The Puffer Forum

Can i use some media from a mature freshwater filter to cycle a brackish tank?, will adding the salt alter the bacteria in the filters once i have done this? If so what is my best option to cycle a brackish tank fast, thanks a lot.

the best way to do that would be to start the new tank off fresh and up the SG by 0.002 per week, as putting freshwater media straight in to brackish water higher than 1.002 will certainly kill the bacteria you are trying to use to kick start your cycle

edit:
You could start off in your new tank at 1.002

I did that (idiot!) and had to wait for the tank to cycle, only took 10 days but wish I'd had my brain in gear to start with lol

That explains it all pretty well, thanks for the good reply.

How long should i wait after adding the cycled media to the uncycled filter for it all to cycle properly so it is suitable for my fish?

adding cycled media to a filter should mean your tank is ready, a source of ammonia should be added straight away to keep the bacteria alive, the only thing that will take time is raising the SG to the required level, which, depending on the SG the fish are kept in at the LFS could be straight away, or in a couple of weeks or three.
If they are kept in brackish at the store, they will most likely be kept at 1.005

Thanks mate for the help, i put a dead feeder shrimp in the inlet of the filter for the bacteria to chow down on, and a few live ones to create some chems. gunna raise the salt levels throughout the coming weeks to prepare my puffers for higher salt levels, maybe even a marine tank when theyre ready.