To seed or not to seed

[jlines]

So im fishless cycling a 200g and of course im impatient to get this tank ready to stock.
I have another tank that is fully cycled and full of rocks that im sure will help to speed up my cycle. However these rocks are also full of tiny snails. Im not sure if i want to put the rocks in the new tank or not.

Everything ive read about those little snails makes me think its not a big deal if they get in the new tank, but im still not sure if i want them in there or not cause once there in i doubt ill ever get rid of them.

anybody have any opinion?

 

[Bud_Man_Jr]

just take some filter media, snails aren't a huge deal.

 

[cnoel08]

could you just take the rocks out and squish the snails on each one?

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

Seeding is the only way to go IMO. You can get your first part of your bacteria instantly most of the time with enough seed AKA Nitrosomonas bacteria.Which consume ammonia and makes nitrite. And then the other bacteria will soon follow. Allmost anything in the cycled tank can be used as seed and the best stuff to use is filter material and gravel. If your other cycled tank has a filter that takes a mat or cartridges, take that and put it in your filter for the new tank. But first stick it in the tank and shake it to clean the good stuff out. And then put some cycled gravel in the new tank and lay it on the substrate.

 

[twk1]

If you have more than one filter running on your already cycled tank... i would take one of them and run it onto the new tank so that beneficial bacteria can start growing.
If you only have one filter running your old tank, then i would take the media out of that and put it in the filter unit that you want to run your new tank to speed up the cycling.

 

[woofy]

i agree filter media does wonders. I always seed my new tanks... i have no patience lol. snails are that big of an issue and if they are on rocks u can just probably kill them all.

 

[duke33]

Snails can be a good thing. I would add some.

 

[Druu]

Unless you plan on going planted where the snails would eat plants, it seems like an easy alternative.

 

[cnoel08]

or if you really dont want the snails badly enough then if you have one of the vacuum sealer things you could put the rocks in there and seal them for a bit so it either crushes them or suffocates them...might work?

 

[stingray94]

I don't think the snails will be a problem. What fish are you planning on adding to the tank? the fish going into the tank might even eat them. I agree, media is the way to go to jump start a cycle.