Won't be able to cycle tank?

Question

Uh oh. In a few weeks I shall be moving several hundred miles away to my new apartment. Coming with me are all my fish.

In my new apartment shall be 3 tanks, all of which will not be cycled. What can I do? I can't go up before hand and start the process.

Am I SOL?

Answer 1

No, but it's going to be touvh and go. You need to pack the following:

0)A couple handfuls of your old gravel in a sealed container with plenty tank water. Ideally bring all your gravel with you like this. Try to avoid extremes of heat, or cold. Likewise do the same with your filter media.

1)A treatment to speed up the developement of a biological filter like cycle.

2)A treatment to deal with ammonia. Like prime.

3)A water test test that can test for ammonia.

When you get there put in the water, and treat it with your dechlorinator. (Most likely #2 will do double duty.) Then add you new gravel, and mix in the old gravel you saved. Mix it up a bit. Adding you fish, and watch the ammonia levels every day. If thy start spiking do a 25% water change every day until they stop spiking. Honestly if you bring all your old filter media, and gravel with out killing the bacteria in it you may not have a problem

Answer 2

See if any of the pet stores up there carry BioSpira (or, see if one of them around you carries it - but you'll have to store it in the refrigerator and transport it in a cooler, as it needs to stay cold). This is the ONLY product available on the market that will create something of an instant cycle, as it contains live nitrifying bacteria.

If you can't find it (and it can be a bit of a hunt to find), follow Sabersquirrel's suggestion.

Answer 3

how are your fish being transported??
What you can do it take the clean water from your cycled tank and the old fliter from the tank and put them in the new tanks... I have heard of this working, but i can not promise anything.... ask a local fish store... not petsmart cuz they don't know what they are talking about!!