Cycling with fish and media question

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Pugwinkle

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 19, 2004
Messages
60
Location
Ontario, Canada
Hi, I've noticed that several people cycle their tanks with media and fish. I am attempting to do this. I just obtained a used filter sponge from a friends cycled tank as well as about two cups of media. I have placed the sponge in my Aqua-Clear 300 along with about 1 cup of the media that I put into a knee high nylon.

Any idea as to how long it take to cylce this way? I have 6 head and taillight tetras in the tank.

I do have test kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. I will do plenty of testing. I just wondered what your experiences have been on how long it has taken you to cycle this way.
 
Depends on how mature the sponge and the media is. I've used sponges from my own tanks that were in those tanks for a couple of months. They cycled the new tanks instantly.

Its quite likely your tank is cycled already, especially with so few and such small fish. Cycling the tank means building up a large enough bacterial colony to deal with the nitrogenous waste being produced. With the 6 tetras thats probably not much.
 
Allivymar said:
Depends on how mature the sponge and the media is. I've used sponges from my own tanks that were in those tanks for a couple of months. They cycled the new tanks instantly.

Its quite likely your tank is cycled already, especially with so few and such small fish. Cycling the tank means building up a large enough bacterial colony to deal with the nitrogenous waste being produced. With the 6 tetras thats probably not much.

Hi Allivymar, the tank I took the sponge and media out of is probably at least a couple of years old. Maybe even more. She said they had not replaced the sponge in a very long time and it was high time she did so. It looked pretty disgusting when we took it out of her tank!

How will I know if my tank is cycled? Is it just a matter of testing and as long as the ammonia is 0 and nitrites are 0 and nitrates are low I can consider it cycled?
 
Yep! Tis the only way to tell; I'd give it a week of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and measureable levels of nitrates to be positive the tank is completely cycled, but if that hasn't happened yet I expect it to happen very soon.
 
Allivymar said:
Yep! Tis the only way to tell; I'd give it a week of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and measureable levels of nitrates to be positive the tank is completely cycled, but if that hasn't happened yet I expect it to happen very soon.

Allivymar, I have 6 head and taillight tetras in the tank now (it's a 30 gallon). Do you think I should get more?
 
If you were already considering a larger h&t tetra school, I'd say yes. Its likely the media you moved over has enough bacteria for more fish; while I wouldn't add 20 or so LOL another 5-6 would be fine. What else are you thinking about adding? Some of them might be able to be added now as well.
 
Allivymar said:
If you were already considering a larger h&t tetra school, I'd say yes. Its likely the media you moved over has enough bacteria for more fish; while I wouldn't add 20 or so LOL another 5-6 would be fine. What else are you thinking about adding? Some of them might be able to be added now as well.

Well I was hoping to get an Otto or a bristlenose pleco eventually. Also, I have my eye on a red tailed black shark. A little one though so hopefully he won't think he owns the joint LOL! I may wait on the shark though as I will be moving this tank in a couple of months when I move to my new home we are building. I'm also getting at least two African Dwarf Frogs but I may wait on them too. I want to make darn sure the tank is totally cycled before I bring the little frogs home. They will eventually be going into a smaller tank - probably a 10 or 20 gallon but they may have to live in this one for a little while until the move.
 
*snickers* Redtails may start out small, but they don't stay there; they top out around 5 inches long. They are usually ok with other species; its their own that they have a problem with.

Bristlenoses are pretty hardy. You could likely add one now, although you'll have to feed him algae wafers. Even after algae shows up, you'll need to continue feeding him/her; theres never enough algae in a tank for em. Otos are much more sensitive, and I wouldn't add one till a tank has established algae. They seem to prefer brown (diatom) algae to green algae btw.
 
Allivymar said:
*snickers* Redtails may start out small, but they don't stay there; they top out around 5 inches long. They are usually ok with other species; its their own that they have a problem with.

Yeah, I've checked into them. I would like to have the red tail as the centerpiece of my tank actually. I will definitely wait on the Oto and maybe I'll add the Pleco in a week or so after seeing how my water tests come out for the next little bit. I'll definitely be getting him some algae wafers.
 
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