about to start cycling

[jerenycool]

i herd somewhere that u can take the water or some of it out of one tank and put in a new and not havve to cycle it does that work and if now what fish should i use to cycle a 10 gallon tank that is going to be a guppy breeding tank?

 

[semper fi]

you would not only need to take some of the water but also some of the gravel which can be bagged and hung in the tank and filter medium. basically you are taking part of the bacteria colony from one tank and transporting it to another tank.

since i have a 180, i never have to cycle tanks. just swipe some of the stuff out of the bigger tank.

semper fi

 

[lordmoose]

If you mean taking mature water from an established tank, then it will help with cycling but you cannot avoid it completely. Start the cycle with small hardy fish such as danios, or white cloud mountain minnows, that's what I use.

 

[jerenycool]

so can i take 5 gallons of water out of my big tank and put it in my new tank? what is filter media? then can i put 2 swordtails in there?

 

[semper fi]

filter media would be the filter pack in your whisper that is running now. established water is not the only thing that you need to take. gravel should also be taken. if you put it in a bag or even breeder box you can put it back into the original tank you borrowed it from.

sponge filters are also good to take from an established tank to transport bacteria to a new set up.

you would need to ensure that your 30 is done cycling though. do that with a test kit.

semper fi

 

[smb]

Just to add to all the other great info here.

Water is the least important factor if you want to quickly colonize your new tanks with bacteria. Filter media and gravel are much better.

 

[jerenycool]

well i just add the water from my other tank and put 2 swordtails in how long will it take to cyle?