Will this work (new tank w/o cycling)??

[michaelstern]

I was just curious. I have an old 30 gallon tank that I am thinking of bringing back to life. I have an emperor 400 for filtration. It would be a FO tank, probably just 1-2 aggressive fish. Anyway, Could I run the emperor in my currently operation 125 gallon tank for a while to build up the bacteria, and then fill the 30 gallon with water from the 125 during a water change? Wouldn't this allow me to avoid the whole cycling mess? Just curious.

 

[demosthenes]

I don't think it will be as convenient as you may think. First off, a cycle is simply the nitrosoma and nitrobacter bacteria utilizing the surfaces of the tank, ie tank walls, substrate, LR surfaces, to attach and then doing their job in converting one substance to another, so the water won't really help, IMO. The fact that it is aged saltwater will make it less harsh to any inhabitants, but I believe that is all that it will do. True, the Emporer will tranfer some of the needed bacteria, but if you are doing an aggressive tank, as you mentioned, you will most likely have a heightened bioload, and once you raise the bioload beyond what the Emporer can handle, you will start a cycle, until the rest of the tank surface is covered by the bacteria that perform the nitrogen cycle. These are just my thoughts on the matter, hopefully someone else will chime in as well.

 

[col]

Could I run the emperor in my currently operation 125 gallon tank for a while to build up the bacteria, and then fill the 30 gallon with water from the 125 during a water change? Wouldn't this allow me to avoid the whole cycling mess? Just curious.[/QUOTE
I don't see why this wouldn't work. If it didn't avoid a cycle it would speed it up enormously.

 

[flamehawk]

It will allow for the cycle time to progress quicker. Even better if you add some L/R and L/S from your 125. If you do that the cycle will be virtually non-existent. The more you add rom the established aquarium , the better.