Instant Cycling?

[VulcanNinja]

Just wondering if I can instantly cycle a 2 gallon aq. by using "mature" gravel from my cycled 10 gallon.

 

[lizard]

I believe so That's the idea I'm using with my 29-gallon I just set up, except instead of transferring some gravel from the ten to the 29, I just took the filter from the 10 and have it running in the 29 for awhile, so that all the good bacteria in the filter can move on over to the other filter.

Yay for instant cycling!

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

thats what i did. everything seems to be running smoothly!

 

[rvm]

I've done it twice with new tanks, but both times, I knew the tanks were coming, so added a bit of extra filter media into my cannisters and transferred that into the new cannister on the new tank. One of the tanks suffered a mini-cycle, but it only took about 4 days to clear up, and ammonia never went above 0.4 nitrite 0.1. Didn't lose any fish either. Anyway, it does work, just keep an eye on the tank for the first couple of weeks to make sure!!

 

[yhbae]

If both tanks are powered by power filters, then just smear thoroughly the new sponge with the old one from the mature tank. I did this to some of my smaller tanks, and ammonia/nitrites never showed up. (But nitrates did, so I guess it got cycled silently...)