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cycling question

721 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  wood, 
E
have a situation where I need to move several dozen shrimp, 2 tetras and a little white frog into a new tank. The fish and frog will be temporary, but the shrimp will be permanent. I also have an established tank, but my DP's snack on the shrimp, so thats not a good plan.

Now for the relocation of the fish into the new tank, I intend on moving the current filter and media, plus at least 2 gallons of the water (more if can) to the new tank. I'm not moving the substrate because it is clown puke. Will I be able to avoid ammonia death to the shrimp with this plan along with doing water changes daily? I'm kinda stuck with my options and everything needs to move like yesterday.

I also have a piece of hobby mesh that has been sitting in a bucket of old tank water that held jmoss I could throw in there that should have some bacteria on it. I've already added sand that has been pulled out from my last water change on my good tank, thats also been sitting in the water change bucket.
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Wookiellmonster
If you have a good amount of plants in your other tank couldn't you possible take some of those and put them in the tank your setting up? I don't think you would need to cycle a tank if has a good volume of plant because the plants would just use up the ammonia that your fish produce.
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SearunSimpson
Whenever I set up a new tank, I do a water change all in one day for a couple of my other tanks. This way, I use the water from the waterchange for the new tank. I also use the old media from one of my other filters. I so far have had no complications ever, but I've never done it with shrimp, only fish. I also use plants and rocks and whatever else I can from an already established tank.
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HOLLYWOOD
Not a recommended procedure for Shrimps as water from an existing fish tank will contain a higher amount of nitrates.... introducing this water to a shrimp tank will send your shrimps to heaven.

SearunSimpson said:
Whenever I set up a new tank, I do a water change all in one day for a couple of my other tanks. This way, I use the water from the waterchange for the new tank. I also use the old media from one of my other filters. I so far have had no complications ever, but I've never done it with shrimp, only fish. I also use plants and rocks and whatever else I can from an already established tank.
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bsmith
i say just use as much water and plants/decor from the old tank. by doing this you will not kill all the nitrifying bactera in the filter from the old tank causing an ammonia/nitrite spike.

if you use a filter from an established tank and nothing else from it, you will starve the bacteria because they have no nirates to eat, causing you to end up in the same nts situation.

just thought i should elaborate a bit :)
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W
You should be just fine using the filter and media. Move those into the new tank right when you take it out of the old one. Don't let anything sit in a bucket. Take the sand from your "good tank" as well and put it in the new tank immediately. Do not use anything that has been sitting in any bucket, I just don't recommend it. Take it out of one tank and put it into the other.

Do not use any water from another tank. Just use fresh water. No need to use another tanks water, you are already adding sand, filter, and media.

Change the water 25% every other day for a week just to be safe. Don't go crazy on the water changes though, no need to. 25% every other day for the first week is just fine.

You will be fine, it is not performing emergency surgery, just relocating creatures and bacteria. I have done this and it works just fine. People get all worked up over tank cycling and if done right it really isn't the atom splitting some think it is :)

Good luck, keep us posted.
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E
My filter transfer fell through, and from what has been replied, I would have lost the bacteria anyway, since it wouldn't have been a "quick" transfer, rather a long car ride.

What I was able to grab, was 3 sandwich bags packed full of a plant that looks like anacharis, but is more translucent in color, and a bit more prickly (I don't remember what it's called) thats a floater. That went in the tank with the shrimp, so there is a huge mass of plants in there right now that should eat up any ammonia or nitrates. I'll keep my fingers crossed and check water parameters tonight.

Thanks for all of the replies!
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edacsac said:
My filter transfer fell through, and from what has been replied, I would have lost the bacteria anyway, since it wouldn't have been a "quick" transfer, rather a long car ride.

What I was able to grab, was 3 sandwich bags packed full of a plant that looks like anacharis, but is more translucent in color, and a bit more prickly (I don't remember what it's called) thats a floater. That went in the tank with the shrimp, so there is a huge mass of plants in there right now that should eat up any ammonia or nitrates. I'll keep my fingers crossed and check water parameters tonight.

Thanks for all of the replies!
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Use some of the sand from the other tank. The plants should help as well. Just do the water changes and dont stress out over it. I believe you will be fine...

-Ryan
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E
Thanks wood!

Here is how things are a week later. The 3 sandwich bags full of whatever plant I have floating is taking up about 30-35% of the tanks volume (It's a robust meaty floater). I've checked water paramters every day to find no trace of ammonia or nitries. I changed a small amount of water yesterday, but not because of water parameters. I suppose I am heavily planted. By the way, the shrimp love the floating mass of plant. I'll look in there and not see a single shrimp until I start gazing into the floating mass, and I'll see shrimp perched all over the place. It's really cool.
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edacsac said:
Thanks wood!

Here is how things are a week later. The 3 sandwich bags full of whatever plant I have floating is taking up about 30-35% of the tanks volume (It's a robust meaty floater). I've checked water paramters every day to find no trace of ammonia or nitries. I changed a small amount of water yesterday, but not because of water parameters. I suppose I am heavily planted. By the way, the shrimp love the floating mass of plant. I'll look in there and not see a single shrimp until I start gazing into the floating mass, and I'll see shrimp perched all over the place. It's really cool.
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Awesome. Very happy to hear. I will go ahead and say that your tank is officially cycled. Go ahead and start planting away. If the shrimp are eating them they are happy :)

-Ryan
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