Maintaining a cycle

[swales]

I'm getting ready to set up a 75 and am now wondering what to do with my neglected 29. I've already taken some fish out of it to stock my rimless (pretty!) 10g. So now it only has 7 neons, 2 panda corys, and a honey dwarf gourami.

I am planning to set the 29 up as a natural planted aquarium (I just got Diana Walstad's book and I am loving it). So, the question is where can these fish go? I have another 10 gallon that I de-rimmed, but another small tank seems like a bother at this point. I was thinking I could temporarily place these fish in a newly set-up 75 with a new cannister and the AC70. Would these fish provide enough waste to keep a cycle in a 75? Does volume affect this? I guess what I am asking is whether or not the bacteria will colonize the cannister in this situation (very understocked).

Thanks.

[smoochxoxo]

It would colonize but only to what you have stocked the tank with...after the initial stock when you add to it a little at a tiime you would then be gaining more good bacteria because it would go through mini cycles probably even un noticable to your tests to maintain the levels it needs. I went and started a 10 g with stuff from a 5 gallon that was established and it took a bit since the bacteria I had was enough for a start up but not a complete cycle.
If you after the initial cycle plunked in a ton of fish you would probably have a big problem because your bacteria wouldn't keep up.
gl
Hugs

[Sasquatch]

There should be no problem stocking the 75 with those fish. Transfer some filter media from the 29 to the 75 to make sure that there are bacteria to support the cycle and they should quickly colonize the canister/AC70.

Once it's cycled, make sure that any future stocking are progressive, so as not to overload the bacteria.

Basically what Smooch said ... :19:

[smoochxoxo]

:19: yeah me my first real good piece of advice.
GL