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Importance of "seasoned" aquarium for fish breeding


Aunah
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Hello! I am temporarily moving across the country for work and am breaking down my 75 gallon tanks for the time being.  I will be bringing a 15 gallon cube with me to keep me sane. On the livestreams and videos Cory has talked about the importance of a seasoned tank for a healthy ecosystem. If I was diligent in monitoring tank parameters do you guys think I could successfully breed Multies shell dwellers soon after cycling the tank? If not, please suggest a species you think would fit this size tank and could raise the fry with the parents in same tank. 

Thanks everyone for your time and responses! 

PFA my Purple Mosiac female guppy 🙂

fish_photo_guppy_1-1.JPG

Edited by Aunah
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First off, best wishes to you on your move. Tearing down tanks sounds a bit sad. There are a handful of factors that contribute to a “seasoned” aquarium. Substrate and filtration are key, along with chemistry balance in water parameters, plant health, heat and lighting. New tanks are notoriously unbalanced — too much of this... to little of that... beyond not being “cycled” is the problem of not being “balanced.” Fish generally respond well and will breed readily when there is a balance in a tank / tub that they like. But not all fish are alike. Sometimes the seasoned tank that one species loves is not preferred by another. So, that being said, if you happen to have substrate in a seasoned tank that you’re tearing down that you could bag up in some tank water, and filter media or sponge that you could bag up as well, that may help as long as you set it up right away and it doesn’t sit around for a long time. When we set up a new tank, we often use filters and substrate from seasoned tanks. You do have some anaerobic bio gas release to be cautious about, but it should settle quickly. The problem is that your water where you move may be totally different than your water where you currently live. If in the end you just have to set up from scratch, just be patient, finish the cycle, and enjoy the process. Shellies / Multies sound fun! Maybe the water where you move will suggest another species too. 

Edited by Fish Folk
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When I think of a "seasoned tank" I think of a tank with established plants, and a diverse biome that's in some sort of balance. Lots of life finds its way into our aquariums over time. Some visible, like pond snails, detritus worms, etc., some less visible. A tank that's been set up for a few months/years will have lots of life in it. That extra life tends to live in around sponge/mattten filters, the substrate, plants, etc. It gives any baby fish a source of some food when they're very little. Now, some people raise fish in nearly sterile conditions and have success. Kudos to them. As long as you give Multies shells any reasonable conditions they should spawn for you. Raising the fry will be more challenging in a more sterile tank. There won't be much naturally occurring stuff in the tank for them when they get the munchies, but it's doable.

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first off, i like your guppy, ive been looking for purples myself. as for a seasoned tank, i think you can really jump start one and get it cycled, and "seasoned" in short order .take your fifteen, set it up, dose it with frtizyme7 or one of the other good bacteria starters, and get some live plants in it quickly. unless things went sideways for some reason, a couple weeks to a month with some plants and fish in it, and the tank should be very healthy and good to go.

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