cycling a new tank

[MikebNJ]

If you have no seeded media or old filters, Tetra Safestart has always worked for me.

 

[narayanang76]

What I have tried and it worked for me is mixing some amount of water from my other established tanks in the new one. this has shown results in a matter of few days, actually less than a week.

My attempts with the beneficial bacteria products, have been in vain, just lost money there. Didn't find it useful in my case.

 

[pops]

No offence meant, old water is just that, old water. The bacteria involved with cycling a tank live on a surface, not in the water. this why we use porous bio media. more surface area to cultivate them. again not meaning to offend or call any one out, just a FYI that old fish water not do anything.

 

[smokeythebair]

Filter media from another tank and some water. I also wait about two weeks before wc. Never had ammonia and it didn't cycle.

 

[narayanang76]

No offence meant, old water is just that, old water. The bacteria involved with cycling a tank live on a surface, not in the water. this why we use porous bio media. more surface area to cultivate them. again not meaning to offend or call any one out, just a FYI that old fish water not do anything.

pops - No offence taken we are discussing about experiences of what has worked in speeding up cycling and this had worked and the other techniques didn't do anything substancial.

And of course, porus bio media, rings, bio balls etc is where bacteria colonise, but it takes few weeks for it. By introducing the water from the other established tanks, the bacteria colonizing can be faster, at least my experience.

Filter media from another tank and some water. I also wait about two weeks before wc. Never had ammonia and it didn't cycle.

Thanks!

 

[jaws7777]

With mo established media on hand i gp for tetra safestart. Product never failed me.

 

[ehh]

to start from scratch I am lazy, bagged raw shelled jumbo shrimp, turn the filters on and walk away. change 50 percent water once a week, by 6 weeks everything is starting to click by week 8 time to remove the shrimp change the water and add fish.

haha this being lazy? 2 months, sheesh.

i just pull media from one of my filters, put it in the new filter, start adding fish the next day. I've set up every single tank but my very first tank like this.

 

[pops]

patience, its a virtue. one a am severely lacking in as I get older unless needed. and to cycle with nothing else, it is needed.

 

[convict360]

if i don't have seeded filters, i just use bottle bacteria; I've done this for even sensitive species like dwarf pea puffers, though admittedly it's not ideal, since you have to subject the fish to ammonia of around 0.5ppm for it to establish, which is how the bottled bacteria works.

 

[jaws7777]

Ive done it with small clown loaches as well. In a pinch its a great option