Loaches Online Forum

If you can. Take a handful of the gravel from the 10 gal tank and add it too the gravel in the new tank. That will help 'get it going' also.

Nice, I like that last post. Would I have to cram it into the filter or just lay the inserts in the tank till I get the new tank? Or actually run it in the ten?

Any bacteria that the 10 gallon grows for you (on any media) will only be enough to handle the waste from the fish and other livestock currently in the 10 gallon tank. WHen you then remove whatever media you have been growing the bacteria on that will deprive the 10 of some of its bacteria. THis need not cause more than a tiny burp in the cycle, if you do not remove very much bacteria. I have removed as much as 25% of the media from a filter to jump start a new tank. This leaves the bacteria population intact int he rest of the donor tank, and most of the filter, so I am really only taking about 1/8 of all the bacteria.
Now think: If you take one eighth of the bacteria it will only support the equivalent of one eighth of the fish that grew that bacteria. About 1/2 of one of your fish.
This is a good way to help the fishless/ammonia cycle along, but does not do much as far as an instant cycle in the new tank.

It does not matter what kind of media, where it comes from, or how you put it into the 10. It will only grow a tiny% of the bacteria you need.

a) Take some of the new media from the new filter and hang it in the back of the tank, sort of behind the existing filter
b) Swap media between the two filters: put 1/4 of the media from the 10 onto the filter of the new tank, and replace that removed filter media with new material.
c) Put some gravel from the 10 onto a nylon stocking and hang it in the water flow in the new tank. (Or lay it on the bottom where the water hits it)
d) Take some decorations like rocks and driftwood from the 10 and set them in the larger tank.

http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php?op= ... =0&thold=0

here is an article I wrote a while back about fishless/ammonia cycling.

Ashleigh wrote:Well if you are not getting your tank till July, why not add on the filter you want to the 10g as soon as you can-it will then certinally be cycled by the time you buy your tank

Ashleigh

This is the topic I meant htat I liked earlier, guess I took too long to post and some one got ahead of you. Thanks.