Cycled media

[gquimby1]

Setting up my 90 gallon finally. I have media cycling in another tank. How long will it take that media to become established? It's in an established tank now. Is this an overnight process or will it take weeks to get bacteria to populate the new media

 

[ReefEco]

Hey there - shouldn't take weeks, but likely more than a couple days. The more time you give it, likely the better colony you will transfer over. Just make sure there is some nutrient source in the new tank when you do transfer it over (phantom feeding, one fish, etc.) or the population may be impacted. Still go slow when stocking the new tank, as the media is just a seed, and you'll still need to give your new tank time to build the appropriate size bio filter as you add livestock..

 

[A sea K]

Cycling media in an established tank will still take weeks, likely 4-6 IME if not longer.