with an established sponge filter and it's smooth as silk. I was in a tough spot and caught offguard and had to try something and splitting the colony from an established tank worked well like this with low bioloads in both locations. I think this can work with other filters and a new sponge filter also, by moving the old established filter to the new tank and putting the new sponge on the old established tank. maybe washing out some of the media to the established tank with the new filter to give it some gunk.

 

Thanks all for the replies, I have the new sponge running in the main tank right now, and will leave it there for around a month. I don't have very many fry at the moment so the initial bioload on the grow-out tank will be small once I get them moved there, plus the initial daily water changes I have planned will help.