Cycling question

[Hilltopreef90]

If I take 10 gallons of water from a tank that’s already established and fill the rest with new saltwater (it’s a 20 gallon tank) So basically 1/2 and 1/2.
Will it be considered cycled ?
It’s going to be my quarantine tank so should I also keep some filter material from the established tank in the quarantine tank until I’m ready to add fish?

 

[Quietman]

While there is some nitrifying bacteria in water column higher populations are still in media/sand/rock. It will definitely speed up the QT being ready for fish and might be enough to add smaller fish but there's no thumb rule for water additions. I'd be more comfortable (and use) a bag of media (pond matrix here) when starting a QT/Hospital tank. I use media plus some additives starter (if I have them) and I always have Polyfilter on hand when needing a quick tank.

 

[fushi]

If I take 10 gallons of water from a tank that’s already established and fill the rest with new saltwater (it’s a 20 gallon tank) So basically 1/2 and 1/2.
Will it be considered cycled ?
It’s going to be my quarantine tank so should I also keep some filter material from the established tank in the quarantine tank until I’m ready to add fish?

No, nitrifying bacteria do not really live in the water column, they live on the surfaces in your aquarium. Nitrifying bacteria also don't multiply very fast (like every 10 hours or something) which is why its takes some time to cycle a tank.

Adding filter material from an established tank can help cycle your quarantine tank but you really need to cycle it like your display tank.

 

[brandon429]

No guessing required, here’s the actual job done on tank water

yes water brings in lots of bacteria, lots of feed, in suspension.

Connecting Established Reef To New Tank

EDIT: In conclusion, if using the method I did - connecting an established reef to a new system with dry rock (clean), I recommend the following: 1. Dose your new tank prior to connecting to your old tank with NO3 and PO4 enough to raise to your established tank levels. 2. Take your skimmer...

www.reef2reef.com

after adding the water you need to wait about twenty days for implantation and reproduction, the water sure does bring in the required bacteria and feed. Surface area is what you’ll be lacking not bacteria given the wait time. have plenty of attachment points


would I make a qt tank this way? Heck no.











for seven bucks Id get a bottle of biospira and dump it in, add two pinches of fish food, wait three days, change water, cycled with hardly any wait. The key in each case was selected wait time and the focus being on surface area, not just bacteria

 

[Idech]

The water won’t do it.

I set up a 5 gallons hospital tank with polyfill from my DT and it was pretty much instant cycled. I added a Seachem ammonia badge for security and added Prime when there was a little hint of green on it, for the first weeks.

It worked really well and the little blenny is still in there 6 weeks later, being fed every day and no ammonia ever.

 

[Quietman]

I assumed you needed a quick tank. Re-read and you didn't say that. If you add tank water to your 20 gallon, yes that would be similar to adding a bottle of bacteria in my opinion (and there's anecdotal evidence to support that). That varies from immediately ready to a few days. No way to get closer as it depends on too many variables.

It also depends on how many fish you plan on putting in QT at once. One juvenile royal gramma and likely it's fine without anything else (I'd still check). Two clowns and goby and totally different story and it will need prep work.

Good luck with new fish!

 

[fushi]

Instead of guessing, thats not the case above fushi, here’s the actual job done on tank water

Connecting Established Reef To New Tank

EDIT: In conclusion, if using the method I did - connecting an established reef to a new system with dry rock (clean), I recommend the following: 1. Dose your new tank prior to connecting to your old tank with NO3 and PO4 enough to raise to your established tank levels. 2. Take your skimmer...

www.reef2reef.com

after adding the water you need to wait about twenty days for implantation and reproduction, the water sure does bring in the required bacteria and feed. Surface area is what you’ll be lacking not bacteria given the wait time. have plenty of attachment points

would I make a qt tank this way? Heck no.


for seven bucks Id get a bottle of biospira and dump it in, add two pinches of fish food, wait three days, change water, cycled with hardly any wait. The key in each case was selected wait time and the focus being on surface area, not just bacteria

According to Duke nitrifying bacteria double every 15 hours and will colonize tank water through the air. So I'm sure you could cycle a tank that way.
https://users.cs.duke.edu/~narten/faq/cycling.html

That was just a quick google search, I originally learned about nitrifying bacteria taking a lot longer than other bacterias to replicate by Dr. Tim (dr. tims aquatics).

There are a million ways to skin a cat but what is best answer this persons question.
I believe the main question was if they dump some water in to another tank from a "cycled" tank will the new tank then be "cycled"; and that answer is no.
The new tank will be "cycled" when it can complete the nitrogen cycle and consume all ammonia being produced or that will be produced in the tank.

 

[Quietman]

And to be clear...I wasn't referring to a fully cycled condition. I was only referring to when it's safe to add fish to a tank. That's when free ammonia (NH3) will not exceed 0.1 ppm (toxic levels vary by species and this is generally considered acceptable). Nitrite is not toxic in saltwater. Since the nitrogen cycle is inevitable - there's no need to test for anything other than ammonia and nitrate.

FWIW under ideal conditions (no idea what those are) nitrosomonas (ammonia to nitrite) double in about 1/2 the time of nitrobacter (nitrite to nitrate) which is the higher 12-15 hours (numbers vary). Which interestingly is rather slow for bacteria reproduction rates which can be about 20 min. Cyano for ex is about 30 minutes.