Filter Seading Box with Pics

[JK47]

I set up a new 29 gal tank for my 5 year old because I needed his 20 gal for teasting DIY wet/dry idea on one of my tanks. Small tank and all, I got bored and thinking of easy ideas on how to seed a new penguin bio wheel with bacteria (media bag of gravel in the tank getting old) and realized I have a bunch of these things lying around from buying used tanks and will NEVER use one. I had to see if it would work, it's cheap, quick to build and you probably have the junk lying around to throw one together in 15-20 minutes or so...

I figure pushing allot of oxygen through gravel was pulled from a tank with a UGF will boost the bacteria colony in the new filter quite a bit.

TOOLS:
Drill
Drillbit - 1/4 inch
Towel to hold plastic/save your fingers from the bit and some beer...

SUPPLIES:
(x2) * $0.75 Veggie clip
(x1) * $6.99 Breederbox
(x2) * $0.04 Zip tie
(x2) * $0.05 Drip valve
(x1) * $0.05 T valve

Total $8.72. I had all of this stuff already so it was free...

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

If I understand this right---you are trying to seed the gravel in your breeder trap to use it in another tank. ----If i am right about this i do not think it will work very good. Reason being is that the biological bacteria are not present in the water column. So placing some new gravel in the water column will grow BB as fast as it would in a new tank. If you are try to seed something you need for it to come into contact with something that allready has this BB growing on it. So it would be better if you put this new gravel in a net of some sort and layed it in your old tanks substrate so that it actually touches the allready colonized substrate. And then the bacteria will spread over to the new gravel.---------------If I am totally wrong about what you are trying to do than disregard everything i have said.

 

[JK47]

If I understand this right---you are trying to seed the gravel in your breeder trap to use it in another tank. ----If i am right about this i do not think it will work very good. Reason being is that the biological bacteria are not present in the water column. So placing some new gravel in the water column will grow BB as fast as it would in a new tank. If you are try to seed something you need for it to come into contact with something that allready has this BB growing on it. So it would be better if you put this new gravel in a net of some sort and layed it in your old tanks substrate so that it actually touches the allready colonized substrate. And then the bacteria will spread over to the new gravel.---------------If I am totally wrong about what you are trying to do than disregard everything i have said.

Appreciate the feedback! The bio-wheel filter has a media chamber of it's own which currently is stocked with cycled media from an Eheim 2217 canister from another tank which is placed in front of the bio-wheel. The box is directly in front of the filter if that makes any difference. I did this box as a possible boost in addition to what's in the filter since the gravel houses BB already.

I fishless cycle... I just wanted to share and get told I am off base here or have an idea, either way it's OK by me. Just a matter of time before params read correct... So if the gravel from a cycled tank is not in direct contact with the new filter it will not help in any way?

 

[FishPower]

Gravel from an established tank does hold b.bacteria, in fact there is b.bacteria on all surfaces of the aquarium. I have been using the old gravel to new tank method with much success. Its just that bio media has the ability to hold more b.bacteria, so i would put bio media in that breeder box instead of gravel. That way when you are ready to set up your new tank, simply put in the seeded bio-media into the filter and you are good to go. IME the tank does not even go through the cycle process, meaning no bacteria bloom or spikes...just perfect water params.

Another method i use is to toss in a bio-wheel into an established tank. Then, after a couple of days, put that bio-wheel in the new tank along with the seeded media. I actually did this 2 days ago when i set up my new fahaka tank. My water params are spot on and the tank is fully cycled.