Starting a New Tank

[blitzkrieg]

I'm planning on starting a new 29 gallon tank in 3 weeks after I move to a new place. I think I have heard of people using a filter cartridge from an already cycled tank to establish good bacteria in a new tank. My current tank has a 20 gallon rated filter with a bio-wheel. Would I use the filter media/cartridge from this in the new tank or the wheel or does that not work or what? I'm just wanting to figure out if this is a good way to establish positive bacteria in a new tank.
Thanks

[JustOneMore20]

What you could do, instead of taking the media from your existing tank (and possibly causing a mini-cycle if you take all the media), is you could run the filter for the new tank on the existing tank. Since you will have 3 weeks before setting it up, I'd go ahead and buy the new filter in a week or so and let it run (along with the old filter) on your 20g.

Any ideas on what type of filter you are going to get? The only thing I'd worry about is the flow from 2 HOB filters (if that's what you're going for). If you get an Aquaclear filter (I recommend them), you can turn down the outflow so it won't make your tank a whirlpool with 2 filters.

What do ya think?

There may be a way to use the existing filters media, but I'm not familiar with bio-wheel filters. If you can take some of the media and not all, that would work, as long as it will fit in the new filter.

[Durbkat]

Yep thats perfect justonemore, thats what I did on my 55g. I had about 2 weeks before I'd be allowed to set up my 55g (I already had everything I needed except the fish and water) so I took the filter cartridges for the 55g and set them in my long 20g and put my biowheels in my 10g then in two weeks I set the tank up, put the filter cartridges for the 55g filter into the filter, transfered the fish from the 20g to the 55g (one of the fish I had in there needed a bigger tank than the one he was in) so after I transfered the fish over I set the filter from the 20g into the 55g and ran them both together for 2 weeks. Oh I also took about 10 pounds of gravel from the 20g and put it in the 55g (I have the same color and kind of gravel in all my tanks). Or if you wasn't planning on transfering your fish from your 20g to your 29g you could do what justonemore said or if you have two filter cartridges in the 20g filter (not the bio-wheel) you could take one out and put it in the 29g filter and put fish in the 29g immeditaly as the bacteria will die.

[JustOneMore20]

Make sure when you move that you put any filters on the bucket or holding tank, or whatever you put your fish in. Or it could just be on the side of a bucket with just water. Either way, make sure the filter media stays wet during the move. That will preserve the bacteria.

[harif87]

Originally Posted by JustOneMore20

Make sure when you move that you put any filters on the bucket or holding tank, or whatever you put your fish in. Or it could just be on the side of a bucket with just water. Either way, make sure the filter media stays wet during the move. That will preserve the bacteria.

Make sure that the media is not only wet but that it has a source of ammonia otherwise all the bacteria is gonna die off in a short period of time.
Also if you could keep it cold it would slow down their metablosim so you wouldnt have to add too much ammonia to the water in the bucket your using for transfering.

[Durbkat]

To keep a source of ammonia with the filter cartridge is to put a fish or two in the bag that has the cartridge in it. I wouldn't do what harif said about keeping them cold because it could kill them. Just try to keep them as warm as the tank was as possible.

[harif87]

Originally Posted by Durbkat

To keep a source of ammonia with the filter cartridge is to put a fish or two in the bag that has the cartridge in it. I wouldn't do what harif said about keeping them cold because it could kill them. Just try to keep them as warm as the tank was as possible.

Or you could just buy some ammonia from home depo...that would work for you, but i dont know in what quantities they sell

durb you mean the fish will die? or the bacteria will die?

[Durbkat]

I mean the fish and I wouldn't put pure ammonia in with the filters, it would be much safer with just putting a fish or two in the bag or container.

[harif87]

Originally Posted by Durbkat

I mean the fish and I wouldn't put pure ammonia in with the filters, it would be much safer with just putting a fish or two in the bag or container.

Actually hate to say it but it would be safer for both the fish and bacteria to just put ammonia in the bucket or bag