# Can a dirted tank cycle itself?



## tetra73 (Aug 2, 2011)

Can you use some existing bio medias from your old filter? Well, the dirt is capped and I am not sure how effective the nitrification process would be.


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## SmellsFishy (Dec 9, 2013)

Ya I was going to squeeze in some water from a sponge filter that I have in my 10 gallon guppy grow out tank. I was just curious if it could self cycle with the bacteria in the dirt.


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## tdiggs (May 30, 2013)

I believe the soil leaches ammonia and it should cycle itself, but could be wrong on that and I cannot elaborate. If you have an existing tank just throw the activated carbon or a filter pad and you're good to go. The bacteria should reproduce and populate the rest of the tank and filter quickly. As always, add the fish slowly.


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## wheatiesl337 (Mar 30, 2011)

I would also guess that the dirt should leech enough you won't need to add additional ammonia. But I have always cycled dirt tanks planted after a dry start, so it's just a guess.


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## dzega (Apr 22, 2013)

i actually have a dirted tank that has been running for a month now with only 2-3 days adding ammonia. i can check if its cycled tonight.


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## dzega (Apr 22, 2013)

dzega said:


> i actually have a dirted tank that has been running for a month now with only 2-3 days adding ammonia. i can check if its cycled tonight.


added 0.5ppm ammonia(confirmed with test) and it was gone next day, so i guess it is cycled


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

SmellsFishy said:


> I don't want to add fish until it is completely cycled and I don't get my plant shipped in until next week so I was wandering if the bacteria in garden soil can cycle itself in an aquarium. I really don't want to have to use ammonia.
> 
> Thanks,
> Eric


Any tank will cycle itself. I did cycle many of my tanks without adding anything, just municipality water, let the filter work, and that's all, wait 4 weeks.

You know bacteria are everywhere, on your hands, in the air, in the water from the municipality, there are denitrofying bacteria. There are bacteria on the roots, even on plastic plants, decorations, substrate, even inert substrate have some of them, enough to start a colonization.

Michel.


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

micheljq said:


> Any tank will cycle itself. I did cycle many of my tanks without adding anything, just municipality water, let the filter work, and that's all, wait 4 weeks.
> 
> You know bacteria are everywhere, on your hands, in the air, in the water from the municipality, there are denitrofying bacteria. There are bacteria on the roots, even on plastic plants, decorations, substrate, even inert substrate have some of them, enough to start a colonization.
> 
> Michel.



There will be bacteria in the tank, but unless you go through a period of 'feeding' them (adding ammonia, dead shrimp, waste produced from fish, etc.), the tank won't build up the necessary populations to process the waste fish will produce. Just letting a tank sit for a month without adding anything to it won't really do anything except maybe grow some algae and snails.


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## Nestle_ (Jul 4, 2013)

As others have suggested, I've used precycled media from other tanks and even used sponge filters in established tanks for a couple months before moving them into a new tank for a few hours before adding fish and even shrimp.
but when I've no media to use, I get the filters going and add in old fish food thats expired. adding slightly more every couple days. After a week or two I check the levels and add a couple tetras for a few days to see how they react. and go from there.
I use neon tetras as a better gauge to the readiness of a tank then just from reading a water test, because you can see one thing in a tube and have something completely different actually in the tank. how a fish reacts is the best thing to watch I've learned, and no, I have not actually harmed or lost any neon tetras to this process.


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## SmellsFishy (Dec 9, 2013)

Thanks for all of the advice! I think what is going to do is get my plants in then add the squeezed out water from another sponge filter and see how it goes from there.


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## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

Use the waste water from you ten gallon water change to fill you dirt'd tank. Using the medium from the established tank will speed things up. You can fast cycle tank with product like Dr Tim's One and Only. I've had very good results with Dr. Tim's.


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

lochaber said:


> There will be bacteria in the tank, but unless you go through a period of 'feeding' them (adding ammonia, dead shrimp, waste produced from fish, etc.), the tank won't build up the necessary populations to process the waste fish will produce. Just letting a tank sit for a month without adding anything to it won't really do anything except maybe grow some algae and snails.


