[KCPronto]

Hello! I just started up a new 10 gallon. I used about 80% water from an established tank to fill it. I'm curious as to how long it will take to cycle? It will be planted and I've got some jungle val in the mail that will cover the back. Right now it's hosting some brazillian penny wart.

Thanks

 

[crzy2u]

Hello! I just started up a new 10 gallon. I used about 80% water from an established tank to fill it. I'm curious as to how long it will take to cycle? It will be planted and I've got some jungle val in the mail that will cover the back. Right now it's hosting some brazillian penny wart.

Thanks

Cycling varies with each tank I think, It would be a lot faster if you were to take a filter from the already cycled tank you have and put that into the 10 gallon.
Just wondering, you didn't do a big giant water change in order to fill this tank did you?

 

[rsskylight04]

Only a tiny fraction of your good bacteria are in the water. For cycling, use gravel/sand and rocks from an old tank and the largest bacteria colony is in your filter as the previous post said. Used water miight help seed your tank, but you'll still have to grow the colonies.

You'll have to feed the empty tank to keep the bacteria growing, plants will compete with your bacteria for ammonia,so might be a good idea to remove them till you start producing nitrate. Many methods will work

Usualy takes 3-6 weeks. Ammonia will spike first, then nitrite. Then, both ammonia and nitrite will decline while nitrAte slowly rises.

If you have a used filter that you could switch over to the new tank you might be good to go immediatly. If you can't use an old filter ,just place used filter pad from the old one into the new filter. It will greatly reduce cycling time.

You'll know your cycled when ammonia and nitrite read 0, and some nitrate is present... usualy reading 20-40. Do a big water change to reduce nitrate at that point and your ready for fish!

 

[beaslbob]

Using enough plants will prevent ammonia and nitrItes spikes regardless of the water used. But there can be an initial nitrates spike which is not dangerous. then as the bacteria build up the nitrates finally drop down.

my .02

 

[KCPronto]

Thank you for the fast responses! I do have a filter from my smaller tank I could stick into this one. Yes I did a water change from another tank, but I didn't fill this one to the brim yet because I'm constantly fiddling with the scaping. Was it bad to use water from my other tank? I probably took 8 gallons from my 29 gallon tank...

Thanks for the tips!
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[sandybottom]

not bad to use it ,if the tank is healthy.just not very helpful compared to using a filter or piece of hardscape with a bacterial colony already present.

 

[crzy2u]

I agree with sandybottom, just taking the water out of the previous tank won't speed things up much. It might be equivalent to using a store bought bottle-o-bacteria.
But it's fine if you only take that much water from existing tank. I was concerned that you might have taken a very large portion from said tank to put in your 10 gallon (since you said it was 80%)

 

[KCPronto]

Ok so my large tank was due for a filter change so I cut some of the nasty old filter and put it down with the new filter in the new tank, and also took the filter medium from the old filter and put it in a glass bowl in the new tank.

It's been running and the water is testing safe but it's only been a few days… Do you think there will be any spikes or should there be enough bacteria present to stabilize it? What else should I do? Thanks

 

[cyclesnipas]

You could put a sponge filter in your 29 gal. for a week or 2 than move it over to the 10 gal.