New tank, old stuff, no wait?

[Jim]

I'm setting up a "new" 30 gal. tank. I'm using enough stuff from my
other well established cycling tanks that I'm hoping I won't have to
wait for the tank to cycle.

STUFF FROM OTHER TANKS:
Rock
Wood
2/3 of the water
Very large sword plant
Smaller other real & artificial plants.
About a cup of gravel.
Well used filter media.

NEW STUFF:
Tank
Rest of the gravel
1/3 of the water
Filter box itself
Heater.

Sound good enough to stock immediately, or should I expect to have to
go through an ammonia cylce.

Thanks in advance -- Jim

[Gill Passman]

"Jim" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm setting up a "new" 30 gal. tank. I'm using enough stuff from my
> other well established cycling tanks that I'm hoping I won't have to
> wait for the tank to cycle.
>
> STUFF FROM OTHER TANKS:
> Rock
> Wood
> 2/3 of the water
> Very large sword plant
> Smaller other real & artificial plants.
> About a cup of gravel.
> Well used filter media.
>
> NEW STUFF:
> Tank
> Rest of the gravel
> 1/3 of the water
> Filter box itself
> Heater.
>
> Sound good enough to stock immediately, or should I expect to have to
> go through an ammonia cylce.
>
> Thanks in advance -- Jim
>

[Gill Passman]

"Jim" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm setting up a "new" 30 gal. tank. I'm using enough stuff from my
> other well established cycling tanks that I'm hoping I won't have to
> wait for the tank to cycle.
>
> STUFF FROM OTHER TANKS:
> Rock
> Wood
> 2/3 of the water
> Very large sword plant
> Smaller other real & artificial plants.
> About a cup of gravel.
> Well used filter media.
>
> NEW STUFF:
> Tank
> Rest of the gravel
> 1/3 of the water
> Filter box itself
> Heater.
>
> Sound good enough to stock immediately, or should I expect to have to
> go through an ammonia cylce.
>
> Thanks in advance -- Jim
>
OK...what I have done is firstly set up the tank and let it settle for a few
days....adding water from your other tank probably (imo) won't be
beneficial...it is the bacteria that matter....after leaving the tank to
settle for a few days I then go and get the fish...as soon as they get in
the water I add substrate from one of my other tanks...if it doesn't match I
tie it up in something like a well washed foot of a pair of tights....the
odd decorative item also might get added. I then take some, but not all
because I don't want to compromise the other tank, of the filter medium from
one of the established tanks and put it into the filter of the new tank. I
do this after I get the fish so no bacteria dies off waiting for something
to feed it....on occasion this can be up to 12 hours later. Another thing
that I have done is to hang the new filter/pump in one of the established
tanks for two weeks plus prior to adding the fish to the new tank and then
just switched it over...also seems to work...I have also moved plants from
tank to tank

Hope this helps
Gill

[Robert Flory]

I moved and transfered everything from an old planted 55 including livestock
.... except the substrate to a new tank. About 50 % of the old water went
along. No problems. You shouldn't have problems if you don't overstock at
first.

Bob
"Jim" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm setting up a "new" 30 gal. tank. I'm using enough stuff from my
> other well established cycling tanks that I'm hoping I won't have to
> wait for the tank to cycle.
>
> STUFF FROM OTHER TANKS:
> Rock
> Wood
> 2/3 of the water
> Very large sword plant
> Smaller other real & artificial plants.
> About a cup of gravel.
> Well used filter media.
>
> NEW STUFF:
> Tank
> Rest of the gravel
> 1/3 of the water
> Filter box itself
> Heater.
>
> Sound good enough to stock immediately, or should I expect to have to
> go through an ammonia cylce.
>
> Thanks in advance -- Jim
>

[Elaine T]

Gill Passman wrote:
> "Jim" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>I'm setting up a "new" 30 gal. tank. I'm using enough stuff from my
>>other well established cycling tanks that I'm hoping I won't have to
>>wait for the tank to cycle.
>>
>>STUFF FROM OTHER TANKS:
>>Rock
>>Wood
>>2/3 of the water
>>Very large sword plant
>>Smaller other real & artificial plants.
>>About a cup of gravel.
>>Well used filter media.
>>
>>NEW STUFF:
>>Tank
>>Rest of the gravel
>>1/3 of the water
>>Filter box itself
>>Heater.
>>
>>Sound good enough to stock immediately, or should I expect to have to
>>go through an ammonia cylce.
>>
>>Thanks in advance -- Jim
>>
>
>
>
Well used filter media will do the trick all by itself. Estimate how
many fish the filter media can support. For example, if it's half of
the media from a 20 gal tank, then it can support 10 gal worth of fish.
Stock a bit below that and increase as you finish quarantining each
batch of new fish.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com
PGP key at http://pgpkeys.mit.edu:11371/

[NetMax]

"Jim" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm setting up a "new" 30 gal. tank. I'm using enough stuff from my
> other well established cycling tanks that I'm hoping I won't have to
> wait for the tank to cycle.
>
> STUFF FROM OTHER TANKS:
> Rock
> Wood
> 2/3 of the water
> Very large sword plant
> Smaller other real & artificial plants.
> About a cup of gravel.
> Well used filter media.
>
> NEW STUFF:
> Tank
> Rest of the gravel
> 1/3 of the water
> Filter box itself
> Heater.
>
> Sound good enough to stock immediately, or should I expect to have to
> go through an ammonia cylce.

It depends on i) how much bacteria gets transferred (ie: don't let the
wood dry in between tanks) and ii) the size of your new fish load. Can
you stick some old filter media in your new filter? This gives a good
bacterial boost, and is usually enough.
--
www.NetMax.tk

> Thanks in advance -- Jim
>

[Jim]

Thanks to all -- very helpful! -- Jim