water change water to a new tank???

[Magnum Man]

so, I still have 2 breeder sized tanks, that need started up... if I were wanting to breed some fish, that were already in one of my bigger community tanks, swapping out one of my filters, putting it in a smaller less populated tank, would go a long way towards cycling it... thinking about adding about a cup of the community tanks substrate, and it would be piece of cake, while doing water changes, to pull about 25-30% of the breeder tank's water from the community tank, before moving the fish... any disadvantages to doing that??? positives seems like it would make the water less strange... but it would also carry with it, the presence of all the fish, in the community tank, if that would be a negative towards breeding???

 

[Boundava]

Transfering the filter or well seasoned filter media is honestly your best option as it will have the best concentration of BB, a lot more than the water or substrate. You can test the tank with a small dose of safe amonia and test the waster the next day to confirm parameters. Then add fish slowly to build up BB as needed.

I have never started a new tank with anything other than ammonia or used filter media. I know some BB may be in the substrate and even less in used water, but the best concentration will be in your filter media...its what the filter was made for.

I do have 4 FX4 and 1 FX5 with foam and ceramic media so I can grab some and replace with new media with no problems as needed if I start a new tank. BB grows to accommodate the waste in the tank, you won't ever have an excess in a cycled tank-even if you have 15 filters on it.

 

[Magnum Man]

not as worried about cycling, curious, if 1/3 of the water would make them feel at home, and if they were trying to breed in the community tank, would that make them feel more at home, or would the "presence" of all the other fish more likely slow them down???

 

[WhistlingBadger]

If you're keeping up on your water changes--and I know you do--I don't see any advantage. They should be used to your tap water. Just make sure you dechlorinate and get the temp the same.

 

[CassCats]

I'd like to input something here.

If your fish are spawning in the community tank, it could be helpful to add some of the water to the breeding tank--not for the beneficial bacteria, but for the pheromones released in the community tank from the spawning.

Among some fish such as corydoras and plecos, this is a known tactic to help trigger more difficult species to spawn.

 

[Magnum Man]

that was exactly what I was wondering...

 

[Boundava]

So I used to get my corry to spawn all the time when I did a very large water change on the tank, like 80-90%. It was a 75 gallon and I wasn't looking for them to breed, but they would only do it then.
With my BN pleco, all he needed was a cave and babies were guaranteed. Ghost was a good dad, he had hundreds of offspring. Unfortunately no one wanted then and A** Adventures took them off my hands without compensation.

 

[GaryE]

Dirty water is dirty water. Part of what we try to do is get rid of the hormones and secretions in the water. It's why I find the current fascination with the nitrogen cycle to the exclusion of the whole picture so damaging.

In with the pheremones from another species breeding you'd have fight or flight, dominance - the whole range of chemicals that get caught in our tiny bodies of water.

True, I once read an article where a guy claimed a tiny bit of urine from a pregnant woman would make his fish breed. I'm not sure anyone who said that in public would ever get to be in the company of pregnant women again, but I did read it. Once.

I cycle by putting a filter onto an established tank for around 3 week, then moving it over.

 

[MaloK]

I'm not sure anyone who said that in public would ever get to be in the company of pregnant women again

Interesting... I wonder if Moose or Elk urine of mare in heat could have the same results... You wouldn't loose the company of you hunting buddies for that trying that