# How to speed up cycling a fish pond advice needed?



## athy59 (Jan 30, 2008)

*Friend of mine is building me a frame to raise up a 150 gallon fish pond for my garden. (dont ask what the measurments are cos i forgot.)*
*Anyway, i got the pump and the filter. Now i know i need to get the good bacteria started in the filter. I already have a 25 gallon pond, but cant put pump in there as its to powerful for the little pond.*
*So what i have done with the medium of the filter, (The filter is called Fishmate but no UV , just the bog standard one.) is put the medium of the filter into a bucket of pond water, had to bail the small raised pond as it was getting to full after all the rain we had.*
*I was wondering with the foam of the fish mate filter, i could put it into my fishtank along side my own filter to help the good bacteria to build up on the foam, basically giving the medium and the foam a jump start into cycling the pond a wee bit quicker. *
*The medium of the filter which is in a bucket of pond water is outside, and seeing the weather is going to be unsettled for a few weeks, the water is not going to get stagnant. Can any-one see a problem in what i am doing just to give the filter a jump start. I will not be putting any fish into the big pond for a few weeks yet. I got plants that i can use from my pond, to also help cycle the filter quicker. Any more tips on how to help the good bacteria to get into the filters. I know how to do fishtank cycling but a 150 gallon is another matter. Would putting the foam into my fish tank be a problem.*
*Cheers in advance..*


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## athy59 (Jan 30, 2008)

*Types to oneself. :whistling2:*


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## dazdaraz (Feb 23, 2008)

yes problems
leavin the media in the bucket outside any bacteria will die off after abt 12
hours cos its not in with fish, creatin waste to feed it
and the foam may wrk but would b better to put the media in the tank
if u got fish in it, may help


daz


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

why not connect the filter to the existing pond where the fish waste and any other natural waste will feed whatever bacteria forms in the material in the filter. While the new pond is being constructed circulate the water in whatever you are holding the fish in.
If your new pond is not over stocked the filter should mature naturally over a few weeks anyway. Just do a few water changes with good water over that time to be sure.


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## HalcyonInverts (Jul 22, 2009)

I find the best way to emergency kickstart a filter, is to bucket in as much mature water from another system as possible, top it up with clean water (if its chlorinated do this b4 adding the mature water and dechlorinate) then pee in the pond everyday! :gasp: gross and hideous i know, but it has all the uric compounds needed for proper filter maturation, and it works really really REALLY well lol. ive gotten systems through to full maturation in two weeks using this method. just give the system a water change b4 adding stock to ensure ammonia and nitrite arnt high and your away! :2thumb:


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## Mr.Happy (Feb 14, 2007)

You may want to try 'Filta-Bac' which costs about £10 and has all the good bacteria you need to kick start your pond off.


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