Starting 2nd tank

[hmiddleb13]

I started my first tank in August and did a fish in cycle. I actually posted some questions here because I never quite showed typical nitrogen cycle stages. Basically I never saw it happen, but it obviously did and I have a 15 gallon tank with 10 glofish tetras and 4 golden otos all very happy and healthy. I asked for a 5 gallon tank for Christmas to add a betta to our family. After much research I settled on a Fluval Spec V. I really love having live plants in my established tank and plan to once again do a mixture of live and fake. My question is how to best cycle this tank. I figure I'll do a fish-less cycle this time. I've read so much about the nitrogen cycle over the last few months my head is spinning and I can't remember most of it. I wondered what suggestions I could find here. Should I move some media over from my established tank? I've also seen some post you could put your new filter in established tank for a period of time. I want to establish the new one as quickly as possible because I'm excited, but I don't want to do anything to harm or change my established one because I've been so lucky with it.

 

[Colin_T]

If you already have an established aquarium, you simply take half the filter material from that tank and put it in the new filter on the new tank. Then you have an instant cycled tank. Top up both filters with some new media and add fish within 24 hours of adding the established material.

Obviously set the new tank up first, add dechlorinator and allow it to run for a couple of days before adding the established filter material and fish. But there is no need to cycle the new tank if you use some of the filter material from the established tank.

Just monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels for the first few weeks and do a water change if you get any readings.

 

[hmiddleb13]

Awesome! And forgive my ignorance but I just want to make sure I do it exactly right. My established tank has an aquaclear 30 with AquaClear Foam, Activated Carbon and BioMax. Do I just literally half all of that?

 

[Colin_T]

Take the ceramic beads and use them in the new tank. Leave the sponge and carbon in the old tank.

You don't need carbon in an aquarium so in a month or so you can chuck it out and replace it with another sponge. If you have heavy metals or chemicals in the water then carbon can be used to remove them but it is not necessary otherwise.

I just had 3 sponges in my Aquaclear HOB filters. If I ever set up a new tank I grabbed a sponge from one and put it in a new filter.

 

[hmiddleb13]

Great! Thank you so much for you help!