3 Easy Ways to Quick Start your New Aquarium! (FAST)

In this video we look at the 3 easiest and fastest ways to cycle your new aquarium so you can add some fish!
METHOD 1. sponge filter juice
METHOD 2. add a couple of cheap fish to kick start the bacteria 🦠
METHOD 3. fill the aquarium with pre-established and matured aquarium water
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[@Ishan.patel.]

First

[@darrylmoore5847]

Excellent information

[@johnykiwi2722]

Gday Harlan. Love the new rack setup you have going on. Keen to see what you fill it with in the future. Keep up the great work.

[@BasicAquariums]

What I like to do is something similar to you. I put the old filter in my new tank. The put the new filter in the old tank.

[@ArchangelHornet]

Well done with the video and very informative. Only shows your real understanding of this stuff and shows your experience. I despise channels that just echo the same info over and over, let the tank cycle for 6 weeks blah blah blah before adding livestock. Not only that it over complicates aquarium fish keeping for absolute beginners, I'm sure it has turned off some people who really want to start with aquarium fish keeping but just cant wait that long or got intimidated. Go ahead and put a hardy livestock, a fish or two. Watch the ammonia, if it spikes, do the appropriate amount of water change. Keep doing the water change daily until the bacteria catches up with the bioload. Yes, ammonia is bad. But, it is not necessarily dangerous at extremely low amount for a few days till the bacteria stabilizes. Better yet, if you keep acidic water, ammonia molecules are even less potent simply because its converted to ammonium ions.

[@HarlanFord]

@@ArchangelHornet spot on!!! Thanks for the comment! :)

[@rrotley1]

G'day Harlan, very informative and well presented video. Another source for filter juice could be from your friendly LFS. And well as using matured aquarium water from another tank you could also add plants from existing tanks for extra bacteria. Looking forward to seeing your plans for the new rack.

[@HarlanFord]

@@rrotley1 that’s so true Lucas is a gold mine for information like this!!!!

[@HarlanFord]

@@rrotley1 that’s so true and another is Lucas from LRB Aquatics he also is a gold mine for information like this!!!!

[@garageaquatics2023]

I just copied and pasted my comment from Insatgram (then I edited it a bit): Yup! That’s what I’ll do too. Or I may even just use that sponge filter and put a new one in the tank it came from. The tank that sponge filter came from is already loaded with beneficial bacteria on everything in the tank - the glass, substrate, plants, etc. And then just for a bit of insurance I’ll add some beneficial bacteria once I drop in the fish to make sure there’s a food source for the new bacteria. I have used the "qiuick-start method" as well. In fact that's how I initally learned to cycle a tank watching MD FishTanks. We gotta start somewhere. 🙂 Also, I have used that method of using water from an existing tank. I works just fine for me. This is a great topic, Harlan. There are so many opinions out there - “if you’re not doing it my way, you’re not doing it right!” As always, Harlan, your video is spot-on! Cheers, Mate! ~Ron

[@HarlanFord]

@@garageaquatics2023 Fantastic!!! Thanks for watching! :)

[@later_daze_4080]

Filter juice...the best for your tank. Sex Wax...the best for your stick, haha!

[@HarlanFord]

@@later_daze_4080 hahahaha that’s right! 😂

[@lpoolck17]

Filter Juice 100% works. I am not sure why this isn't widly known/promoted. Most people are directed to bottled bacteria which I didn't get good results from.

[@Ishan.patel.]

I dont really cycle aquariums since I use plants and not that many fish.

[@benc3214]

First two methods yes, but aged or old water from another aquarium holds little to no beneficial bacteria at all. Bacteria colonizes on the surfaces of plants, decorations, substrate ect