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kitzo77

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 27, 2017
Messages
95
Location
georgia
A few months ago I picked up this tank from someone who was throwing it away and brought it back to life.
I think it is around 45-50 gal but I'm not too sure.
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I just filled it up Wednesday and recently added the water from my Betta's waterchange to get the bacteria going. The betta is in a 5 gal tank, last time I tested his water shown ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5.

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Today I tested the water and read little ammonia.
How long does it normally take to start reading nitrite and nitrate?
 
You won't have started a bacteria colony by using water from your other tank. Very little bacteria is present in the water column; most is in/on filter media, with some present in substrate, decor, etc.
In your new tank, you'll need to add a source of ammonia to get your bacteria started, then it will take several weeks until your cycle is complete and ready for fish. Sorry. It's a slow process and I know it's hard to be patient.
You could add filter media from your other tank to get a jump-start, but it will still be a slow process getting a good colony of bacteria in your new, larger tank.
 
So you think I could I take gravel from my other tanks to speed it up a little?
 
Gravel won't hurt, but your best bet is established filter media, with porous rocks and driftwood coming in second.
 
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