Cycling: with help from my 29 gal

[prettyvacant]

I recently bought a used 20 gal from my neighbour.

*I've had my 10 gal for about 2 and a half years now, and my 29 gal for a bit more than a year. Everything is going well; I vacuum the gravel and change the water every Sunday.

~I was wondering, when I set up this 20 gal tank, Could I fill it with some water from my 29 gal to start cycling? The parameters seem quite good: no ammonia, no nitrite, and nitrate is about 20.

When I was setting up a 10 gal QT a while back, I filled it completely with my water from the 29 gal, and when I tested the QT, the parameters were the same as in the 29 right away...it was like an instant cycle.

~I was also going to add a bit of gravel from the 29 gal, and perhaps something from the filter to also help with cycling. Is there anything else I could do? Like maybe adding a live plant or ornament from the 29?

Thankyou

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The water won't help your cycle since it doesn't hold bacteria like gravel or filter media does. I would use some gravel from the other tanks and some used filter media from the other tanks. This will start the cycle. But it needs to be maintained by an ammonia source. Are you going to do a fishless cycle or with fish?

 

[prettyvacant]

I want to do what is easiest... What would you recommend?

 

[Blazeherd2306]

I think adding some gravel from the established tank is the easiest.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd add gravel and media from the other tanks, then pour some pure ammonia in the tank and do it fishless. It may not take very long to cycle considering that the gravel and media is already established. But it won't be an isntant cycle. I've never done fishless, but I've read that this is the easiest way to go about it. I've always just put the filter for the new tank on an established tank for about two weeks, then transfered it to the new tank and slowly added fish. You could try that also. It is kind of like a set it and forget it type thing. Then in two weeks or so, just buy fish, acclimate them into the tank and add the filter. That's what I'm doing on my 55 gal tank that's getting setup.

 

[mr86mister]

i'm wondering the same thing, i'm going from a 3 gal. to a 10...and i am transfering all the fish over, i have a bio-wheel filter now and i'll be using a new filter for the 10....couldn't i just transfer the gravel over when i first set it up then after a day or two transfer the wheel over and wouldnt that make it ready to handle the same amount of ammonia(since i'm just transfering fish, no new ones?)

 

[Zagz]

I just did a fishless cycle on advice from the people here. It went very well and I was extremely happy. The cycle period was about 2 weeks with regular ammonia being added. The fish have now been in the tank for 2 weeks and are healthy and happy and all my water parameters are good. I would definately recommend this method!

 

[prettyvacant]

I was wondering; For the people who have done fishless cycling, did it smell really strong? The tank will be in my room, and I obviously will be adding ammonia everyday for quite a while...and I don't want it to smell really bad.

So, I thought that I should ask this, before I go out and buy some.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you are going to go fishless, the ammonia smell won't be overbearing, from what I've read from other's experiences. But you may want to try seeding the filter on your current tank. That would be the easiest way to go about it. Then you don't have to buy ammonia or add anything to the water.

mr86- Can you transfer the filter over to the 10 gal tank or is it built into the hood?

 

[mr86mister]

its built into the hood, the Eclipse 3...so it wouldnt work at all in the 10 gallon...but i can remove the bio-wheel

 

[Jchillin]

I used a few raw shrimp and some goodies from my established 30 gal tank to cycle my 75 gal tank. This included plants, gravel (packed into nylon bags at various locations as not to mix the two) and some filter floss that I had been cultivating in my HOB.

It took about 2 weeks. I did it this way to avoid using any fish being in the tank while the parameters settled.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd use the bio-wheel if you can, but also use the filter pad that is in the small tank. Just put it into the filter for the 10 gal in addition to the 10 gal cartridges.

 

[mr86mister]

now by doing that fishy....how long do you think it would take for my tank to cycle?

 

[cplawrence]

As for the smell question, the only time I could smell the ammonia is when I opened the bottle. If I opened the lid and smelled inside the tank, the concentration was low enough that I could not smell anything. From what I had gathered from reading here and doing my own cycle here recently is that the shrimp method is definitely a bit less maintainence but is a little slower. It is less maintainence because your ammonia is source is released continuously over time. In the case of the liquid ammonia method, once you're seeing nitrite, you have to keep adding a bit of ammonia to feed the first round of bacteria. The reason it is a bit faster though is that instead of waiting for this shrimp to rot and produce enough ammonia to get things going, you start day 1 with that spike.
I'd say the other nice thing about the ammonia method is that you don't have to stare at a nasty looking rotting shrimp in your tank either.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have no clue mr86. There are so many variables that come into cycling a tank. If the wheel is established and the pad is really gunky and you transfered both along with the gravel, I would say maybe a week or less. But that is a rough guess. It may take 2 days. Its hard to tell how long it would take for it to cycle, but I would guess maybe 2 or 3 days.

 

[Zagz]

For me the smell wasn't overwhelming at all. It smelled a bit when it was first added and that was it.

 

[scarf]

If it does smell does get overpowering, you may have added too much ammonia.

 

[Jherr]

the method with the raw shrimp smells, BADLY. Just wanted to throw that in there :?

 

[id10t]

I just did this. Setup a new 10g tank, let it run for 48 hrs, added 2 fantail guppies (males) and the old filter media from a friends well established tanks. Near instant cycle. I'm leaving his old media in for a few weeks while my biowheel gets the good funk going, then I'll take it out.

 

[cinciboy]

I got my 29 gal setup using my 10 gal biomax thrown inside the new tank. After 2 days I took it out. No problem. After a week, my livery includes 2 long finned danios, 4 Corys and 1 Syndo cat fish.