# cheating the cycle?



## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

i am wondering if there is anyway to cheat the cycle? putting old filters in, i know gives it a boost but is thre anything else that will help???


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Lot's of healthy, growing plants can eliminate the need for cycling.


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

Put a hardy fish or two in and let them cycle the tank for you.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Ownager2004 said:


> Put a hardy fish or two in and let them cycle the tank for you.



Well, that is certainly true, but that was not the question.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Bio-Spira If you can find it. We have a store here locally that seems to always have a small stock of it.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Can never really truly cheat a cycle but can speed it up.


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

i didnt mean make the cycle happen overnight, just meant maybe speeding it up a few weeks. it takes 36 days for everthing to be safe.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

I am a firm believer that it doesnt take 36days to cycle lol.

Just substrate, tank water and filter from another tank and presto! ready to go


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

cool, ill try it


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2006)

Lots of plants, like mentioned above. Adding fish slowly also helps. You can seed new filters with media from an established filter, or run the new filter in an established tank for a couple weeks. You can add gravel from another tank to the new one (put it in panty hose/stockings if you don't want to mix). There are many ways to speed up the cycle.

I planted my tanks from the beginning with fast growing stem plants like wisteria. Then I added my fish slowly. In the 55g I added about 4 or 5 fish every other week (sometimes weekly). I never registered any ammonia or nitrites...maybe I was lucky. I also used gravel and filter media from an established tank.


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

doc whats bio-spira??????


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## Alin10123 (May 22, 2005)

SpoiledFishies said:


> doc whats bio-spira??????


It's the bacteria that you are trying to get established when you cycle a tank. The biospira is like a brand. They package the bacteria so that you can just dump it into the tank and it's basically ready to take fish.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

bio spira
http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ML_biospira.asp

It is the only aquarium starter on the marker that I would use. The rest do not come anywhere close to it.


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## Tonymd (Apr 24, 2006)

A sponge squeezing from a tank thats established would work great. Ive done it before and had a reading of 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and a few nitrates by doing this. And the tank is still the same 3 months or so latter. Just put the squeezing in the filter of the new tank.


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