timing..

[pantherspawn]

So, after giving it much though, I decided to redo my 40 gallon completely and go for a more natural look. My tank hadn't cycled yet so I figured better now than later. I could transfer the few fish I had over to my new qt tank and get it don't real quick if need be but hoped that my 20 gal fishless tank would be cycled by the time the shipment Came. So yesterday I ordered eco complete and some natural white stone gravel. I bought huge amounts of river rock and slate and started making my own cave structures and archways. Ordered 3 pieces of mopani driftwood and countless numbers of plants to do a semi heavy planted tank. Today I wake-up, do my normal water tests.. and the tank is cycled.. what would normally be great news now has me wondering what to do next.

 

[allaboutfish]

you could still do the switch just do it in stages like replace half of the substrate and then next week the other half and then replace half of the decor and so on

 

[pantherspawn]

I'm not sure that would work with all of the plants I ordered. They need to be planted asap to get root growth and stay alive. Not to mention the first layer of substrate is strickly for plants and without the top layer of gravel, might leach too many of the plant nutrients into the tank. Might just have to suck it up and start the cycle all over again. Just hope the fishless tank cycles soon so the fish can be moved and not suffer through bad water parameters again.

 

[allaboutfish]

well it wont take too long with the filter good luck

 

[pantherspawn]

Theoretically .. if I took 3/4 of the water putt of the current tank and put it into the qt tank and put the current cycled filter on the qt tank as well, wouldn't that mean the qt tank would be instantly cycled? Only issue would be that the filter on the cycled tank is a penguin 250 and the qt tank is only ten gallons.

 

[allaboutfish]

almost there is still some bacteria needed in the substrate but yea it'd be pretty close to one.