Speed up cycling?
Advertisement
Advertisement
- Messages
- 7,420
- Messages
- 7,420
This is so frustrating! My nitrites spiked again! I put 20 drops of the Dr. Tim's in a week ago. The media that I used from the display tank was a small cut size piece, and I decided yesterday to take entire floss out of my display tank. I put the entire floss into the biocube.
Will this help? Thanks for all your help Stella1979.
Advertisement
How much will adding the gravel and filter media from my 29 gallon (which has been in operation for about 2 years) to my new 240g speed up the cycling of the new tank?
Should I wash the old gravel beforehand or will that kill the beneficial bacteria? And will the beneficial bacteria survive in a bucket of water without a running filter for a few hours?
Are there any other ways to speed up the nitrogen cycle safely? Because I'm moving I have to get my fish to the new tank as soon as possible.
Thank you! Sorry for all of the questions.
Should I wash the old gravel beforehand or will that kill the beneficial bacteria? And will the beneficial bacteria survive in a bucket of water without a running filter for a few hours?
Are there any other ways to speed up the nitrogen cycle safely? Because I'm moving I have to get my fish to the new tank as soon as possible.
Thank you! Sorry for all of the questions.
- Messages
- 21,388
If you are breaking down your 29 and just running the 240 gallon tank just move EVERYTHING over to the new bigger tank. A cycle doesn't take into account the amount of water in a tank. It depends on the bio-load of the fish in the tank.
As long as you don't add anymore fish you will have enough bacteria living in the filter and on everything in the 29 gallon tank to handle the bio-load of the original fish. Be sure to run the filter from the 29 on the 240 along with the filter(s) on your 240. Bacteria lives on the filter media but is also on every piece of the filter itself.
When starting to stock the much bigger tank just add a few fish at a time. This way the tank will grow enough bacteria to handle the heavier bio-load as you slowly add them. I would add no more than 3 or 4 fish at a time. This will give the bacteria time to catch up with the bio-load of the extra fish. I think you could safely add 3 or 4 each week until you are fully stocked..
edited to add: no, don't wash the gravel.
As long as you don't add anymore fish you will have enough bacteria living in the filter and on everything in the 29 gallon tank to handle the bio-load of the original fish. Be sure to run the filter from the 29 on the 240 along with the filter(s) on your 240. Bacteria lives on the filter media but is also on every piece of the filter itself.
When starting to stock the much bigger tank just add a few fish at a time. This way the tank will grow enough bacteria to handle the heavier bio-load as you slowly add them. I would add no more than 3 or 4 fish at a time. This will give the bacteria time to catch up with the bio-load of the extra fish. I think you could safely add 3 or 4 each week until you are fully stocked..
edited to add: no, don't wash the gravel.
- Messages
- 350
I'm going to set up a 20 gallon tank tomorrow. I have my 55 gallon tank that's cycled. I was wondering how quickly could I speed up cycling the new tank if I took some of the filter media out of my 55 gallon and put it in the new tank, then added some of the gravel from my 55 gallon and even some of the water when I vacuum the gravel? ( I read that water from vacuuming would boost )
- Messages
- 1,571
Advertisement
- Messages
- 350
- Messages
- 21,388
I used to think this but now I am not so sure. I am beginning to think that there can be benefit from using the detritus vacuumed from the substrate. I used to think it was just waste material but have read more and more about folks having good cycling success by using this material. I have been convinced by those that have had success when adding it to a cycling tank.
I am living proof that one can teach an old dog new tricks
- Messages
- 2,422
HI Grace...
Anything from the established tank will instantly cycle the new one. You could certainly use water from the old tank provided you included the organic material from the bottom. Just do a good job of vacuuming. Moving water from the old tank to the new one will help a little to steady the water chemistry in the new tank. You just need to acclimate the fish properly for about 20 minutes.
Old
Lots of people say this but for it to be true it means that your BB never comes loose from wherever it is living. That seem like an evolutionary impossibility. Drifting is a great evolutionary strategy.
If you break out a microscope I'm guessing a drop of aquarium water is teaming with life.
If the water has no BB in it how does BB spread from one place to another?
If bacteria is unwilling to get into the water how do we get blooms and why do we sell UV sterilizers? I do not think that only bad bacteria spreads into the water.
- Messages
- 2,422
Hello CH...
Bacteria lives on all surfaces inside the tank. This includes the organic material that collects on the bottom of the tank. Bacteria is living on this material, because it's breaking it down to a digestible form. If you're needing to jump start the cycle for a new tank, this material along with anything else with a surface inside the tank will do the job.
Old
- Messages
- 350
Thank you guys! I have added some gravel from my old tank ( like a bowl full ), squeezed out some of the water and stuff from my filter media and put in it andd a big piece of decor and one small one from my old tank. On day two of cycling it turned cloudy, then yesterday it cleared up. I read on other forums this could very well mean BB growth?
- Messages
- 6,559
BB can come loose, but it's really hard to uproot them. You would need a jackhammer to get some off. I don't doubt that under a microscope there if microorganisms, and the way that BB travels is by hitching onto a drifting item, and when that settles they expand the colony.
