How to instantly cycle a fish tank NO WAIT TIME!

This is a video on how to instantly cycle a new fish tank.
This requires a already set up and cycled fish tank.
Take some cycled water from a established tank, and fill your new tank. To about 75%. Then add 25 % new water. Add a cycled filter if needed. A new filter will work too.

[MasterAquatics]

hey guys. i noticed a lot of people on here are disagreeing with this video and telling me that i need to use cycled media. if you guys watched the video at 1:58 i tell my viewers that i am going to use a pre seasoned filter. no need for the dumb comments guys. i know i need more then just water for a cycled tank. before you guys leave a retarded comment please make sure to watch the whole video. thanks.

[famousj]

I like the video. Using a seasoned filter on a new aquarium is a great idea. The filter already has beneficial bacteria in it to break down the food and waste. Putting the water from another tank is not needed for cycling a tank but it is a good idea to use the water to maintain a consistent temperature for your fish to reduce stress. Good job.

[scottcindy]

Exactly my friend I have done this for years without any issues ever. 👍👍👍

[lawiez]

I think the dislikes for your video are mainly from experienced fish keepers. While the information you provide might not be wrong, it is missing in a lot of vital information. If you could give some advice on the initial stocking level of your instant cycled tank would be good.

I personally am a bit skeptical of your claims, because I have done the exact same thing you have. I had a new 45g, filled 30g with water from an established aquarium (heavily stocked planted tank), moved all filter media from old canister filter to new canister filter, moved a rock, and proceeded to added 2 juvenile rumy nose tetras. My first test for ammonia 12 hours later showed ammonia of 2ppm, and peaked at around 4ppm even with two 20% water changes everyday. This continued for about a week before ammonia and nitrites went down to 0.

I think this video would be much more convincing if you showed your daily ammonia and nitrite test readings for a week or two after your instant cycle.

I'm sorry if I sound a little mean, I'm super thankful for people like you that take their time to provide information and help others out. The only thing I'm concerned about is the quality and completeness of the information, newer hobbyists will end up causing their fishes to suffer or even die.

[andystokes]

If I've understood this correctly he has taken water from one tank and put it in his new one and topped it up with 25% conditioned tap water. He has then taken a filter which has been running for several months in another mature tank and added that, so what he has produced is a tank with an already cycled filter containing filter media which is already loaded with bacteria. That being the case yes, there is no need to cycle the new tank. Unfortunately the way he describes what he is doing makes no sense, it would have been far better not to use the term 'cycled water' which gives the impression that the water alone is what is seeding his filter. What he has done is perfectly reasonable; what he has described is not. No, it would not be fine to use a new filter, that would require the system to be cycled.

[Rightly_Divided]

I started a 29 gallon tank FROM SCRATCH 2 weeks ago. It is heavily planted and I added a lot of boosters. I have changed the water (at 25%) twice now. I currently have 16 fish (bigger tetras) they are hardy. They are all doing well. However I tried putting neons in and some died, so I put the remainder living ones in a mature 10 gallon tank. Now those neons are doing much better. I think it depends on the fish too.

[xwolve]

I made many mistakes when I started my first tank and my fish didn't died (4 years old now). But trying to teach people something wrong and proving your point by saying " well, the fish are fine" doesn't mean it's right.

[jinxi]

Just for those that may think mature tank water will cycle or aid in cycling a new aquarium...It will not. Mature, used, seasoned water from an established aquarium for the most part contains no beneficial bacteria. If it did, a tank would crash or have parameter swings drastically with water changes. Used tank water is essentially pointless. ~ Certified Water Chemist.

[marthanewsome]

This would work just fine. I personally grab the sponges from my sump and squeeze them into any new tanks I set up, but it doesn't always instant cycle though, but it gets close if it doesn't completely do it. Only water tests over a few days will determine if you have enough bacteria in there. But there wouldn't be a huge spike in ammonia or nitrite, just small ones and wouldn't harm most fish, and with a few small water changes over a week everything would setting down nicely.

[Mimi-frgf]

Beneficial bacteria is not in the tank water!!! but sits and grows in the media/filter, on gravel, rocks, wood, plants etc. The ONLY way to set up a new tank skipping the cycle is to add as many on the list above in to the new tank. The more the better! Filling a tank with just old established tank water is not going to be enough

[wildwill]

I like the vid I believe it works. Adding water from another tank can't hurt I think it's a good idea. A lot of hate for this vid!? A lot of snobs in all hobbies I do and fish keeping no exception. It's the way they do it or nothing.

[BenOchart]

I would only do one thing differently, I wouldn't use water from another tank. As long as you're adding that seeded filter, just add treated new water and you'll get the same result except without the nitrates of the prior tank. Remember that the good bacteria does not live in the water column. Having said that, there is no harm being done since you added 25% new water, it was essentially a water change. You did mention that a "new filter" could be used at 7:32 and this might throw people off. It MUST be a seasoned, seeded (used) filter with living good bacteria on it or the "instant" cycle will not occur. It will crash.

[kdr]

This works everytime. I use some water from cycled tank but a seeded filter is really all you need. 👍

[MasterAquatics]

not sure why people are disliking this.... this works... make sure you have a filter thats been seasoned..

[MichaelClark-uwex]

I've been in this hobby for over 50 years, I started in the days of brute force mechanical filtration, biological filters were something some crazy German hobbyists were experimenting with.
After watching the hobby for years, i switched to biological and have never regretted it, none of my tanks have mechanical filtration of any kind other than the filter foam.
That said, i have set up hundreds of tanks and I've never seen one cycle in less than 2 weeks and those were innoculated with water/gravel/plants from an established tank.

[TheGnthreman]

I do use cycled water plus taking a sponge filter that I have cycling in a few tanks and squeezing out the bacteria along with the gravel. Stable water that has been cycled is still a good start.

[jesseserna]

Gotta day I wish I didn’t learn the hobby the hard way but guess that’s the fun in it... but basically getting as much good bacteria from the cycled tank in new one prevents it from spiking with ammonia. I’ve started like most and just threw them in lead to lot of losses and a lot harder to drop levels since fish making more... recently upgrade the size and moved most of old stuff to new tank worked great was able to put what I needed in no time. Great job!

[sicilianotoronto]

Your method is just fine! You have the right idea, I've done it in the past as well many times and the fish were great!

[bellrose]

Actually I think that using the water from the old tank might actually be beneficial because it has ammonia which should speed up the process of the bacteria but you could also just use any organic material for that (fish food, ammonia solution from pet smart, rotting wood) so it seems like a haste for something that could be done easier.

[daidolatimore]

You guys don't see the point in what he's saying he just basically used two tanks that where already set up to set up the other one the water and filter was already conditioned for the fish all he really had to do was add the water back to the old tanks and put fish in the new one