New tank for fry

[Steve p]

Hi all, My Cuban Cichlids have bred again (every three weeks since they started three months ago ). The trouble is they don't get past the 1/4" mark before they get eaten . So i've decided to remove them from the main tank. Today i went to my LFS and bought a 8g tank which i intend to use for the fry. I'm planning on using a sponge filter, The reason for the post is do i need to cycle the tank before i add the fry as there will be little bio load to start off with. As the tank is so small i intend to do 50% water changes every other day.

Steve

 

[Steve p]

Anyone got any suggestions, I need to sort them out this weekend as i don't think they will last next week out.

Steve

 

[Epic Fabrications]

you can buy bacteria enhancement droplets at any LFS. its like $3. Should be enough for a few fry...

 

[rallysman]

Take the media out of your main tank filter and clean it in your new tank (it will look nasty). Put the sponge in and let it "soak" up the nastyness and viola! Cycled tank

 

[Steve p]

Take the media out of your main tank filter and clean it in your new tank (it will look nasty). Put the sponge in and let it "soak" up the nastyness and viola! Cycled tank

Thanks i'll give it a go.

 

[Bsixxx]

or you can just use water from the main tank and ou it in there
thats what i did

 

[maseyferguson05]

Take the media out of your main tank filter and clean it in your new tank (it will look nasty). Put the sponge in and let it "soak" up the nastyness and viola! Cycled tank

Or just take the media, sponge filter that has allowed to mature and place it in the tank.

or you can just use water from the main tank and ou it in there
thats what i did

That does not really work too good, just brings more nitrates in the new tank. I am sure there are a few free swimming bacteria, but hardly enough to handle a given bioload.

 

[JonF]

or you can just use water from the main tank and ou it in there
thats what i did

This is similar to what I did. I use pre-filter sponges on all of my filter inlets... so I just took the water from my main tank to fill the little tank, and used one of the sponges from the main tanks as well on the new tank.

 

[rallysman]

The old water wont do much really. The bacteria is almost all held in the filter and other surfaces of the tank. Not much of it at all is in the water.

 

[Dread]

Take a couple handfulls of substrate out of your main tank and add it to the new 8g fry tank. It should give you a decent "boost" of BB. I also just started putting those 79 cent blue airstones into each of my filters. They're porous, and they gather BB really well, so whenever I need to jump-start a tank, I can move the airstones to the new filter.