The reason we get blooms is because they are a different type of free floating bacteria that reproduces rapidly, compared to the BB we use on surfaces which reproduces every day or so.
- Messages
- 2,422
HI Inner...
This material is home for the good bacteria and it will instantly cycle a new tank. It's organic, all natural and does wonders for the tank, especially for the aquatic plants. This is natural fertilizer at its very best. I never vacuum this material out of the tank. My plants wouldn't grow as well as they do and if I removed this fertilizer, I'd have to buy something that wasn't nearly as good. My Goldfish love this stuff. They'll forage around it looking for that piece of uneaten food and move it around, so it's well oxygenated. But, if you've got a better idea, I'm listening.
Old
- Messages
- 21,388
Advertisement
- Messages
- 914
Get some Seachem Stability and add fish the same day. Say's so right on the bottle......
- Messages
- 350
- Messages
- 21,388
Is the ammonia you are adding daily going back down to zero? Are you seeing any nitrates? Answer yes to both of these questions then I would have to say yes, this tank is cycled.
How much bacteria there is in there depends on how much ammonia it is processing. Just like with fish the higher the bio-load (the amount of ammonia) the more bacteria there will be and the more fish you can add all at once without causing a mini-cycle.
- Messages
- 953
Adding some gravel or gravel sludge.. or better-some filter media from a healthy established tank will speed things along. Adding plant ferts can jump start a stalled cycle ( bacteria need minerals too!)
Also use nitrazorb if doing a fish in cycle- cheating yes..but the safest way to start a tank for impatient people. Follow directions for cycling tank.
Also use nitrazorb if doing a fish in cycle- cheating yes..but the safest way to start a tank for impatient people. Follow directions for cycling tank.
- Messages
- 914
Grace. I cycled my tank last time but never again. It’s not required anymore.
You could add fish tomorrow if you have Seachem Stability or similar.
Using Stability or your choice of product follow the instructions to the tee and add fish the same day or next.
I will no longer deal with traditional fishless cycling.
I understand many in our hobby are purests and traditionalists which is fine.
But I for one will not fool around waiting for a month or so when I do not have to.
- Messages
- 350
Thank you!
The tests I have done today says there is a safe amount for ammonia. And the other for nitrites and nitrates is wrong I feel it works good for ph and other stuff but I don't feel like it is for nitrites and nitrates. I don't have a master testing kit thing I haven't had any issues with my fish or the water before this is really the only time I have really needed it. ( I know I need a master test kit just haven't got one )
The tests I have done today says there is a safe amount for ammonia. And the other for nitrites and nitrates is wrong I feel it works good for ph and other stuff but I don't feel like it is for nitrites and nitrates. I don't have a master testing kit thing I haven't had any issues with my fish or the water before this is really the only time I have really needed it. ( I know I need a master test kit just haven't got one )
- Messages
- 21,388
I am not sure what you mean about a safe amount of ammonia. The only number I can consider truly safe is a zero reading. What are you using to test it? If when you add ammonia your test shows an unsafe level and then goes back to a safe level within 24 hours I have to think this tank is cycled. I can't say for sure though without knowing if you are registering any nitrites.
I have instantly cycled many tanks simply be moving a sponge filter from a heavily stocked well established tank. I know the tank is cycled because I don't get any ammonia or nitrite reading and start seeing nitrates within about a week. I just fill the tank up and then add both sponge filter and fish at the same time. As long as you have been adding ammonia ever since you added the seeded media the bacteria should be hard at work in there removing the ammonia you are adding.
- Messages
- 1,276
Honestly I haven’t properly cycled a single tank if you go by the wait a month setup.
Of this round of tanks I had to start right up with a sudden fish addition so it was same day setup and swim. Was a happy and healthy fish until his suicide (from a different tank).
Using bio booster like Seachem or Fluval, along with a good swish from a primary tank filter (or even leaving it in the new tank overnight) along with the required water conditioner and say... stressguard is probably perfect. I also add low dose aquarium salt to new fish/tanks which seems to help quite a bit.
Of this round of tanks I had to start right up with a sudden fish addition so it was same day setup and swim. Was a happy and healthy fish until his suicide (from a different tank).
Using bio booster like Seachem or Fluval, along with a good swish from a primary tank filter (or even leaving it in the new tank overnight) along with the required water conditioner and say... stressguard is probably perfect. I also add low dose aquarium salt to new fish/tanks which seems to help quite a bit.
Advertisement
- Messages
- 350
- Messages
- 350
- Messages
- 953
This link below is useful but also comes with instructions..has worked for me as described
it just keeps the ammonia nitrite and nitrates at really low levels and still allows cycle to complete. So easy.. low risk to fish. It can make salts accumulate in water if used long term but I use it for vacations, adding new fish, starting cycles with fish and emergency cycle crashes (after neighbor kid dumps in a whole container of fish food).
I like to use a piece of filter floss from an old tank. Not sure if anyone mentioned this already but it usually gets my nitrates to show up quite quickly!
- Messages
- 350
Random Great Topic!
Today's Deals
Advertisement
Advertisement