Cycling A Tank With Mature Media

[da7thson]

Hi guys,

Just gone through the Beginners resource centre to try and find information as regards cycling a new tank using mature media from an established tank and can’t find anything.

I got an emergency tank on Monday and set it up with a new filter / heater etc. I put about 50% of the gravel in the bottom of the new tank from my old tank and also squeezed the top part of my juwel filter (the white, green, black and light blue pads) into the tank and filled about 50% of the tank with water from my established tank.
What else should i be doing? How often should i be doing water changes (daily like a non-cycled tank, weekly like my cycled tank or something else).

Cheers

Andy

 

[the_lock_man]

I would suggest you take a maximum of a third of the actual media from your current filter, and fill your new filter with it. Take the new filter media and refill the old filter with that.

The bacteria colony in the old filter will regrow itself onto the new media quickly (a day or so), so there shouldn't be any spiking in the old tank.

There should be enough bacteria going into the new filter to instantly cycle it, but I would suggest you test the water daily for a week or 2, and change water if necessary.

Using gravel and water from the old tank will achieve very little. Squeezing the media into the new filter may help a bit, but the bacteria cling on really tight to the sponges, so not many will have been transferred that way.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Seeding a tank is the exact same process as the fish less cycle aprt from as said 1/3 media from a mature filter cramed into the new filter.....thats it simple as. The mature media in the new filter will have bacteria on and while your adding ammonia as per fishless cycle they will replicate very fast and can even half the cycle time

 

[the_lock_man]

Seeding a tank is the exact same process as the fish less cycle aprt from as said 1/3 media from a mature filter cramed into the new filter.....thats it simple as. The mature media in the new filter will have bacteria on and while your adding ammonia as per fishless cycle they will replicate very fast and can even half the cycle time

The OP notes it as Emergency Gourami Tank, therefore I think I'm right in saying it's already got a fish in it, which is why he's asking about water changes.

 

[da7thson]

I would suggest you take a maximum of a third of the actual media from your current filter, and fill your new filter with it. Take the new filter media and refill the old filter with that.

Thanks for the reply's guys. Unfortunatly the filter in my Juwel is the multi part Juwel one , the one in the emergancy tank is just a sponge filter as its just a small 29L unbranded open top tank, so swapping filter pads about woant be possible.

And yes it has already got a fish in it due to the gourami's (now singular ) were being bullied constantly.

Cheers

Andy

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Seeding a tank is the exact same process as the fish less cycle aprt from as said 1/3 media from a mature filter cramed into the new filter.....thats it simple as. The mature media in the new filter will have bacteria on and while your adding ammonia as per fishless cycle they will replicate very fast and can even half the cycle time

The OP notes it as Emergency Gourami Tank, therefore I think I'm right in saying it's already got a fish in it, which is why he's asking about water changes.

Ah sorry i should read more carefully,

Your mature filter is one the juwel internals? Green,blue,black sponges with a poly pad in a black box correct?

The new one is a sponge one you say, like air driven one you find in fry tanks or a cartridge, can you link something that the same or a pic of the new one

 

[da7thson]

Ah sorry i should read more carefully,

Your mature filter is one the juwel internals? Green,blue,black sponges with a poly pad in a black box correct?

The new one is a sponge one you say, like air driven one you find in fry tanks or a cartridge, can you link something that the same or a pic of the new one

Yes the standard grenn, blue black, etc etc with the heater and pump in the black box.

The new one is air pump driven sponge filter. It is "C" shaped, the bottom of the c has a round cylinder spong on it that sits under that water, the top of the C sits at the water surface and an air hose goes into the back of the C and drives air up the letter C (very similar to this one http/www.amazinganimal.co.uk/biofoam-filter-p-438.html).

Andy

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Im with you now, take out the green sponge from the old juewl filter and place it in the new tank so it touches the new sponge air driven one, use a rubber band to hold them together. The air pump will still suck the water through both sponges and the old sponge will seed the new one to give a boost. When done you just pop the green sponge back into the old tank.

I would also cut feeding on both tank a bit while your messing with media and do a water test after a few days to be safe