2.5 gallon fry tank?

[bloodlucky]

This is a repost, last one did not have much of a meaning and was too confusing

Ok so my 1 gallon qt/nursery sprung a small leak so I'm getting a new tank (also upgrading it to 2.5 gallon)

Someone told me on a fish forum that I should cycle it with media and that I shouldn't be using substrate for a fry tank.

I have 1 fry in the current 1 gallon that's leaking and he is about 2 and a half weeks old about a centimeter in length

Anyway apparently I don't have any "media" to use from my main tank for my new 2.5 because

A. I can't use substrate
B. I don't have sponges, bio balls, all the other media related things

Also what is a cartridge/filter floss?

 

[Brox]

You can use substrate I do for my guppy fry

 

[abstract373]

well you can take a bit of gravel or sand from your main tank put it in a new nylon and float it that way or from your filter take the media and float it

 

[bloodlucky]

well you can take a bit of gravel or sand from your main tank put it in a new nylon and float it that way or from your filter take the media and float it

Ok thanks maybe the other guy from the old post was just talkin sh*t

 

[bloodlucky]

well you can take a bit of gravel or sand from your main tank put it in a new nylon and float it that way or from your filter take the media and float it

But I'm confused since I don't get direct access to "media" from my filter, since cartridges that are from my main won't fit in my 2.5 (obviously)

 

[abstract373]

Float it or take that funky looking brown slime water and pass it on to the tank...its best if you float it for a week or better so its alot more bb

 

[bloodlucky]

Float it or take that funky looking brown slime water and pass it on to the tank...its best if you float it for a week or better so its alot more bb

You mean from the cartridge?

I thought the holster keeps bacteria not the cartridge

I'm a bit off today lol

 

[tamtam]

You mean from the cartridge?

I thought the holster keeps bacteria not the cartridge

I'm a bit off today lol

The bb attaches to surfaces mostly. So it will be on decor, substrate, in your filter housing but mostly it's in your media(IE - sponge, cartridge, floss, rings, ect) It grows so well in this because there is so much surface area, things like floss, rings and sponges have so many holes/bumps/ect, they are very porous and it gives lots of places for BB to grow which is why people suggest using it.

You can put substrate in your fry tank, I've never heard any problems with it though some find it a pain to clean around fry.

A cartridge is just another type of media, I find them to be a PITA personally and a waste of money I won't buy new ones. I am using mine until I can't anymore and am switching out to sponge and floss. Floss is basically just a material, think like a cotton batten(sp?).

What sort of filter is on your big tank? What do the cartridges look like? I have a standard cartridge. It's got a black plastic bit that attaches to a poly pad type thing - looks like a scrub pad as my hubby says.

some things you may be able to think about doing

If you are running more than one cartridge on your main tank you could tear apart one to get the polypad and wedge that into your new filter? You may need to keep testing the big tank to be sure there isn't a mini cycle

can you take the filter from the 1 gallon and run it on the new 2.5?

Get water ever you can take from your current tank. Substrate, decor, media and put it IN the new 2.5 gal. If you don't want to leave the substrate just put it in a nylon or media bag to make it easy to remove. You could do a filter swish/squeeze with the media from your established tank in the water of your new tank but this of course isnt nearly as effective as having actual media in the tank long term.

It will take a few weeks for the BB to build up so you will want to be able to leave any items you remove in there long enough for new stuff to grow

 

[bloodlucky]

The bb attaches to surfaces mostly. So it will be on decor, substrate, in your filter housing but mostly it's in your media(IE - sponge, cartridge, floss, rings, ect) It grows so well in this because there is so much surface area, things like floss, rings and sponges have so many holes/bumps/ect, they are very porous and it gives lots of places for BB to grow which is why people suggest using it.

You can put substrate in your fry tank, I've never heard any problems with it though some find it a pain to clean around fry.

A cartridge is just another type of media, I find them to be a PITA personally and a waste of money I won't buy new ones. I am using mine until I can't anymore and am switching out to sponge and floss. Floss is basically just a material, think like a cotton batten(sp?).

What sort of filter is on your big tank? What do the cartridges look like? I have a standard cartridge. It's got a black plastic bit that attaches to a poly pad type thing - looks like a scrub pad as my hubby says.

some things you may be able to think about doing

If you are running more than one cartridge on your main tank you could tear apart one to get the polypad and wedge that into your new filter? You may need to keep testing the big tank to be sure there isn't a mini cycle

can you take the filter from the 1 gallon and run it on the new 2.5?

Get water ever you can take from your current tank. Substrate, decor, media and put it IN the new 2.5 gal. If you don't want to leave the substrate just put it in a nylon or media bag to make it easy to remove. You could do a filter swish/squeeze with the media from your established tank in the water of your new tank but this of course isnt nearly as effective as having actual media in the tank long term.

