would this work??? use 50% established water from tank #1 to tank #2 which would be approx-75gallons then fill remaining with new water with Prime and Stability but my filter media is all used but cleaned pond filter. Does this make sense? really its no different than when a person does a 50% WC on there tank normally minus the new media i guess how long do you guys think it would take this set up to cycle??? Oh and "robbing" some established media from tank #1 to tank #2 isn't an option as tank #1 is running an FX5 thanks for any input fellow MFK'ers
50% used water w/ Prime+Stability for new tank????
- Thread starter slednex11
- Start date
Bacteria doesnt live suspended in the water, it lives in your filter media and substrate.
To jump start a cycle you can always squeeze in filter debris from a healthy established tank or transfer gravel.
I use the BioBeads in my tanks so when establishing a new tank I will transfer BioBeads from an established tank to the new tank and buy new ones for the old tank. Filter pads or sponges work the same. Or just ring the filter out into the new tank.
Make sure temp is the same or you could kill off some of the bacteria with shock.
Keep in mind the tank will still not be cycled immediately, it will just shorten in. In my experience, with filter sqeezings, using prime and adding fish food for a source of ammonia a cylce can be cut down from 4-6 weeks to 2-4. You still have to slowly stock the tank though, do weekly water changes, monitor nitrate levels and watch your feeding to make sure food does not go to waste to produce excess ammonia.
To jump start a cycle you can always squeeze in filter debris from a healthy established tank or transfer gravel.
I use the BioBeads in my tanks so when establishing a new tank I will transfer BioBeads from an established tank to the new tank and buy new ones for the old tank. Filter pads or sponges work the same. Or just ring the filter out into the new tank.
Make sure temp is the same or you could kill off some of the bacteria with shock.
Keep in mind the tank will still not be cycled immediately, it will just shorten in. In my experience, with filter sqeezings, using prime and adding fish food for a source of ammonia a cylce can be cut down from 4-6 weeks to 2-4. You still have to slowly stock the tank though, do weekly water changes, monitor nitrate levels and watch your feeding to make sure food does not go to waste to produce excess ammonia.
Ya i know about the BB living only on the filter media and SUB never really thought about transferring some sand gonna do that and do ur suggestion on the filter squeezing into the new tank!!!!! awesome advice thanks alot Tifftastic
just do a full cycle of stability and you tank should be cycled in a week. i was lucky that my 125 had traces of ammonia and nitrate when i set it up, and it was cycled by day four using stability... check out the thread about it
Not trying to start an argument, but the reason that stability claims to work is by adding live bacteria to your tank. Bacteria that have been stored at room temp for godz know how long. I seriously, do not believe that it will cycle your tank in a week, the bacteria required for proper cycling require 6 to 8 weeks to mature to the ones that eat nitrite and produce nitrate. No magic chemical is going to do it for you.
Even if you have zero ammo and zero nitrite does not mean your tank is cycled and you still need to add fish slowly. With no source of ammo (fish or decaying food or other matter) there is no food for both types of bacteria required for a stable environment. Fish will still need to be added slowly, and you can still have an ammo spike.
When I transferred my last fish to his new tank I took all the substrate, I was switching to a new type of filter so could not use the media but i squeezed all that "gunk" out into the new tank. I let it run for three days just to let the dark cloud settle and put him in. He is a 7 in Senegal, not a clean fish, and I did a 10% daily water change for three weeks, never had an ammo or nitrite spike.
A coworker of mine used stability and cycle and stocked her tank like the bottle said and kind of also with my advice. She had a 29 gal and added 6 zebra danios after a week of running with both chemicals. She, thankfully, listened and didnt feed them within the first three days and she still had an ammo spike. Should you choose to rely on chemicals instead of biology, watch carefully and be prepared to do water changes.
What works for some doesnt work for all.
Even if you have zero ammo and zero nitrite does not mean your tank is cycled and you still need to add fish slowly. With no source of ammo (fish or decaying food or other matter) there is no food for both types of bacteria required for a stable environment. Fish will still need to be added slowly, and you can still have an ammo spike.
When I transferred my last fish to his new tank I took all the substrate, I was switching to a new type of filter so could not use the media but i squeezed all that "gunk" out into the new tank. I let it run for three days just to let the dark cloud settle and put him in. He is a 7 in Senegal, not a clean fish, and I did a 10% daily water change for three weeks, never had an ammo or nitrite spike.
A coworker of mine used stability and cycle and stocked her tank like the bottle said and kind of also with my advice. She had a 29 gal and added 6 zebra danios after a week of running with both chemicals. She, thankfully, listened and didnt feed them within the first three days and she still had an ammo spike. Should you choose to rely on chemicals instead of biology, watch carefully and be prepared to do water changes.
What works for some doesnt work for all.
No, not a good plan. What holds the beneficial bacteria is the filter media and decorations. Your best bet is to take established filter media when starting a new tank. This is what we've done in the past and it is a fairly instant cycle. The water in the tanks really just contains disolved waste and will not be at all helpful in establishing your new setup.
iloveoscars702;4127943; said:
ive done a 265,120 ,55 and a 29 gal. with no problems. you must shake the living hell out of stability. it should be mliky when you dose and pay attention to the expiration dates. read the thread ilo. mentioned there are daily results posted there.
what I usually do is use 100% new water in the new tank, dechlorinate get it up to temperature, and fill one of the filters with existing media from the established tank.
let it run overnight and you are good to add some fish over.
the established filter media from tank 1 will easily handle the load when you transfer, and the new water won't be an issue at all as long as the pH's are similar. check this.
adding old water is really doing nothing but adding dirty water (ie nitrates).
I wouldn't even bother with the 'bacteria in a bottle'
your established filter media will handle your fish load with no problem and will seed your new substrate quickly.
hope this helps.
let it run overnight and you are good to add some fish over.
the established filter media from tank 1 will easily handle the load when you transfer, and the new water won't be an issue at all as long as the pH's are similar. check this.
adding old water is really doing nothing but adding dirty water (ie nitrates).
I wouldn't even bother with the 'bacteria in a bottle'
your established filter media will handle your fish load with no problem and will seed your new substrate quickly.
hope this helps.
Stability worked great for me. Just follow the directions. This is what I did for my 210+40sump+5gcanister.
Then I fully stocked it and my water was fine.
Then I fully stocked it and my water was fine.