Just set up 6 tanks.......

[Jaws22]

I just set up 6 tanks 4) 50's and 2) 29's, if I add water from some of my established tanks will they be ready by auction time?

[danielratti]

Depends on how fast they cycle.

Taking water from an established tank will not do you much good because your nitrosomonas and nitrobacter bacteria are not free floating. These stick to surfaces of rocks, filter media, substrate and so forth. Anything that you can tank out of your established tank will help you in this case. So for example you put filter media from your tank into this new tank it should speed up the cycle time to pretty much a day or so.

[Ron]

^ x2!

The water itself really doesn't have much to do with it!

[Regalblue]

Sounds like you need a "dirty bomb" 

Come on by with a bucket &  I'll clean out a couple sponges for you.

[Michael Zebrowski]

Yep, use some gravel and/or used filter media from an established tank to speed up the cycle.  There are also other products that will hasten tank cycling.

You can easliy have tanks ready by auction time.

Mike Z.

[linuxrulesusa]

Won't they lose the bacteria if they sit for two weeks without an ammonia source? 

[Steve]

Won't they lose the bacteria if they sit for two weeks without an ammonia source?

Just dose to 3ppm with ACE brand ammonia every other day up till 2 days before the auction and that will feed the bacteria till fish are stocked.

[danielratti]

Or you can put a little bit of food in the tank to feed the bacteria. The other option would be throwing a raw shrimp in the tank and let it break down. But just be prepared for a mess and it smelling really bad.

[Marty]

Or you could just come to the meeting on Friday and get a free sample bottle of live bacteria from me and pour it in your tank the day before the auction.

[RichE]

Or you could just come to the meeting on Friday and get a free sample bottle of live bacteria from me and pour it in your tank the day before the auction.

Marty has the best idea, that stuff that they have been giving out at the meetings and auctions works, I tried it as a test, set up a cleaned out tank, added gravel and decorations put in the amount that was described on the bottle and 30 min later I added fish and they are still going strong and I did this back in october

[Regalblue]

Or you could just come to the meeting on Friday and get a free sample bottle of live bacteria from me and pour it in your tank the day before the auction.

There you go. You could ride the short bus (as rich called it) with Tony & I.