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Hello everyone!

I want to start a 20g and was wondering if I could use water and gravel from my 55 gallon to kick start the cycle. Would that work? Will the water need to cycle like any other new aquarium and if so, will the nitrates appear sooner? Will I have an ammonia peak? I plan to turn this into a cichlid tank eventually but will use it to put part of my 55g community while my Severum parents are rearing their fry (not even sure if that's a good idea) and am trying to find the fastest way to cycle it. The fish I plan to put in there for the moment are all very hardy (columbia tetras, bala sharks, danios).

Thanks for your input

Daphnis

A great way to jump start your new aquarium would be by "seeding" your new filter for two or three weeks in your existing tank. You can "seed" the new filter by setting it up in your existing tank and let it run at least 2 weeks. The filter will build up the beneficial bacteria in its media.

If the new filter takes bio-media such as bio-balls or sintered glass of sponges, you can forego "seeding" the filter by taking some of the bio-material from your old filter.

The method works well. I seeded two filters to jumpstart my 125G. I went from empty glass box to planted aquarium complete with 10 adult discus in one day. No ammonia or nitrites but it took two weeks to develop measurable nitrates.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I also believe in seeding but I have always wondered when the right time to do it was. For example, if you put used filter media(lets call it UFM for short) in a tank before you put fish in the tank, or shortly after, how much die off do expect? Would the temporary lack of ammonia be enough to kill off so much bacteria in the UFM that it would be the same as using new media? As a rule I have always added the UFM after I start seeing a trace of ammonia. Is it more of a risk putting the UFM in too early or too late? Now I may simply be paranoid but these are the little things that pop into my mind every now and then.

Hi,
The idea of "seeding" a tank is to take material that
contains mature bacteria colonies and turn them loose in
a new tank. However, for the bacteria to grow and spread,
they will need something to consume ammonia or fish waste.

Seeding the tank is faster than letting nature take its
course and have the colonies begin on their own.
THE main location for the bacteria colonies is in the
tank substrate. Seeding the filter will eventually
allow fragments of the colonies to spread out into the
tank, but I believe seeding the gravel will give a faster
cycled tank. You should have the fish in the tank, or
be adding ammonia to the new tank at the time you seed the
tank. Which, is your choice, but do have something in the
tank for the bacteria to sustain themselves on.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

My LFS gave me some gravel from a healthy tank, about 1/3 of my substrate. I also have 4 hardy fish in this new twenty gallon. I hope that will be enough to jump start the cycle.

Oh, and one more thing. I have an Aquaclear Power Filter 30 and don't know if it is enough to aerate the 20 gallon appropriately. There doesn't seem to be as much surface agitation as my Penguin Biowheel filter provides in my 55g. Is the Aquaclear sufficient or should I add, something... maybe an airstone?

Thanks in advance,

Daphnis

Hi,
The filter is designed for tanks up to 30 gallons. I have
the earlier "150" model on my 30G tank and it is more than
sufficiant...But... I have a very light fish load. The
current that the filter produces is more than adequate for
circulation. Because mine is a heavily planted tank, and
I inject CO2, I do not use an air stone, and have modified
the output of the filter so that it does NOT disturb the
surface.

Since the filter is for tanks UP TO 30G and it is a 30G
tank, I would consider the filter as the "just adequate"
if you plan on having anything other than a light to
normal fish load. Something that was rated 30 to say, 55G
would be better with a heavier fish load.

As for the use of an air stone, that is an option that is
up to you. If you like them and you are not injecting CO2,
then I'd say go ahead and add one.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I did just this very thing about a year ago. I tok the gravel from my 29g (up and running two years now) and put it in my 10g. I had lots of excess in there so I just used some and did a little much needed housekeeping. In addition, I also used 5 gallons from a water change and an ornament I had in there for the purpose of seeding. I tested the water twice a day and never even had a spike. Fish were moved in right away and everything was fine.