moving pair to new tank

[tasr]

I have a pair that are terrifiying my other discus. They have laid eggs at least five times in the last month. I have a 29 gallon tank uncycled could I put the pair in that tank? I use r/o water and I also change water everyday. I have been putting a sponge filter in tub of water that came from the cycled tank thinking maybe some bacteria would grow on it. just wondering if that would be to much stress on the pair?

[Chris McMahon]

I have a 29 gallon tank uncycled could I put the pair in that tank?A 29 gallon tank is a good size for a breeding tank. Do not put them in an uncycled tank!

I have been putting a sponge filter in tub of water that came from the cycled tank thinking maybe some bacteria would grow on it.That isn't the best way.

I assume you want to cycle a tank very quickly. The fastest I've done it is 4 days with a mature sponge from another tank.

- First put a air driven sponge filter into your current cycled tank. Leave it there at least 3 days, the longer the better.
- Fill the new tank with 100% old tank water
- Put the sponge filter from the old tank into the new tank.
- Then read this (http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=895).

[africandiscus]

If you put a mature sponge filter into a new tank and add 100% of old tanks water. Is that not a fully matured tank?

I dont see how you can make a tank cycled with a 4 day old sponge

[Chris McMahon]

I dont see how you can make a tank cycled with a 4 day old spongeYou're right. I edited my post to make it clearer.

3 days is enough to get a seed colony of bacteria on the new sponge, not enough for enough bacteria to grow to handle two adult discus.

I meant to get a seed colony, then follow the fishless cycle method and wait for it to complete.

[tasr]

Everynight I change water couldnt i just take the water from the cycled tank and put it in the 29 gal. That would also include the fish poop and whatever else is on the bottom of the tank. Wouldn't that be the same as using fish to cycle the tank? I am just kind of weary of using ammonia don't know why but I am

[DiscusMan]

Tasr,

I would say that if you are going to be moving the pair to a new tank then as long as the water changes are kept up during the initial stage then you will have no problems. When you first move the fish they are not really going to have a successfull spawn straight away anyways as they need time to adjust to new enviroment.

The sponge filter will cycle in some time that someone else will say but i think that water changes will get you through. 29 Gallons is around 140 litres or so so its a lot of fish tank for two fishes anyway. The rule from memory is 10 Gallons per adult fish so you have plenty of extra room there which makes up for the no filter as long as you change say 50% a day for whatever time it takes to cycle the tank. then drop down to a 10% a day or whatever you are gonna do in the end.

The water changes i refer to would be with new water not used water from the other tank.

Just My opionin be it right or wrong.

Wayne
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