Jump starting a cycle

[Craydaddy]

Hi guys, I'm cyclin a 30G long but I'm not what you would call the patient type. I found this stuff for one of my other tanks that worked great. It came in a white bottle and smelled like an old outhouse. It really was horrible, BUT, it worked like a charm.
It can't for the life of me remember what it was called and I need to get something similar or better yet, the same thing. I bought a bottle of refrigerated turbo start from DNA but it didn't seem to work. I'm not wanting to take junk from the running filters, so I really would like to get live bacteria. Recommendations?

[WRabbit]

You're kidding, right?
I believe there is a product called Cycle (http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=121&PROD_ID=01075950020101) that you can try.

[Craydaddy]

I'm not kidding. I tried cycle and it didn't work.

[greeneyed]

Hi guys, I'm cyclin a 30G long but I'm not what you would call the patient type. I found this stuff for one of my other tanks that worked great. It came in a white bottle and smelled like an old outhouse. It really was horrible, BUT, it worked like a charm.
It can't for the life of me remember what it was called and I need to get something similar or better yet, the same thing. I bought a bottle of refrigerated turbo start from DNA but it didn't seem to work. I'm not wanting to take junk from the running filters, so I really would like to get live bacteria. Recommendations?

You have other tanks... you don't need smoke in a bottle.

Slosh your filters media in the new tank...

[Craydaddy]

ok, I've had some bad luck with mini cycles and I really don't want to mess anything up. I'll give it a try I guess. I just don't want to lose my baby crays, we've lost a bunch already.

[Sigmar]

it takes 30 days to cycle a tank from scratch. Using media from a established tank might cut it down by 2 weeks. With used media you still need to start with a light load

[Typical Tony]

take filter from an established tank and put that on the new tank, let that run for a week or two while putting the new filter on the established tank and switch back after two weeks.

[Craydaddy]

I'll give it a try, but won't taking that filter off and putting a new one in the established tank start a mini-cycle in it?

[Vildayyan2003]

No, your substrate, plants, rocks, driftwoord ect. have plenty of bacteria on and in them.

[WRabbit]

In 40+ years I have never used chemical means in attempt to cycle a tank. I keep extra filters, both HOB and sponge in several tanks in the event I need to quickly set up a tank. You might want to consider this in the future.

Jim

[Somethingsfishy]

I did the bacteria in a bottle (nutrafin cycle) thenfirst time cause I knew nothing about all of it, and it took 7 weeks to fully cycle.
Tank 2 I used filter from my cycled tank and it took 9 days.
Tank 3 I did both and it cycled in 12 days ( it was a bigger tank though)

[Erniec]

In 40+ years I have never used chemical means in attempt to cycle a tank. I keep extra filters, both HOB and sponge in several tanks in the event I need to quickly set up a tank. You might want to consider this in the future.

Jim

:exactly:.

I do the same now too, I have sponage filters in all my tanks running just in case :D

[brokenhalo]

I agree with having extra media running on an established tank and flip it to a new tank and voila a cycled tank.I agree though, start with a light fish load as to not start a mini cycle.

[Craydaddy]

Thanks for all the advice. As far as making it go faster, heating up the tank seemed to do the trick!! I figured it would make the bacteria multiply faster, and it worked like a charm. Levels flipped in 2 days! I am cycling two 30 gallons, first one has been taking forever, no change, within two days of heating levels are all at zero with a little nitrate. The other tank had previously used gravel in it, I washed the heck out of the gravel but it still had some ammonia in it. That level was at 1, maybe a little higher, within two days ammonia is at zero and nitrite is 5!