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Cycling new tank

Richard40

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14 Jan 2020
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Manchester
Would you recommend I moved a tray of filter media from my Oase 600 in big tank to my Oase 250 in my new tank to kick start it when it’s set up and squeeze a sponge into the water?
 
Would you recommend I moved a tray of filter media from my Oase 600 in big tank to my Oase 250 in my new tank to kick start it when it’s set up and squeeze a sponge into the water?

Hi @Richard40

Yes, I would definitely do what you have suggested. An established biological filter will start to process ammonia and nitrite from Day One.

JPC
 
If heavily planted and Tropica Soil do you still need to put some food in each day to create then ammonia or does the soil do that anyway?
 
I always dislike all that squeezed out gunk - so unappealing in appearance :eek:

I just transfer some biomedia - which is really almost any month old media in your filter - and place this in the downstream position so that “migrating microflora” travel directly into new filter media rather than taking a spin through the tank first ;)

If you transfer any plants or hardscape from your existing tank, this too will come with “mitigating microflora”
 
If heavily planted and Tropica Soil do you still need to put some food in each day to create then ammonia or does the soil do that anyway?
No Ammonia required

Though I suppose if you want to add bits of fish/shrimp food, it’s no harm either
But please don’t add whole prawns
 
If heavily planted and Tropica Soil do you still need to put some food in each day to create then ammonia or does the soil do that anyway?

Hi @Richard40

I didn't mean to imply that any ammonia needed to be added - as fish food or otherwise. From what I understand about Tropica Soil, it releases ammonia for several weeks after putting it in the tank. If you have ammonia and nitrite test kits, that's my preferred method for ensuring that ammonia and nitrite levels are sufficiently low to introduce fish and other inhabitants.

JPC
 
I just transfer some biomedia - which is really almost any month old media in your filter - and place this in the downstream position

So in the Oase filter if I have a tray of my Biohome in the bottom, the water will pass through the pre filter first, hit the Biohome and then move upwards towards the new filter media. Is that correct?
 
Last time I cycled a tank a few years ago I didn’t use any plants so completely different to this time.
Are 1-2 grow plants ok with increase in Ammonia, they won’t melt?
It says on the Tropica 90 days model to add snails and shrimp after 3 days, other people say a week?
As long as I’m doing my water changes daily for the first week then I should be ok and testing for ammonia and nitrates?
 
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