Setting up a second tank

[Mark Hewitt]

I currently have a 17 gallon tank but I've still got my old 6 gallon tank sitting in the shed, and I was thinking to put it to some use. Either as a quarantine / hospital tank, or just as another fish tank.

The question is how to use my current tank to avoid having to go through the cycling process.

The 6 gallon tank as a simple filter, I think it's a sponge filter. Would getting a replacement sponge for it and putting it in my current tank be a good way of setting things up? It'll be a good few months yet and presumably by sitting it in my current tank it'll gain all the necessary baceteria etc?

 

[dkpate]

Yes. I run 2 filters on my 75G just for that reason.

You can also use gravel from an established tank in the foot of a new pantyhose.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Yes. I run 2 filters on my 75G just for that reason.

Well I wasn't thinking of actually running the filter in the tank, more just wedging the sponge out of the other filter inbetween the main tanks filter and the side of the tank and forget about it for a few months.

You can also use gravel from an established tank in the foot of a new pantyhose.

Ah, that's a good idea. I wasn't sure if that would work since I would intend to have an entirely different type of gravel in the new tank, but if it's only going to be there a week or two..

 

[dkpate]

Yeah, just stick an extra sponge in your filter then, so you will have some bacteria if you need it.
Just stick the gravel in the pantyhose, and give it a squeeze every day, or stick it in the filter too.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Yeah, just stick an extra sponge in your filter then, so you will have some bacteria if you need it.
Just stick the gravel in the pantyhose, and give it a squeeze every day, or stick it in the filter too.

In the filter? I'm pretty sure there's no room in there, it's just an internal filter.

 

[dkpate]

Oh ok, well just stick it in the tank then. That's what I did. And give it a little shake or squeeze every day to get the bacteria floating around.