Cycling new filter

[ineke]

So I've filled my new benibachi tank with 3/4 new water and 1/4 old water, used cycled sponge filters, left all the bio material on the tank sides and used plants, moss and rocks from a cycled tank. Both sides are separated by a new filter sponge and probably Monday or Tuesday my new canister will arrive. I have some cycled sponges, noodles plus new sea Chem media to put in it. The sponge filters will continue to run until the canister comes. How long should it take to cycle the system? Do I just take water tests until the ammonia is gone and the nitrates arenoticeable or will it cycle quicker because of the benibachi . The tank has no shrimp in it I can use some Bettas or RCS to help the cycle the tank any advice?

cheers

ineke:encouragement:

[OzShrimp]

My understanding is even with established bacteri colonys you will still need to add something to the tank whether it be food or what not to feed the bacterial colony and avoid a crash. Your cycling time should however be lowered due to the established colonys i would probably also still add something like seachem stability to assist and let your canister establish a bit once you receive it depending how big the tank is and how many occupants you are expecting to add to the tank :)

[ineke]

I'm using sea chem matrix plus using some cycled sponges in the new filter, there will be only about 10 shrimp each side initially but I'm in no hurry to put any high grade shrimp in there. I may use the bettas again or RCS as they are quite tough but not until I know the cycling is on the way. Later the tank will be for my Michlings but not until it is really stable.:encouragement:

[OzShrimp]

if you dont wanna add live stock then put a pinch of food in each day :)

[ineke]

I usually put the bettas in there they are pretty tough and with feeding them each day plus the cycled material it definitely shortens the cycle

[shrimpstan]

if the benibachi soil is new then it won't speed up the process as it actually raises ammonia itself at first. did u use the bee balls?

if ur not in a rush just take the guess work out of it and use either BT9 or some cycle to speed the process and add an immediate bacteria colony to begin with, wait a week after the canister is on and do a test and u'll find ur nearly there. add some cull cherries and slightly over feed for a couple days to see if ur tank will still spike.. if it doesnt and ur shrimp survive and look happy all is done. i normally give it 2-3 weeks and never lost fish or shrimp upon introduction to a new tank.

leave the sponges in for a week or 2 after u hook up the canister. it'll help cycle it. i did it this way once and had crystals in there 2 weeks later and no deaths and plenty of births. but i do have a trick up my sleeve ;) i dope :P

thing is once the tank is set up and established it could be there for years so a few more days/weeks doesn't hurt.

hope this helps :)

[ineke]

I don't know what BT9 is nor the trick up your sleeve"dope" . :confused: I'm not in a hurry and I do have a heap of cherries plus bettas so that's probably what I will do betta one side and cherries the other. I will give it a week or so and start testing :encouragement:

[JonX]

Ive set up a new tank using seeded sponge filters with benibachi powder. .

I put in yellow cherries after a few days going on what some people on skf experienced having adding their shrimp straight away. Some of these yellow cherries died and after a test result the amonia was reading 0.25-0.50.

From my experience a new tank with seeded sponge filter and new benibachi soil still needs time to cycle.

[2OFUS]

Patience is the key in this hobby :)

[MrShrimp]

Patience is the key in this hobby :)

I know but it seems like forever :(

[MrShrimp]

I cycle my benibachi soil for 4 weeks before I added my pandas.

[shrimpstan]

Yep take ur time.. then u know for sure its done right. Then, if somethin does die or go wrong u know it wasnt cos u didnt cycle it properly. Probably cos u out ur hands in there again and movig shrimp around :p

[ineke]

I'm in no hurry the shrimp are in an esky with pump and heater until i decide what to do with them they are safe in there with a heap of plants. The boys can go in with my rilis at a push and the Reds will be going in to my fish tank when I plant it out in the next few days- the other shrimp have survived in there and I will be taking the fish out to move the tank so the shrimp will go in first and find their little hiding places. The shrimp won't go into the new tank until it's ready- I was going to sacrifice some Reds but think I will put the bettas in there instead:encouragement:

[KiwiBigD]

I'm in no hurry the shrimp are in an esky with pump and heater until i decide what to do with them they are safe in there with a heap of plants. The boys can go in with my rilis at a push and the Reds will be going in to my fish tank when I plant it out in the next few days- the other shrimp have survived in there and I will be taking the fish out to move the tank so the shrimp will go in first and find their little hiding places. The shrimp won't go into the new tank until it's ready- I was going to sacrifice some Reds but think I will put the bettas in there instead:encouragement:

If you've got colonies of bacteria already then I don't see the issue with adding after a couple of days. If you can stay on top of the ammonia then you

should be right. I normally add a plants just to help with everything and I've had SSS grades plus the likes of King Kongs into my tank after a week. With

the last move we did I had SSS's into my tanks with less that 24 hours, the tanks had literally just warmed up enough, wasn't happy to do so but it was

our only choice due to numbers of shrimp and unplanned move. Only lost a single SSS CRS berried female. With our current setup we moved the first

shrimp at just on two weeks into their new tanks and I've again lost one (this morning) however we've a Mischling drop successfully as well as a number

of other CRS/CBSs. Ammonia is key, and doing small water changes will manage that while bacteria levels come up to scratch. But shrimp don't produce

that much of a bioload, your Betta is probably the equivalent of about 25 shrimp in terms of food and mess.

[ineke]

Now the canister has arrived I will set it up and will do some water tests over the weekend and see how it's going , I'm happy to do water changes which is what I normally do but best not tell BOB:encouragement:

[HexaD]

lol ineke, just out of interest, how many tanks have you got going at the moment? I foresee that you will be the SA shrimp pimp in no time! So happy its picking up here :)

[ineke]

lol ineke' date=' just out of interest, how many tanks have you got going at the moment? I foresee that you will be the SA shrimp pimp in no time! So happy its picking up here :)[/quote']

Well it was five but now six and will need to replace the cubes but they will stay and then...... I have the tanks, I have the shrimp but the crystals just aren't breeding yet so no pimping for me YET!!! Thanks HexaD still have so much to learn but I'm slowly getting there:encouragement:

[ninja]

Six separate tanks, that's a lot of water testing, with a rack it would be only one, Alan are you listening??????

[ineke]

He was talking about knocking that wall down again today!!! I actually have 5 tanks but now one is divided so technically six! I'm water testing at the moment and thanks to BB nagging me about overfeeding so far all my nitrates have been 0 or 0-5 AND the shrimp eat more of what I put down now. I even think a couple of my favourites come to the front of the tank first thing in the morning to see if I've got anything- well that's what I think and who knows I could be right!!!