All I did was rinse the used filter sponge in the tank water, so both filters should be taking in the bacteria. When in future I have to rinse the sponges, should I turn the clean filter down to low and keep the dirty one on high? Thus the cleaner one won't be causing the ammonia levels to rise? (Think I've confused myself again lol)
Would you reccommend still buying the cycle liquid alongside the used filter goo then? Thought the used filter sponge was instead of the bottled bacteria (which I've read often doesn't work as it doesn't store well).
Thanks for taking the time to reply to me, especially with a headache coming on!!! I imagine it's far worse after explaining all that!

Will be buying the gravel vacuum when i next head to the pet shop Thx again!

You will also need the cycle liquid to add to the tank on a weekly basis to keep the good bacteria topped up and during water changes. Now it is relatively easy to store as long as you keep it under 30 degrees c. There are some brands that require refrigeration, but Nutrafin Cycle and Stress Zyme do not.

I wouldn't recommend turning the new filter down as it will take longer to establish. If the filters are the same make then you can seed the new one by swapping one of the established sponges over so you have one dirty and one clean sponge in each filter, if that makes any sense.

__________________

"Because I be what I be. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, mum, but I be a cat and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer."

~The Paw Relations Blog~
~Nikki~
Owned by :-
Izzy - Congo African Grey
Missy - Galah Cockatoo
Shen - Black Labrador
Thomas, Charlie and Lola - Cats
Honey and Mustard - Rabbits
Gill and Rocket - Goldfish
~ Rest in Peace ~
Deedee - Timneh Grey 31.05.01 - 22.06.06

Ok, will buy the cycle liquid too Guess it makes sense for when you do water changes.

Also think I explained wrongly, I have 2 standard filters in one tank. So each time they need rinsing I intend to do one one week say and then one the next week. So there will always be one dirty and one clean in the tank at the same time? Thus not removing too much good bacteria at once? I dunno if that makes sense or not lol.

You shouldn't need two filters in one tank unless the tank is mahoosive.

Cleaning your filter in old tank water shouldn't harm any of the bacteria and should only really be done once a month at most or if the filter clogs.

How many litres is your tank and do you know what make of filter you have?

I currently have two filters running in my tank as I had to change tanks due to a leak. The old filter isn't powerful enough for the 125 litre tank I currently have. So while the new filter matures I have been running the old filter as a back up.

To me is sounds as if your tank is ready to have one or two small hardy fish introduced. Goldfish are nortiously dirty and can cause problems in a new tank set up, but as you have a mature filter they should be okay if monitored closely.

Danios are great little fish and can be kept in a coldwater tank happily long with goldfish. If you tank is big enough to support them I would suggest maybe 4-5 danio and then 3-4 weeks later 1-2 goldfish.

Getting the tank up and running is the hardest bit, but well worth it.

__________________

"Because I be what I be. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, mum, but I be a cat and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer."

~The Paw Relations Blog~
~Nikki~
Owned by :-
Izzy - Congo African Grey
Missy - Galah Cockatoo
Shen - Black Labrador
Thomas, Charlie and Lola - Cats
Honey and Mustard - Rabbits
Gill and Rocket - Goldfish
~ Rest in Peace ~
Deedee - Timneh Grey 31.05.01 - 22.06.06

Thanks for the help The tank is only really really tiny. Only big enough for 1 fish IMO. My Sister just bought the kids starter kit and we all know how unsuitable starter kits usually are for ANY animal. The tank is only 13 litres.
I put the second filter in as hopefully at some point I will upgrade to a bigger tank then I can have the second tank cycling with a mature filter whilst still keeping the fish in the titchy tank until it's done.

Anyone know of a place to get cheap fish tanks? Maybe I'll try freecycle...

Sometimes there are some good deals on Ebay.

I don't think you would be able to successful keep a goldfish in a 13 litre tank as goldfish need a minimum of 40 liters per fish to stay healthy.

I would then recommend keeping a small shoal of Danios. They really are wonderful little fish and I spend hours just watching mine. There are three species readily available the Zebra Danio,

You can get a long finned and even a golden Zebra Danio

The Leopard Danio

Long finned also available

And the Pearl Danio


Of course it is totally up to you, but a good aquarium shop should be able to advise you as to which fish are suited to your tank.

__________________

"Because I be what I be. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, mum, but I be a cat and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer."

~The Paw Relations Blog~
~Nikki~
Owned by :-
Izzy - Congo African Grey
Missy - Galah Cockatoo
Shen - Black Labrador
Thomas, Charlie and Lola - Cats
Honey and Mustard - Rabbits
Gill and Rocket - Goldfish
~ Rest in Peace ~
Deedee - Timneh Grey 31.05.01 - 22.06.06

Oooh, so I could actually keep more than one of the other varieties of fish? I wasn't going to get another goldie, but a smaller type as yes I feel the tank is far too small for a goldie. Figured it was probably far too small to keep more than one of anything in so I'm really happy to hear we can have a couple.
How many is a small shoal of Danios? Like 3 or so? They're really cute!

The only reason I wanted a slightly bigger tank was so I didn't have to have a loner fish. Two are far more interesting than one!

Thanks again for all your help, it's been really useful