# Instant Cycling



## mattmathis (Dec 12, 2008)

I am wanting to instant cycle my 10 gallon tank...

I have had the "Biomax bag" part of the filter on a aquaclear 30 in the back of a whisper 60 on my well established 75 gallon tank for about a month.

If I use my aquaclear 30 with that biomax bag on my 10 gallon tank along with a couple of handfulls of gravel, and a piece of driftwood from the 75 gallon. Should that be enough bacteria to start the tank without doing fishless cycling or something? 

Thanks!


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## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Yes, I would think it would be well seeded after a month. A few handfuls of gravel in a stocking and the driftwood should help also. Add only a few fish to the new tank and test your water parameters daily for the next week or so.

I did something similar when I upgraded from a 20 gallon to 55 except I ran the whole filter on the tank then just moved it over.


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## mattmathis (Dec 12, 2008)

Thanks! :-D


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## mattmathis (Dec 12, 2008)

I am probably going to go the way I planned, but I'm curious about something. So many people tell me I would still need to add fish. I can't imagine that because, dosen't aerobic bacteria die off without a bio-load to feed off of? 

It seems to me if I went to all that trouble putting fish in to help the bacteria, and then took the fish out, when I added the shrimp it would be defeating the purpose. Surely 10-20 shrimp are not going to create enough bio-load to keep all of the bacteria alive that was alive when the fish were living in there.

I know I might very well be off base here, but can someone please help me to understand this? 

Thanks!!!


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

You have lost me,,, What you are planning will allow you to add fish to the ten gal so long as you use the filter media,driftwood, gravel etc.from a existing well established tank. The bacteria will die without a source of ammonia (fish or shrimp) so long as fish or shrimp are being fed and are alive, then they are the source of food for the bacteria to feed on. Fish produce ammonia through respiration and through waste(poop). :-D


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## mattmathis (Dec 12, 2008)

I'm sorry, looking back on that it was kind of confusing. I had been talking about it on another forum also and just didn't look back at this post good enough before I posted.

Here goes again...

I don't want to add "fish" to this tank. I only wanted it to be a "Red Cherry Shrimp" tank. I've used this method before with fish and had good luck. But a lot of people tell me that this type of tank set-up might not be good for shrimp because they need a more mature tank, not just a cycled tank.

But it seems to me that a tank set-up with bacteria from a truly mature tank, like my 75 gallon would classify as "mature"

I was wondering if there was some other reason I'm not seeing why this wont work. 

Any Ideas?


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

AHh Shrimp are for the most part scavengers and filter feeders ,fitering their food from the water and as such in my view,, would do better in a mature aquarium. Six months. I fear there would not be enough food in new tank to sustain them without creating water quality problems. But others who have kept them (not me) might suggest otherwise?:dunno:


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I don't think the "maturity" requirement for shrimp is really based on their food needs. I think it's based more on the fact that shrimp are pretty sensitive to ammonia and nitrite levels and in most cases, beginning aquarists don't know about cycling. A "mature" tank that has been up and running for six months is likely going to be cycled, even if the owner doesn't know about the cycling process. 

Soooo...I'd say you're probably safe. The shrimp do have a very light bioload, so I think any ammonia spike you might have would be well-handled by a filter that's been seeded on a more heavily stocked tank. Just watch the parameters and you should be fine.


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