Filter Sponge from old tank to jump start new cycle?

[Legacy]

I'm starting up a new tank, 37G/29x12.5x25 for a single Green Spotted Puffer. The last time I cycled a tank I seeded it with a little bio-media from one of my other tanks. In this case I want to do the same again, but I wanted to know if I could go above and beyond that to jump start it.

My 40G Brackish Tank is going to need a new filter sponge and charcoal pack pretty soon for my Aquaclear110(previously called 500). I was thinking I could take the filter sponge and charcoal and put them into the Aquaclear300 that's going to be used on the GSP 37G and get that cycle going really fast.

Will this work? Will this mess up my own cycle on my 40G Brackish tank?

My second question is will a juvenille GSP produce enough NH3 to keep the bio-filter alive in a 37G tank?

Thanks,
David

 

[Guest]

you could also take your new filter and run it on your cycled tank for a week or so along with your current filter to seed it. I have an extra bag of biomax in each of my aquaclear's.. one has an extra back that's small and one just has an extra bag. That way if i ever need to start a new tank.. i have filter media ready!!.

 

[Toirtis]

Agreed....simply moving media will start a small cycle in yout established tank.....run the two filters alongside for a week or so.

 

[Legacy]

I had looked back into some old threads and found that suggestion. My only issue is that I made a cover over the back of my hood with eggcrate to ensure my archerfish wouldn't jump out. It's cut to fit only 1 filter. What I did was I took this big bio-media block that came with the filter and submerged it under water inside the tank. Is that ok? Will this work the same way?

It's actually sitting on the sand right below where the water is splashing into my tank(1/2 full of water). If I need to actually run both filters I will, I'll just take off the eggcrate panel and cover it with some window screening that I have.

 

[Toirtis]

What I did was I took this big bio-media block that came with the filter and submerged it under water inside the tank. Is that ok? Will this work the same way?

Ir will, just not as efficiently.

 

[TomK2]

If you move enough colonized surface are over and put it into the new filter, the cycle will be minimal or non existant. So definitely move the sponge and as much colonized biomedia as your current tanks filter can do without. If you start your new tank with a low bioload, you won't have any problems.

I used a small amount of biomedia once, and I had three days of nitrite of 0.25 ppm, then thats it.

 

[Legacy]

What I did was I took this big bio-media block that came with the filter and submerged it under water inside the tank. Is that ok? Will this work the same way?

Ir will, just not as efficiently.

Ok, I'll try running it tonight.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Could you possibly stuff a little floss in your old filter compartment? If there's room, and run that about a week, you could move the floss and the media over and leave the sponge so the tank doesn't cycle again, even a small cycle will be nil. Just another idea if there's room.

 

[BillD]

If you were to stuff the foam from the 300 into the top of the 110, for a day, that will seed it. then you can start to run it in the 37. With one fish in the tank, it will take a long time for any appreciable amount of ammonia to show and cause any problem. You can also lose the carbon as it is not necessary. Replace it with another sponge. And you don't need to replace the sponges every other month the way they tell you on the package. The sponges will last for many years. Just clean them out by squeezing them in a container of tank water, and reuse, until they start to crumble. That may take more than 10 years.