Using Tropical Fish Tank Water to Kickstart Water Cycle in New Tank

[motorleague]

Hi

I’m going to be setting up an axylotl tank as a birthday gift to my girlfriend.

I already have a well-established and healthy tropical fish tank which has been running for around 5 years. Would it be beneficial for me to use the water from this tank to help kick start the water cycle in the new tank and avoid new tank syndrome, or would there any concerns around bacteria from a fish tank causing a health risk to the axylotl?

Thanks.

 

[Viking]

That sounds brilliant to me. I do that all the time. Add plants to absorb ammonia. 50% old water should allow the tank to cycle in days.

 

[KumquatSquats]

old filter media tends to carry more bacteria then tank water, if you can pull a sponge from the other tank it would be better

 

[MnGuy]

Old water will not cycle a tank. You need to use objects from the established tank that have healthy bacteria on it. That includes: rocks, sand, driftwood, filter media.

Since only fine sand is safe for newts and axolotls, depending on what's in the fish tank, I would suggest putting the fish tank gravel or rock in a clean plastic bowl or filter sock in the new tank so the bacteria can spread and establish itself. Once that happens (the cycle is established) you can just easily pull out the gravel or rock, which can be a choking hazard.

Also note that it can take longer to cycle a coldwater tank vs a tropical tank.

Good luck!

 

[motorleague]

Both of these are possible actually. The filter for the new tank is a lot smaller (the fish tank is 140L), but I could easily do a tactical filter pad change and float the old one in the tank for a few days.


Additionally, the substrate in my fish tank is sand, so I could easily transfer some of that over too.


Thanks for the replies, appreciated.