Perfect Water for Cycling

[fishyjeff]

Cycling is a new concept to me. I had no idea you had to do such a thing, but it makes perfect sense.

I've got a more or less instant pond (400 gallons or so) with 4 healthy common goldfish that came out of the murkiest water with a huge amount of leaf litter on the bottom. I brought the fish over in a couple gallons of it.

At the time I thought that it was terrible water, now I think it's loaded with any kind of bacteria you could possibly want. Whats the verdict on that? Can I use that when I start an aquarium?

So far I've found:
San Diego Koi Club FAQ
http://users.vcnet.com/rrenshaw/H2Oquality.html

and the Skippy Stuff:
http://www.skippysstuff.com/freeinfo.htm

What have I missed?

Fishy Jeff

 

[Kashta]

Hey Jeff, welcome! Water isn't what you want to kick start a cycle. Grab some rocks, plants, substrate, filter media. It's the hard surface areas where beneficial bacteria colonize. Most of what's suspended in the water is just dirt.

 

[aclarino]

I dont know much about ponds, but I know in a tank most of the bacteria is in the gravel and the filter. I am not sure but I dont think that the water would be a big help.

 

[jpappy789]

Agree with the above...adding any established media is your best bet but any surface will help.