Second Tank Cycling the Easy Way
Once you have a cycled fish tank in your home, starting another tank is pretty simple. With following instructions it’s possible to have a second cycled tank in a very short space of time. Using this method I’ve cycled a tank in the record space of three days with the nitrite barely peaking at 1ppm!
Step One:
Set up your fish or container the day before you intend on bringing the new fish home with you. Once you have the gravel and pump in place, start a water change in your first tank. Thoroughly squeeze a sponge from one of the pond pumps or filters in to the old tank water, DO NOT discard the water or waste.
Second tank cycling
Take the old tank water and use it in the new set up. Once the pond pump is covered by water switch it on. Now continue filling the tank with fresh, treated water. It’s important to ensure the nitrate level is no higher than 25ppm in the new set up.
Second tank cycling
Once you have completed filling the tank leave it to settle. When you feed the fish in your first tank, take a pinch of flakes and add it to the second tank. This way the bacteria will stay fed and should start to establish themselves in the pump or filter media.
Step Two:
The next day, before collecting the new fish do a small water change. If you’re using Amquel Plus use a full dose, if you’re using Prime just use enough to treat the fresh water.
Once you bring your fish home acclimate them as instructed *here.* It highly likely the fish will have come from an environment with extremely high nitrate levels, so be patient and take your time.
Add the new fish to the set up and feed them a small amount of food. Check your parameters.
Step Three:
The next day test your parameters. Leave it to the end of the day so the bacteria has time to mutate further. You will probably find a small trace of nitrite and a raise in nitrate levels. In my experience nitrosomonas bacteria (that converts ammonia to nitrite) is stronger than nitrobacter bacteria (that converts nitrite to nitrate). As a result ammonia doesn’t generally appear. Never the less, DO test the ammonia levels.
Second tank cycling
Preform daily water changes until you have no nitrite. This could take just a few days but no more than two weeks. Once you get the hang of cycling another tank this way, it will become quicker.
This method with Tropical Fish:
If the second tank you are cycling is a tropical set up you must keep in mind that the bacteria you are transferring is use to temperatures no higher than 75f or 23c. In this case I suggest setting the tank up a week before acquiring new fish.
Once you have the tank full of water, switch on the heater and take the temperature up slowly through the day by two degrees. Repeat this daily until you have the desired temperature. Remember to feed that bacteria as if there are fish in the tank.