Cycling Speed Go!

[Quadlex]

So as I sit here and wait for my new hospital tank to cycle (fishless, using a sponge that covered a filter intake in my main tank as media to give a 'kickstart'), I'm wondering how long it will take this time, and thinking back to my main tank with a bit of dread... cycling tanks are much less fun then fishfilled ones!

How long was your shortest cycle? Did it use media from another tank (what sort?), how long, did you do anything 'special' to the tank?

C'mon, someone's got to have a story of when Neptune smiled on them and insta-cycled their new fish-haus

 

[demonmagus]

just remove half a sponge from the other filter and put it in the other...

BANG- instant cycle...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

And bang instant spike in the tank you removed the 1/2 sponge from.

H tanks do not need to be cycled and in fact cycling is often a waste of time since the meds used are often likely to kill the bacteria anyway. Instead set up the H tank as needed, fill with treated water and bring it up to temp with a heater. Add and airstone or sponge filter (this will provide mech filtration which the airstone wont). I also add some plastic plants and a couple of rocks to make the tank more hospitable for the patient. Move in the sick fish and then add the meds and if a higher temp is needed, turn up the heater after the fish has been put into the H tank.

Every other day do a 25% water change. If you are doing this in a day dosing is not normally required, then put in a 25% dose to replace the removed meds. If it is on a normal dosing day, do the wc before dosing.

When the patient has recovered or died, sterilize the tank and all the contents in a bleach solution. I will normally just throw away the spong and replace it the next time since bleach degrades sponges.

 

[andywg]

Took some excess filter media (about 5 kg) out of the largest tank, into the next largest tank's sump. Instant filter. And no ammonia spike. So long as you are sensible about the amount of media removed from tanks you are fine.

Worst ammonia spike you will get taking up to 10% of the media out is the same as a decent feed (i.e. one that is dealt with too quickly to notice).

So I think you will find that for a number of people, the quickest cycle is 0. Cloning tanks is so much better than cycling.

 

[benzonar]

Two days!!

I used the new Tetra Safestart and had no spikes. Would have been quicker but I wanted to check with ammonia before adding any fish.

 

[Quadlex]

Heh, I said 'Hospital' because it was late at night and I couldn't figure out how to spell 'Quarantine'.

I figured taking out the filter intake sponge and replacing it with a fresh one would give me some of the bacteria from my main tank, without causing a huge ammonia spike. I'm still waiting for the ammonia level in my quarantine tank to drop down to zero... For some reason the Nitrite spike hasn't occured yet.

Instant cycles would be fun, perhaps my LFS should stock a tank full of filter sponges then just dope it with ammonia every day, and sell it with new tanks