Cycling question

[Jen21]

I just got a new 10 gallon tank and have been cycling the tank for 1 day. I put in some water from my other tank and used the filter from my other tank to get some bacteria in the tank. How long should I cycle the tank before adding fish. Is it helpful to put water from other tanks to get the beneficial bacteria started?

 

[WILDER]

Not water from others tanks so much, just mature filter sponges and gravel, but make sure there hasn't been any desease in the tank you are taking it from, don't want to transfer it to the new tank, also an ornament or plants will helps as well.

 

[dwarfgourami]

You can't give a time for how long it's going to take to cycle a tank; it differs from tank to tank. What you need to do is to get a test kit and test for ammonia and nitrites. The ammonia should go up first, then come down and nitrites go up, then nitrites come down and nitrates go up- that's when you're cycled (you then need to do a partial water change before adding fish).
Remember it won't cycle unless you add a source of ammonia, either out of a bottle or from fish (some people have done it with fish food). Bottle is best as it does not stress out fish, and it's cheap. Look up pinned topic on fishless cycling. The other option is to add some hardy fish- but then you need to keep a very close eye onw ater stats so you don;t kill them.
Without a source of ammonia, you could sit watching your tank forever and it still won't cycle.
Don't hesitate to ask questions! The members on the forum were wonderful helping me with my fishless cycling.

 

[sinistral]

When you say you "used the filter from [your] other tank to get some bacteria in the tank", what do you mean? Does that mean that you ran a filter on your old tank for a few weeks and then transferred the entire filter to your 10g?

 

[ramboy]

it depends on your tank

 

[Jen21]

Yes, I ran the filter in my other tank and then transferred it into my new tank. Im curious as to why the levels go up and down so much... what is the difference in a newer tank as opposed to a tank that has been cycled?

 

[sinistral]

If that's what you've done, then you can add fish to the new tank shortly after transferring the filter to ensure that the bacteria in your matured filter survives.

 

[daza]

If that's what you've done, then you can add fish to the new tank shortly after transferring the filter to ensure that the bacteria in your matured filter survives.

totally agree, but I wanted to say that you should add fish to the new tank after transferring the filter. If there is not fish in there yet then feed a source of ammonia or keep the filter on the old tank. Otherwise the bacteria will die off.

By transfering the filter you have effectively instantly cycled the tank (in a more mature tank bacteria exists in the gravel too, etc but the filter bacteria is adequate for a newly cycled tank to take fish).

Just expanding on what you said sinistral

 

[sinistral]

Excellent point daza