I am doing this since I began keeping tanks 25 years ago never had any problem when adding fishes after one month. I can see the bacterial bloom appearing often. I cannot explain all of what is going on there, but never found it was necessary to add bacterias or ammonia, for me it is not necessary, waste of money and energy.

I do add fishes slowly in the beginning though, small groups at a time on long intervals, there are always plants in the tank too. New plants getting accustomed to new water always have parts that will melt (hence producing ammonia), and plants are added the day after adding water. That may explain why it works, but I am not sure.

Also those who add top soil will provide the ammonia for the cycle. I did began adding top soil just recently, but before that I did never add top soil.

Michel.


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## PlantNewbster (Dec 13, 2013)

Just to make this clear. Used water does not really do anything for a uncycled tank. All it does is add NITRATES, witch you have to remove either way. So squeezing sponge filter water would be useless. You have to put the whole sponge filter in. 

Best of Luck - Josh


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

PlantNewbster said:


> Just to make this clear. Used water does not really do anything for a uncycled tank. All it does is add NITRATES, witch you have to remove either way. So squeezing sponge filter water would be useless. You have to put the whole sponge filter in.
> 
> Best of Luck - Josh


Certainly not that only nitrates will fall from the sponge, some bacteria will come with the water as well. I do not think that the bacteria are attached to the sponge with concrete.

Michel.


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## PlantNewbster (Dec 13, 2013)

micheljq said:


> Certainly not that only nitrates will fall from the sponge, some bacteria will come with the water as well. I do not think that the bacteria are attached to the sponge with concrete.
> 
> Michel.



Yes but putting the whole sponge filter in would be more efficient. My post was also in regard to "King of somthing" who said to use is 10gallon waste water to do waterchangess witch has basically no benefits.


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

PlantNewbster said:


> My post was also in regard to "King of somthing" who said to use is 10gallon waste water to do waterchangess witch has basically no benefits.


That maybe a little extreme as a solution and not very useful I do agree.


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## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

PlantNewbster said:


> Yes but putting the whole sponge filter in would be more efficient. My post was also in regard to "King of somthing" who said to use is 10gallon waste water to do waterchangess witch has basically no benefits.


I would disagree. The idea is to seed the tank. the more seeding the less waiting. 

While the waste water contains only trace levels of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites (assuming a healthy tank), the real key here is the free floating bacteria.

A more beneficial task would be move the established filter to the new tank. This would help seed the new tank. One could simply move the 'bio' element of the 10G tank into the new filter (and starting a new bio element in the 10G). A well planted tank rarely needs an bio-element, as the whole of the tank serves that purpose, the trick is getting to that point. 

The dirt substrate will be producing ammonia on its on. I was amazed at my levels when starting my own dirt'd tank. There's a lot going on in the dirt. The water was chaos, but settled down quickly with a little outside help. 

I'm an advocate for bacteria in a bottle. I've had very good results in the past.

I would move some hardy fish (guppies) into the new tank. Wait until you have low level of ammonia and dump a bottle of Dr Tim's (or other brand) in and let the magic happen. 

King of "Somthing"


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## PlantNewbster (Dec 13, 2013)

King of Hyrule said:


> King of "Somthing"


It assent suppose to be offensive I just couldn't remeber your name


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

micheljq said:


> ...
> I do add fishes slowly in the beginning though, small groups at a time on long intervals, there are always plants in the tank too. New plants getting accustomed to new water always have parts that will melt (hence producing ammonia), and plants are added the day after adding water. That may explain why it works, but I am not sure.
> 
> Also those who add top soil will provide the ammonia for the cycle. I did began adding top soil just recently, but before that I did never add top soil.
> ...


If there is dirt in the tank, it may provide ammonia for cycling, but that depends on the type of dirt used, and also depends on the soil tapering off it's ammonia release by the time fish are introduced.

Introducing fish gradually is basically the old fish-in cycling method. I did it quite a bit when I last had tanks, but there wasn't a lot of readily available info on fishless cycling back then.


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