If I move established substrate, water, and filters into a new tank do I need to worry about cycling that tank?
New tank, but cycled water, filter, substrate
- Thread starter Hope_WA
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No you don't, but I wouldn't be adding a bunch of fish all at once either. Also the water has pretty much no bacteria in it so I would just use new water.
Agreed with the above. To clarify a bit, there is no such thing as cycled water. A tank, thought of as a system, is cycled when there is a sufficient bacterial population to convert waste ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate, as it happens (i.e., so when you test the water you will not register any ammonia or nitrite. Most of that happens in the filter media, and some (very little due to surface area and flow) anywhere else. If you have a robust bacterial population you can lose some, or increase bioload, which may cause a mini-cycle (i.e., some ammonia will accumulate and some nitrite) but it won't last long because bacteria reproduce so fast.
No need to use new water, but it is better to use it...just make sure you use conditioner like Prime to take out chlorine and/or chloramine, which kill bacteria. And you can even use the opportunity to clean the substrate.
No need to use new water, but it is better to use it...just make sure you use conditioner like Prime to take out chlorine and/or chloramine, which kill bacteria. And you can even use the opportunity to clean the substrate.
I should have been more clear. The water, and everything else, well be coming from an established tank that currently has fish in it, so everything has plenty of bb built up.
Beneficial bacteria are sessile, meaning they live on surfaces, not free in the water. Saving old water does nothing.
Exactly. So, the only thing you bring with old water is nitrate, which is bad, and who knows what else has accumulated. We do regular massive water changes for a reason, so not good to save old water (not to mention it sounds like it would be a pain).
I suppose one thing I would note is that fish don't do well with sudden changes in temperature or chemistry. Meaning one advantage of old water is that it is what they are used to, even if what they are used to is unhealthy levels of nitrate. Which does not mean saving the old water, it means you may wish to drip acclimate the fish to the new water vs. dumping them in.
Is the new tank similar sized or much bigger? The reason I ask is because if it's much larger than moving the existing water over and then filling up with new would be similar to doing a large water change and may not stress the fish out as much as if it's all new water. As long as the filters aren't off for a long time and you're not adding additional stock right away then you shouldn't have much of an issue.
Hello; Some things to add to what has already been said. Keep the media with the established beneficial bacteria (BB) wet during the transfer. I also would have the new tank pretty much ready to accept the old media and some fish and not let it sit around in a bucket for too long.
I agree with the notion of cleaning the substrate. With a basic rinsing you will remove a lot of detritus that will be of no benefit to the new tank setup. Some BB will be removed but it is unlikely that all will be rinsed away. I have read that the bb stick somewhat strongly to surfaces. One way to be more positive about having some substrate with BB could be to keep some unrinsed and place it in a mesh bag. The mesh bag of BB loaded substrate can be suspended in the new setup for a few days and rinsed later.
Keep in mind that the BB are kept alive/active in a relation to their food, ammonia. If you put the old filter media and substrate into the new tank with out any fish, then some ammonia source will be needed to keep the BB going. I would likely add a few small fish right away, but there are other sources of ammonia.
It may also be a good practice to stock the new setup with fish gradually. This way the balance between the BB and the bio-load of ammonia can more likely be kept in a reasonable balance.
I agree with using new water conditioned with chemicals, if needed, and at the proper temperature for the fish. If logistically possible I would set up the new tank full of water and with all the filters, heaters and such in operation for a few days before getting the BB loaded material from the established tank. This way if a leak or equipment problem shows up you can address it. You can run the filters without media during this time and stick the BB loaded media when all is ready.
Good luck.
I agree with the notion of cleaning the substrate. With a basic rinsing you will remove a lot of detritus that will be of no benefit to the new tank setup. Some BB will be removed but it is unlikely that all will be rinsed away. I have read that the bb stick somewhat strongly to surfaces. One way to be more positive about having some substrate with BB could be to keep some unrinsed and place it in a mesh bag. The mesh bag of BB loaded substrate can be suspended in the new setup for a few days and rinsed later.
Keep in mind that the BB are kept alive/active in a relation to their food, ammonia. If you put the old filter media and substrate into the new tank with out any fish, then some ammonia source will be needed to keep the BB going. I would likely add a few small fish right away, but there are other sources of ammonia.
It may also be a good practice to stock the new setup with fish gradually. This way the balance between the BB and the bio-load of ammonia can more likely be kept in a reasonable balance.
I agree with using new water conditioned with chemicals, if needed, and at the proper temperature for the fish. If logistically possible I would set up the new tank full of water and with all the filters, heaters and such in operation for a few days before getting the BB loaded material from the established tank. This way if a leak or equipment problem shows up you can address it. You can run the filters without media during this time and stick the BB loaded media when all is ready.
Good luck.
