Cycling with media from another tank

[muddyfox]

Hi Everyone,

I usually run a full fishless cycle with a new set up but this time I
am setting up a 40 litre nano tank (low tech planted) and it happens to
be time to change one of the sponges from my mature 90 litre planted
tank filter so I've taken the old sponge and cut it to fit the little
filter in the new tank.

I've started to run a fishless cycle by adding ammonia as usual and my
parameters unsurprisingly indicate that the tank is cycling almost all
of it right away.

20hrs after dosing 1 drop per gallon NH3/NH4+ parameters are:

NH3/NH4+ = 0.25ppm.
NO2 = < 0.25ppm but still registering
NO3 = 20ppm.

Normally I wait for a Nitrite spike before reducing the Ammonia dose to
1/2 drop per gallon and then count the tank as fully cycled when it can
clear this dose in 24 hours. Previously I've been able to fully stock
a tank in this condition and have never seen ammonia or nitrite after
adding the fish. Since this tank (using old media) is clearing almost
all the high dose right away I'm thinking of testing with the lower
dose and if all paramters are clear 24hours later then prepare for the
fish. It seems reasonable to me but I wondered if someone with
experience using old filter media might be willing to check me as I
don't want to risk the fish without a second opinion.

Any advice would be really helpful,

Thanks!

Muddy

[amosf © Tim Fairchild]

muddyfox wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I usually run a full fishless cycle with a new set up but this time I
> am setting up a 40 litre nano tank (low tech planted) and it happens to
> be time to change one of the sponges from my mature 90 litre planted
> tank filter so I've taken the old sponge and cut it to fit the little
> filter in the new tank.
>
> I've started to run a fishless cycle by adding ammonia as usual and my
> parameters unsurprisingly indicate that the tank is cycling almost all
> of it right away.
>
> 20hrs after dosing 1 drop per gallon NH3/NH4+ parameters are:
>
> NH3/NH4+ = 0.25ppm.
> NO2 = < 0.25ppm but still registering
> NO3 = 20ppm.
>
> Normally I wait for a Nitrite spike before reducing the Ammonia dose to
> 1/2 drop per gallon and then count the tank as fully cycled when it can
> clear this dose in 24 hours. Previously I've been able to fully stock
> a tank in this condition and have never seen ammonia or nitrite after
> adding the fish. Since this tank (using old media) is clearing almost
> all the high dose right away I'm thinking of testing with the lower
> dose and if all paramters are clear 24hours later then prepare for the
> fish. It seems reasonable to me but I wondered if someone with
> experience using old filter media might be willing to check me as I
> don't want to risk the fish without a second opinion.

Well, when using old media I put quite a bit and just put the fish (not too
high load) in and go and find the tank is cycled almost immediately. It
might do a tiny minicycle, but generally everything is fine. It may take a
week to settle completely.

The bacteria should populate quickly with a good start from old media.

[muddyfox]

amosf © Tim Fairchild wrote:
>
> Well, when using old media I put quite a bit and just put the fish (not too
> high load) in and go and find the tank is cycled almost immediately. It
> might do a tiny minicycle, but generally everything is fine. It may take a
> week to settle completely.
>
> The bacteria should populate quickly with a good start from old media.

Thanks! In that case I think will let the parameters get to zero
NH3/NH4+ and zero NO2, do a water change and then add fish but not too
high a load as you suggest - seems very sensible.

Thanks again,

Muddy

[carlrs]

amosf © Tim Fairchild wrote:
> muddyfox wrote:
>
> > Hi Everyone,
> >
> > I usually run a full fishless cycle with a new set up but this time I
> > am setting up a 40 litre nano tank (low tech planted) and it happens to
> > be time to change one of the sponges from my mature 90 litre planted
> > tank filter so I've taken the old sponge and cut it to fit the little
> > filter in the new tank.
> >
> > I've started to run a fishless cycle by adding ammonia as usual and my
> > parameters unsurprisingly indicate that the tank is cycling almost all
> > of it right away.
> >
> > 20hrs after dosing 1 drop per gallon NH3/NH4+ parameters are:
> >
> > NH3/NH4+ = 0.25ppm.
> > NO2 = < 0.25ppm but still registering
> > NO3 = 20ppm.
> >
> > Normally I wait for a Nitrite spike before reducing the Ammonia dose to
> > 1/2 drop per gallon and then count the tank as fully cycled when it can
> > clear this dose in 24 hours. Previously I've been able to fully stock
> > a tank in this condition and have never seen ammonia or nitrite after
> > adding the fish. Since this tank (using old media) is clearing almost
> > all the high dose right away I'm thinking of testing with the lower
> > dose and if all paramters are clear 24hours later then prepare for the
> > fish. It seems reasonable to me but I wondered if someone with
> > experience using old filter media might be willing to check me as I
> > don't want to risk the fish without a second opinion.
>
> Well, when using old media I put quite a bit and just put the fish (not too
> high load) in and go and find the tank is cycled almost immediately. It
> might do a tiny minicycle, but generally everything is fine. It may take a
> week to settle completely.
>
> The bacteria should populate quickly with a good start from old media.

I Agree!!

I use the old media (sometimes with old substrate too) method 95% of
the time when I have set up aquariums for my clients aquariums. I place
some fish in often within 48 hrs to a week of setting up the aquarium
and there is little spike in ammonia and nitrites.

Carl
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html

[Tynk]

muddyfox wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I usually run a full fishless cycle with a new set up but this time I
> am setting up a 40 litre nano tank (low tech planted) and it happens to
> be time to change one of the sponges from my mature 90 litre planted
> tank filter so I've taken the old sponge and cut it to fit the little
> filter in the new tank.
>
> I've started to run a fishless cycle by adding ammonia as usual and my
> parameters unsurprisingly indicate that the tank is cycling almost all
> of it right away.
>
> 20hrs after dosing 1 drop per gallon NH3/NH4+ parameters are:
>
> NH3/NH4+ = 0.25ppm.
> NO2 = < 0.25ppm but still registering
> NO3 = 20ppm.
>
> Normally I wait for a Nitrite spike before reducing the Ammonia dose to
> 1/2 drop per gallon and then count the tank as fully cycled when it can
> clear this dose in 24 hours. Previously I've been able to fully stock
> a tank in this condition and have never seen ammonia or nitrite after
> adding the fish. Since this tank (using old media) is clearing almost
> all the high dose right away I'm thinking of testing with the lower
> dose and if all paramters are clear 24hours later then prepare for the
> fish. It seems reasonable to me but I wondered if someone with
> experience using old filter media might be willing to check me as I
> don't want to risk the fish without a second opinion.
>
> Any advice would be really helpful,
>
> Thanks!
>
> Muddy

Good job!
You did what we call "seeding a tank" by using an established tank's
filter media.
It's so much faster that total fishless cycling with using household
ammonia, as you have found out. (kudos for doing the fishless cycling
too!)
Now once you have an established tank you don't even have to do the
ammonia cycle again.
You either do what you've done in the situation again, or you can take
gravel from the established tank and add it to the new tank.
If you have different gravel in the new tank, you can take a (new)
nylon stocking or a type of netting and put the older tank's gravel in
it, and then hang it in the tank.
Way to go, Muddy. = )