jumpstart cycling

[deepwater]

I was wondering if you can jumpstart the cycling process by borrowing media water or a used filter from a healthy tank?

[Menagerie]

A used filter or even a squeezing from an established filter works much better than water. You want to put the established bacteria in your filter, not in the tank for best results.

[deepwater]

Thank you for the help

[Menagerie]

You're welcome!

[BASSNMAN]

When I changed out a 50 gal for a 125, I used about 25 gal of old water, the biowheel filter and about 6 cups of gravel. I wanted to change substrate so I put the gravel in a gallon plastic container and submerged the whole tub in the new tank. I had no cycle. No ammonia or nitrites from the start. Good luck.

[mayreee]

I want to do this for my new tank also. What do you mean by "filter squeezings". I have an established tank with a regent filter in it. Do just take out the filter cartridge and squeeze the water in it into my new tank or the filter?

[oscarbreeder]

yep, just squeeze the filter cartridge out into your filter...