Setting up a 10 gallon tank

[exzult]

So, I bought a 10 gallon tank from my friend yesterday to upgrade from my 1 gallon. He had fish for a very long time and they recently died so I was under the assumption I wouldn't have to nitrogen cycle it for as long, just do chemical tests and such.

However, the pump he gave me is an aquatech 40-60, I'm not even sure how his fish survived for so many years with the turbulence this thing produces. It is massive for this tank.

I plan on picking up a small 7-15 gallon pump sometime soon, my question is how is the best way to go about cycling my tank?
I know the bacteria grows on surfaces, there were lots of ornaments but they have all been removed and dried, and about 1/3 of the tank is the water his fish lived in (filtered and clean).

I plan on housing my betta and maybe a few shrimp.

[tekkguy]

Run both his old filter and your new one for a week, and feed the empty tank crushed fish flakes. His bacteria, if it is still alive, will move into your filter. If you are using his gravel, there will be bacteria on it also.

My concern though would be that you might be exposing your new fish to whatever killed his. I would advise you to ignore everything I posted above, bleach everything,replace what you are going to replace, and cycle properly from scratch.

[exzult]

I am certain the fish died of old age, he was going on 4 years old. The other fish in the tank with him were perfectly healthy. I don't have room for both tanks so I will try your first suggestion to get it cycled fast as possible, thank you!

[soady]

Hello,

you can reduce the water movement by doing as I did (see picture below). The surface of my tank is completely still even though the filter works the same. If you are interested in this method ask anything you want to know. The plastic needs to go just above water level and down to the sucking part of the tube, and no sharp edges! This is for hang-on filters!

[exzult]

Thanks Soady, I just decided to buy a smaller filter though :)

[soady]

Originally Posted by exzult

Thanks Soady, I just decided to buy a smaller filter though :)

You're welcome! But remember, this completely calms the water surface, at least for me. I have Atman HF100 which is one of the smallest filters but it still stirs the water if I don't "fence" it.

[callistra]

soady, heater should be placed next to the filter to maximize distribution, or else place a small airstone under the heating element. Otherwise you will have hot and cold spots.

One week run won't be enough. You should run them both for a month before removing the old one or else you will rerun your cycle.

[exzult]

After running for a month, I assume the next step would be neutralizing the ammonia and nitrite levels? And if I do this with tap water, let the conditioner do its work before I add my fish?

[soady]

Originally Posted by callistra

soady, heater should be placed next to the filter to maximize distribution, or else place a small airstone under the heating element. Otherwise you will have hot and cold spots.

One week run won't be enough. You should run them both for a month before removing the old one or else you will rerun your cycle.

Thanks, I listened to your advice and moved the heater close to the filter. Also, I wrapped a piece of a plastic bottle (with round cut edges) around the filter so the only water movement is inside the bottle edges. There's a nest right next to it, it's that calm!