How to Cycle a Tank with someone else's tank?

[Pazzoman]

Hey Everyone,

Soon I will be breaking down my 40 gallon freshwater and turning it into a saltwater tank. I was thinking of taking advantage of my cousins saltwater tank that has been established for 3 years. What do you think is the quickest way to seed the tank? How do you think I will know when it's ready for fish?

Since I will be using plastic bottles for moving bed filter, I was thinking of having two mini bottles with the k1 media operating in his tank for a week or two than adding it to my bigger bottles of k1 moving bed filter....do you think that will work?

Also should I still be adding ammonia drops during this type of cycling?

Thanks A Million!

 

[KathyC]

The only thing I can imagine you might want from your cousins tank would be a cup of sand to seed your new sand-bed and maybe a few pieces of live rock to seed your new rock.
You still need to go through the entire cycle process, there really is no rushing it.
Adding an ammonia source is necessary to build up the bacteria you will need for when you start to stock the tank.
I don't think the K1 stuff would have much - if any - impact (never heard of it before, just read a little about it now)

 

[NYreefNoob]

easiest way to cycle, and all my tanks that were started from new i used dead rock and dead sand. add some flake food or a piece of table shrimp, but i also used special blend and niteout 2 during cycle

 

[MrsDubs]

I started my tank from my boyfriend's established 2 yr old tank. My tank has been up now for 6 months. Thankfully I have healthy growing corals and my fish are healthy. Dealt with a little red slime but no longer an issue. If his tank is healthy I wouldn't worry. That's what renegade reefing is!

 

[Pazzoman]

Ok thank you all for your responses. I will pretty much do a mixture of what you all said. Will update in a few weeks hopefully with a cycling marine tank!

 

[arnaldolex]

ive done this many times and have had a tank running in about two weeks with fish take about 2 cups of his sand and try to add as much of his water into your tank as possible am actually doing this now on my girl friends 34 gallon solano i put 20 gallons of my water and let it run for a week then am buying some damsels but i bought live rock. I also did it in my buddys tank indian about a month and a half ago on his 57 gallon rimless and hes fully up and running also did it on this other guys tank about 3 months ago and hes doing great with corals octopus and fish.

 

[ChrisB]

Special blend stunk out my whole house lol.

 

[arnaldolex]

yeah me to i use to use it before it smelled like dead ocean the next day lol