It will take a few weeks for the BB to build up so you will want to be able to leave any items you remove in there long enough for new stuff to grow

That's what I thought! Idk this guy from my old post was talking sh*t he kept saying substrate was bad for fry or something

 

[bloodlucky]

The bb attaches to surfaces mostly. So it will be on decor, substrate, in your filter housing but mostly it's in your media(IE - sponge, cartridge, floss, rings, ect) It grows so well in this because there is so much surface area, things like floss, rings and sponges have so many holes/bumps/ect, they are very porous and it gives lots of places for BB to grow which is why people suggest using it.

You can put substrate in your fry tank, I've never heard any problems with it though some find it a pain to clean around fry.

A cartridge is just another type of media, I find them to be a PITA personally and a waste of money I won't buy new ones. I am using mine until I can't anymore and am switching out to sponge and floss. Floss is basically just a material, think like a cotton batten(sp?).

What sort of filter is on your big tank? What do the cartridges look like? I have a standard cartridge. It's got a black plastic bit that attaches to a poly pad type thing - looks like a scrub pad as my hubby says.

some things you may be able to think about doing

If you are running more than one cartridge on your main tank you could tear apart one to get the polypad and wedge that into your new filter? You may need to keep testing the big tank to be sure there isn't a mini cycle

can you take the filter from the 1 gallon and run it on the new 2.5?

Get water ever you can take from your current tank. Substrate, decor, media and put it IN the new 2.5 gal. If you don't want to leave the substrate just put it in a nylon or media bag to make it easy to remove. You could do a filter swish/squeeze with the media from your established tank in the water of your new tank but this of course isnt nearly as effective as having actual media in the tank long term.

It will take a few weeks for the BB to build up so you will want to be able to leave any items you remove in there long enough for new stuff to grow

My filter is the Aqueon 10 and the cartridge looks like a sponge but inside there's carbon shells in it. So your saying I shouldn't move my platy fry and his buddy snail in there today? The thing is I don't have much of any other option since I have no other tanks to put him in and I'm taking his current tank back

 

[bloodlucky]

The bb attaches to surfaces mostly. So it will be on decor, substrate, in your filter housing but mostly it's in your media(IE - sponge, cartridge, floss, rings, ect) It grows so well in this because there is so much surface area, things like floss, rings and sponges have so many holes/bumps/ect, they are very porous and it gives lots of places for BB to grow which is why people suggest using it.

You can put substrate in your fry tank, I've never heard any problems with it though some find it a pain to clean around fry.

A cartridge is just another type of media, I find them to be a PITA personally and a waste of money I won't buy new ones. I am using mine until I can't anymore and am switching out to sponge and floss. Floss is basically just a material, think like a cotton batten(sp?).

What sort of filter is on your big tank? What do the cartridges look like? I have a standard cartridge. It's got a black plastic bit that attaches to a poly pad type thing - looks like a scrub pad as my hubby says.

some things you may be able to think about doing

If you are running more than one cartridge on your main tank you could tear apart one to get the polypad and wedge that into your new filter? You may need to keep testing the big tank to be sure there isn't a mini cycle

can you take the filter from the 1 gallon and run it on the new 2.5?

Get water ever you can take from your current tank. Substrate, decor, media and put it IN the new 2.5 gal. If you don't want to leave the substrate just put it in a nylon or media bag to make it easy to remove. You could do a filter swish/squeeze with the media from your established tank in the water of your new tank but this of course isnt nearly as effective as having actual media in the tank long term.

It will take a few weeks for the BB to build up so you will want to be able to leave any items you remove in there long enough for new stuff to grow

I have a live java fern in my 10 gallon but it's trying to attach onto some other decor. Should I take the roots off and put the whole plant in the 2.5 or should I just leave it be?

 

[Tommyboy13]

The problem with substrate in the fry tank, they can burrow into it and get stuck. We had a huge problem with the fry going into the gravel and being unable to get out. We switched to sand and they can't get stuck and die.

You could try taking a cartridge and cutting off part of the blue or whatever color the outside sponge stuff is to add it to the new tank. When we set up a new fry tank (like in an emergency or where the heck did this come from situation), we just put fresh water in and add the fry. We wait a week and do a 50% water change and they do fine.

 

[bloodlucky]

The problem with substrate in the fry tank, they can burrow into it and get stuck. We had a huge problem with the fry going into the gravel and being unable to get out. We switched to sand and they can't get stuck and die.

You could try taking a cartridge and cutting off part of the blue or whatever color the outside sponge stuff is to add it to the new tank. When we set up a new fry tank (like in an emergency or where the heck did this come from situation), we just put fresh water in and add the fry. We wait a week and do a 50% water change and they do fine.

I never had any problem with substrate since the minute the little guy was born. Maybe your gravel is too big. My pebbles are pretty small so it's hard enough for even a newborn to squeeze through anything