water transfer

[octopus man]

If I transfer the filter and the water from a cycled 10 gallon over to a brand new 20 gallon tank and fill the other 10 gallons with salted r/o water. Would the 10 gallons of cycled water be enough to cycle my 20 gallon tank right away? Or would I have to wait another few weeks for it to cycle all over again.

 

[jay0705]

It would help.especially bc of the filter aswell. I keep filter media in my main tank filter just for that reason. To jump start the aging process of a new tank.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Octopus Man http:///t/397311/water-transfer#post_3541055
If I transfer the filter and the water from a cycled 10 gallon over to a brand new 20 gallon tank and fill the other 10 gallons with salted r/o water. Would the 10 gallons of cycled water be enough to cycle my 20 gallon tank right away? Or would I have to wait another few weeks for it to cycle all over again.


Hi,

There is very little good bacteria in the water...mostly it holds the nitrate and phosphates, so I would dump the old water. The filter material will help quite a bit. If you put some decorative macroalgae in the display, that would be a great help, since it feeds on all the nasty stuff including ammonia. As with all things saltwater, there are no short cuts....it all takes time.