Washing Out The Filter In Use To My New Tank?

[liolios]

I am setting up my new 110 lt tank. I was told to use stress coat for ammonia and stress zyme (live bacteria ).I also used 1 tablet for bottom feeders.(it supposed to help bacteria).Yesterday,I washed out the filter that I keep in my 25lt aquarium that already have, in the new 110lt tank.

Will I be ready for fish soon??

From the first day (21.12.05) I measure NH3 0 NO2 0 NO3 0. Why?Because I used these products??

- ph ~7.2
- 5 plants
- temp 29 C

Thanks!!

 

[seanc]

Add a few flakes and see how quickly the amonia levels drop back to 0; ideally you want that to occur in very little time.

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

What do you mean they recommended stress coat for ammonia? To bring it down? If so, thats the complete opposite of what you want to do. You need ammonia to cycle the tank.
I dont believe that stress zyme is really live bacteria because if it was alive, then it would need air circulation, or it could be dormant for god knows how long if it is refrigerated. But it is sitting on a shelf 10 degrees colder than its natural habitat immortally with no expiration date and no air circulation. Plus, it says its for fresh or saltwater, but there have been studies done particularly by Marinelabs that show the bacteria that inhabit freah and saltwater are different species. Anyway test the ammonia about a day after putting in a flake or another tablet. If it is up, test it every day for like 3 or 4 days and if it still hasn't gone down [which I doubt it will with stress zyme] then go find some Biospira by Marinelabs. This should work if it has been handled properly during shipping. If not, just add a little ammonia source each day until you have had a nitrate spike and drop, then start off with A FEW fish.

 

[rdd1952]

Stress Coat is actually a dechlorinator and won't do anything to remove ammonia. It removes chlorine and chloramine. The Stress Zyme is supposed to help start the bacteria colony but I'm very skeptical of those products just like RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah. I don't think they do any harm and it won't hurt to use them but I don't think they do any good either. Bio Spira is supposed to be a good product but I personally haven't used it. Rinsing the filter in the new tank may help a little but it won't cycle the tank. What type filters do you have. Can you take some filter media (carbon or what ever you have in the filters) out and put it in the new filter. That would put bacteria immediately in the new tank and with a little ammonia a fishless cycle shouldn't take long at all and you could put all your fish in.

As for testing, if you don't have any fish and haven't added ammonia, you won't get any readings for ammonia, nitrite or nitrate because there is nothing in the tank to produce them.