Would this help out any???

[Mantis_22]

I have a little question...

Usually when you add new ornaments or items into a fish tank it can change water stats till bacteria can colonize all over it. An example, you have a 20gl tank that is cycling or is cycled. You just found a rock at a Fish store you would like to put in your tank. After cleaning it properly and safely you get it ready to put it in the tank. If you were to put Bio-Zyme and some liquid bacteria over it then insert it into the tank would it help the water conditions of bacteria in the tank significantly? This is just an idea.

Anyways, if I was to insert a new rock I just bought from the fish store and put it into the tank would it do anything to the tank? like slow down the cycling process or such??

Thanks...
-Mantis_22

[NJ Devils Fan]

No, those chemicals that supposedly speed up your cycle do nothing. And no, adding the rock will not effect anything. Just rinse it off well with cold water and put it in.

[carpguy]

The only bacteria-in-a-bottle product that seems to be worth much of anything is BioSpira, and while the jury is still out on it, the early reports seem promising. I've never tried any of them so I can only summarize the reports I've found out here, but the general consensus on the rest is not positive.

Adding rocks from a mature tank can be a way of importing seed bacteria into a new tank and can help speed the cycling process. Adding clean rocks won't slow it down.

The rocks that can alter your water chemistry can do so whether or not they're coated in bacteria. You'll want to be careful with anything limestoney, calcium based, magnesium based, etc. These types of rock can alter KH, GH and pH. This is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. FishStores sell them for those occasions when they're a good thing.

The irascible WetMan has a good writeup on this topic at his always excellent SkepticalAquarist (http://www.skepticalaquarist.com). Look under >>Aquascaping >> Rock.

HTH


Edit: link is fixed, thanks NJ

[Mantis_22]

well im gonna be adding a piece of plastic driftwood (Artificial) so it should be okay by what you said other than the water chemstry

[NJ Devils Fan]

Carpguy, you spelled the link wrong to wetman's site.

[thom336]

yet it still works....