Benificial Bacteria in gravel question

[Bill M.]

So I just vaccuumed my 10 gallon for its weekly 30% WC....I want to seed my 29 with its gravel, but now I am wondering if there is any left? How long does it take to regrow after a gravel vacuuming? Should there be enough on there where I can add it today???/

[Drumachine09]

You shouldnt really have sucked much out, if any at all. The bacteria is not free floating, but rather, it anchors itself to a surface, such as the gravel, decor, or even the glass.

[bscman]

+1

Vacuuming gravel removes small amount at best. Yes, you probably sucked some away...but only a small percentage.
If you have fake plants/decorations, you can use those to seed the new tank as well.

Here is my method for preparing a new tank by using goods from a seeded tank.

Set up your new tank with the gravel, heater, bubbler you want. Fill with water and turn on your heater to reach the desired temp.
IF you're using fake plants or decorations, add a few of them to your already existing tank.
In the mean time, take your new filter and set it up in an existing tank as well. Let is cycle with the existing tank for at least a few days-preferably close to a week.

Bacteria will start to colonize in your new filter, as well as on your new decorations. After about a week, take the OLD filter out of the existing tank and put it in the new tank. Also, transfer the new decorations you added to the existing tank into the new one.
Now you've got instant bacteria colonies in your new tank, and you're ready to stock.

In the mean time, you existing tank might go through a bit of a mini-cycle to catch back up with the lost bacteria...but there should be enough in the gravel, decorations, and the newly seeded new filter that it will catch up in no time flat.

Works for me :c3: and saves money from not having to buy ammonia, or feeders for cycling.

[Bill M.]

Would it be ok to take the biobag filter out of the 10 gallon and put it in the 29's filter? Yes I know this is okay, but I mean would it hurt the other tank to not have a filter carterige in it for a few days untill I get to walmart to get a new one?

[NeonJulie]

Someone once told me "if you can suck the bacteria off of a rock, you're a stronger woman than me." I've never bought into the idea that gravel vac'ing causes any problems with cycling, before, during or after.

While my tank was still very new, I was doing daily water change gravel vacs (trying to get the ich out as well as help the fish cope with some other mysterious health problems. Nothing left to try after not one medication worked.) Anyway, I never had one blip of ammonia or nitrites... tank sparkled, though!

...if you do that, you may very well see a mini-cycle. In both tanks possibly. It all depends on how much other substrate is there from the donor tank, as well as how long it's been up. But only to a point - because bacteria only grows to the size of the food source, so there won't be "extra" bacteria, usually just enough to support the load currently in it. If you add extra food, or increase the supply of ammonia, you could grow more bacteria to take away into the next tank.

The tank will probably be fine for a few days without the cartridge, it's the loss of all the bacteria colonies that's the unknown.

[gm72]

If you do a fishless cycle be sure to crank up the temp on the tank to maybe about 84 degrees. This will allow the beneficial bacteria to propagate more quickly.