How long for bacteria to colonise a new sponge filter

[LxHowler]

Hi so I've been looking but can't really seem to find a clear answer, could just be me being blind.
I have just bought a sponge filter that is in my sump to cycle for a quarantine tank. My idea is to leave the sponge in the sump until I need it and then use it in the quarantine tank, then either replace the sponge with a new one or put it back in the sump depending on any treatments or issues used in quarantine.
I was wondering though, how long will the sponge need to be in my sump before it can be used to quarantine fish, process ammonia and nitrite ect. Will it need the six to eight weeks like when I first cycled the tank or will it be quicker as the bacteria is already present in the tank?
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks

 

[lapin]

About 1 week should be fine in sump as long as the sump is not spotlessly clean

 

[Danroo]

Hi so I've been looking but can't really seem to find a clear answer, could just be me being blind.
I have just bought a sponge filter that is in my sump to cycle for a quarantine tank. My idea is to leave the sponge in the sump until I need it and then use it in the quarantine tank, then either replace the sponge with a new one or put it back in the sump depending on any treatments or issues used in quarantine.
I was wondering though, how long will the sponge need to be in my sump before it can be used to quarantine fish, process ammonia and nitrite ect. Will it need the six to eight weeks like when I first cycled the tank or will it be quicker as the bacteria is already present in the tank?
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks

My filter floss barely got dirty in a 3 week time. I’m not even running skimmer. Your sponge might take up to two weeks for the bacteria to cover half of it. Good luck.

 

[LxHowler]

About 1 week should be fine in sump as long as the sump is not spotlessly clean

That's good to hear. I don't plan on needing to quarantine for a few weeks and my sump hasn't been cleaned in a while so should hopefully be good when it comes to using the sponge filter

 

[lapin]

That's good to hear. I don't plan on needing to quarantine for a few weeks and my sump hasn't been cleaned in a while so should hopefully be good when it comes to using the sponge filter

Its a good idea to keep a bottle of Prime on hand just in case of ammonia problems

 

[LxHowler]

Its a good idea to keep a bottle of Prime on hand just in case of ammonia problems

That's a good point. I will buy a bottle the next time I'm at the store

 

[Saltyanimals]

Any thoughts on the size of the sponge relative to the size of the QT? I suspect it's really down to the bioload, but not certain.

I have a 3x3x2 inch sponge that was seeding for months now in a HOB filter in a 10G QT with 3 S/M clown gobies, 1 small tomini and 1 small neon cleaner goby. Not testing for ammonia, but fish appear to be okay and eating. No heavy breathing or anything out of the ordinally after 10 days in QT. In the past QTs I would throw in seeded marinepure balls, but burned those up last several QT batches. This is the first time using a seeded sponge.

I am dosing MB7 to the sponge as a proactive just in case to keep the bacteria going, but this may be pointless with the high copper in the water along with other meds killing the bacteria in such a little surface area as a sponge.

 

[Logical_Plan]

Any thoughts on the size of the sponge relative to the size of the QT? I suspect it's really down to the bioload, but not certain.

I have a 3x3x2 inch sponge that was seeding for months now in a HOB filter in a 10G QT with 3 S/M clown gobies, 1 small tomini and 1 small neon cleaner goby. Not testing for ammonia, but fish appear to be okay and eating. No heavy breathing or anything out of the ordinally after 10 days in QT. In the past QTs I would throw in seeded marinepure balls, but burned those up last several QT batches. This is the first time using a seeded sponge.

I am dosing MB7 to the sponge as a proactive just in case to keep the bacteria going, but this may be pointless with the high copper in the water along with other meds killing the bacteria in such a little surface area as a sponge.

I am fairly certain Jay Hemdal and others have said that copper and prazi does not substantially kill off nitrifying bacteria.