ive been reading old posts of cycling a new tank by various ways, could someone with some info expalin to me some ways this is done? which ones work the best?

i have a 130 gallon tank
with a lifegard filter system, mechanical,bio,uv,heater,
i just got my bulkhead fittings in from foster&smith and am doing the pumping via 3/4 cpcv.

once i start to ad water and gravel, which is the best way to start the process of this "cycle"
ive read about adding gravel from my est. 55 gal 2 tiger oscar planted tank.

When I up graded from a 65 to a 90 gallon I used all my substrait(gravel)and water in my new tank. It was cycled almost instantly. It was just like doing a water change.

Also add your filter(s) from your 55 to the new tank...and then keep an eye on your water.

add my cartride filter? just move it over to the new tank?

i think from what i read about the testing, is that you want the ammonia and nitrite at 0?
you dont want to add up or down right? just test and wait for it to get to zero?
what does ph do this whole time stay the same? thanks alot

You are correct.

so i need a kit that can test

ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
ph

you need an Ammonia reading of 0, a nitrITE reading of 0, and some kind of a nitrATE reading... Ph is usually the same out of the tap as it is in the tank... Don't try to adjust PH.

i just read ofl's article on tank cycle, very good.

adkraptor wrote:

i am at lost with the feedback.... do you have another tank running aside from
this new 130 gallon tank? if you did...then you had been covered...