new tank now what?

[millerman]

i got a new tank
how do i start it without an extreme cycle i filled the tank and i put in two gallons of water from my other tank that is a hour and a half away.
how long wil it be before i can transfer all of my 20 gallon to this one?
what else do i do?

 

[1journeyman]

Transfering water won't help much.
Transfer some of your sand, rock etc.

 

[millerman]

will this produce a whole new cycle

 

[1journeyman]

Transfering rock and sand (provided you keep it "alive" for the commute) will aid in speeding up or completely negating a cycle.
You want your old water so that your animals won't be shocked by new water. For cycling purposes, however, it's all about bacteria in the rocks and sand.

 

[beadmaker]

pull some gravel/sand and rock from the main tank and put in new tank add new sand. Tank will cycle but at a much safer level. I started a 40 from a 20 this way. ammonia went up to .025 nitrite .25 but zero in 3 weeks.