New Tank

[eklikewhoa]

old water is just dirty water, though it would be stable it's still dirty water.

[Chris.d514]

Ok good to know I will start it fresh then and with stability and the filter already started hopefully it should be good to add fish shortly after.

[LooksLater]

old water is just dirty water, though it would be stable it's still dirty water.

+1. Bacteria colonizes on surfaces...substrate, filter media, deco like wood, rocks, etc. Moving some of that over would help much more.

[Chris.d514]

How long would it take to colonize? I can put her decor in my tank now if it would start to develop quickly.

[eklikewhoa]

If you have a well stocked tank that is stabilized you could get new filters and run them on those tanks prior to start up and once ready and you've added treated water for a night a simple move over of the filter would greatly increase your success

[Chris.d514]

So let the water sit over night after adding before putting filter in?

[LooksLater]

How long would it take to colonize? I can put her decor in my tank now if it would start to develop quickly.

Anything that would colonize on it in the time you have would be better than nothing, I'd go ahead and throw it in even if the growth would be minimal...but I agree with ek, getting the filter seasoned with all that yummy bacteria on an already established tank is the best way to go. I'm just hoping that your tank has been running long enough to stabilize itself and do the job. We might have some used filter funk to help you get going on the new tank, remind us when you're over here.

[LooksLater]

But I just got schooled...Mnemenoi says no, if the decor can't stay there a month or two, not a whole lot of help. But we definitely have dirty filter stuff for you. He says looking for already colonized goods at the fish stores would be better in this small a time frame- you know how petco, etc have wood pieces in their tanks for sale? Something like that would be great. Marimo balls, or plants that are coming out of long-running tanks, etc...those will be easy to find and chock full of good bacteria.

[eklikewhoa]

Correct, it does take some time to colonize beneficial bacteria a few weeks minimum.

What you could do though is find someone close by and help them clean their filters and score some dirty filter padding.

[Chris.d514]

i have tufa rock that was in my tank for 3 weeks and took it out last night on an impulse but it is still wet i could put it back in and it would have almost a month minus 12 hours of so. It has been in some water since i took it out not covered but 3-4" worth.

[eklikewhoa]

that might work.

[Chris.d514]

Back in the tank it goes.

[Chris.d514]

With wanting to plant the 10 gallon can I use just sand as a sub or do i need something else? Also should I get any new water additives?

[mnemenoi]

You can use just sand, though a planted substrate can help. They can be pricey and it would need to have been added first, I'd just go with sand for now. Liquid Fertilizers can help, but there are quite a plethora of them and each has its specifically targeted area of assistance. A general fert like Flourish or Root tabs can help, but I'd suggest using them sparingly. What type of lighting do you have on the tank? It will certainly help us to know what you could grow in the tank.

[Totenkampf]

They in fact could go together and quite efficiently too. but for your 14g that would be.... can't believe I'm saying this.... it will be overkill.

No! Next you will tell him NOT to do a 98% WC