Seeded media

[Cjbear087]

So I want to have my quarantine tank ready so I can cycle the media in my main tank and when I fill up my quarantine I take the media out of my main and put it into my qt. Then when I’m finished with it I’ll drain the qt and put it back into my main to maintain the cycle. I have a few questions: firstly will I be okay to just leave the sponges and biomedia in my (established) main tank for a few weeks and it should be cycled? My other question is am I okay to take the qt media out of the main tank or could this hurt my main tanks cycle? Thanks

[AllFishNoBrakes]

You’ll want media in both tanks. 
 

To keep my QT/grow out tanks going between getting new fish or spawns I’m growing out I leave snails in there and feed them a couple of times per week. 
 

If the QT ever gets taken down, take the sponge or media or whatever from there and put it in the main tank. If you need to set up the QT again, bring the sponge or media back over and you’ll have a nice jump start on a cycle. 

[Cjbear087]

On 5/8/2024 at 11:20 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

You’ll want media in both tanks. 
 

To keep my QT/grow out tanks going between getting new fish or spawns I’m growing out I leave snails in there and feed them a couple of times per week. 
 

If the QT ever gets taken down, take the sponge or media or whatever from there and put it in the main tank. If you need to set up the QT again, bring the sponge or media back over and you’ll have a nice jump start on a cycle. 

Yeah it would be annoying for me to keep the qt out as I don’t really have any space which is why I would be taking it down often, but as long as I keep the media in the main tank it will stay cycled?

[AllFishNoBrakes]

It will retain beneficial bacteria. 
 

Remember that beneficial bacteria is on all wet surfaces. The glass, decorations, substrate, hardscape, plants, filters… all surfaces that are wet will have beneficial bacteria in them. 
 

So, yes, the media will retain bacteria. When you take that and put it in a new tank, it definitely transfers bacteria. It all depends on the bioload you put against that colony of bacteria on that filter. 
 

When I hatch eggs and grow fry, I’ll take a nano sponge filter that’s been sitting in the final grow out tank (55 gallon, heaviest fed tank, lots of fish, lots of filtration) and I’ve never had a problem putting that in the 2.5 gallon hatchery. I’ll squeeze it out in the tank to get the mulm and microorganisms into the water. Then, when the fry are ready, I start feeding them. The bacteria on that sponge can handle the very small amount of food, and as I feed more the bacteria colony grows. All good in that scenario. 
 

Now, take that same sponge and put it in a 10 gallon or 20 gallon (4-8 times more water volume) and will it be effective? Idk. All depends on the bioload you throw at it. That being said, you retain both types of nitrifying bacteria and it’s a great place to start.