Fishless Cycling question
- Thread starter gordons
- Start date
Loos like your efforts have produced nitrite/rate, so there is a cycle happening now. I've been down this road starting with nothing, using ammonia to fish-less cycle.
The thing is, if you already have a healthy, established tank running, why did you just not use some used media and a sock of substrate, etc, out of that tank and instantly stock your new setup? There's no need to go tough the trouble of starting from scratch.
The thing is, if you already have a healthy, established tank running, why did you just not use some used media and a sock of substrate, etc, out of that tank and instantly stock your new setup? There's no need to go tough the trouble of starting from scratch.
I have to completely disagree with the above post. it ignores the science.
1. The amount of needed nitrifying bacteria in any tank is the direct result of the amount of ammonia being created (or added to the tank.
2. If the amount of ammonia in the tank increases, the bacteria respond by reproducing faster to cope with that. If the amount pof ammonia inthe tank decrrease, the reverse happens.
3. If you remove bacteria from tank A for tank B. you have less bacteria in both tanks and the bacteria need to catch up. This can result in an ammonia spike.
4. So, if you seed a new tank with bacteria from an old tank the new tank is most likely not well cycled. You still need to add some ammonia to get more bacteria. The other option would be to stock minimally and turn the process into a fish in cycle to get the new tanks up to strength.
5. Seeding bacteria is normally a head start not a solution unless you add the amount of bacteria needed to process the amount of ammonia that will be created in the new tank.
6. A fishless cycle works because it provides time to get a tank properly cycled for the anticipated fish load.
I have only cycled a few 100 tanks over the years so I might be wrong. You might want to have a read here. I know the author
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
1. The amount of needed nitrifying bacteria in any tank is the direct result of the amount of ammonia being created (or added to the tank.
2. If the amount of ammonia in the tank increases, the bacteria respond by reproducing faster to cope with that. If the amount pof ammonia inthe tank decrrease, the reverse happens.
3. If you remove bacteria from tank A for tank B. you have less bacteria in both tanks and the bacteria need to catch up. This can result in an ammonia spike.
4. So, if you seed a new tank with bacteria from an old tank the new tank is most likely not well cycled. You still need to add some ammonia to get more bacteria. The other option would be to stock minimally and turn the process into a fish in cycle to get the new tanks up to strength.
5. Seeding bacteria is normally a head start not a solution unless you add the amount of bacteria needed to process the amount of ammonia that will be created in the new tank.
6. A fishless cycle works because it provides time to get a tank properly cycled for the anticipated fish load.
I have only cycled a few 100 tanks over the years so I might be wrong. You might want to have a read here. I know the author
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/