PDA

View Full Version : Thought on a cycle


E Rosewater
03/27/2013, 08:20 AM
I just had this thought so I thought that maybe people out there would have an opinion.

Lets say you were starting a new tank, and started with wonderfully cured live rock from an existing tank. You put this rock into the new freshly set up and sterile tank and the bacteria have nothing "eat". Now you have die off beneficial bacteria, and now some ammonia, and then the bacteria repopulates, in what is more likely closer to the "mini cycle" than a true cycle.

Has anyone thought to bring the ammonia up in the tank slightly before putting the established rock into the tank so that bacteria has something to immediately feed off of?

worm5406
03/27/2013, 08:29 AM
That is a train of thought to increase your bioload (even a dead shrimp) a week or so prior to adding something that will increase the bioload for the future.

There are a few chains of discussions on this. And a few post inside other threads.

None that I can point you to.

In reality it is priming the pump for work.

E Rosewater
03/27/2013, 08:31 AM
I figured I hadn't been the only one to have this thought.

Never thought of increasing bioload prior to adding fish to the tank. Though it makes sense.

worm5406
03/27/2013, 12:34 PM
Yeah like I said. Priming the pump.

You have to make sure that they can handle it. Normal addition of fish is recommended to be done 1-2 weeks between each. That way the system can adapt and be ready. Now I would NOT recommened adding straight ammonia to an inhabited tank. You really need to do something like the shrimp where it will slowly decay and make the other bacteria come up to par. Then remove it at the same time you add the new inhabitants.

Reguarless of where you are getting your inhabitants you should really QT them. There are a couple of threads that are stickied in the new users section that will help if you have questions.

There is nothing worse to see a 'HELP ME' thread where they added a new fish and a week later things started either dying or showing signs of stress.

Then you get someone that adds 10 new fish. OOPS... I wonder why the ammonia jumped so much...

Stagger them all out. Remember though that while in QT, adding a new fish, restarts the QT time for ALL still in QT.

E Rosewater
03/27/2013, 01:14 PM
I understand those points. I'm not setting up a new system, and I've added fish to the tank slowly. 1-3 fish depending on size every 4-6 weeks when I was getting the tank up and running.

I understand the point of a cycled tank being where the biofiltration can keep up with the bioload, and adding fish, removing or adding rock, etc can through off the equilibrium in the tank, go too far in one direction, bad things happen.

I just had the thought, figured I'd put it out there, see if it any good information would come out of a discussion on it.

worm5406
03/27/2013, 01:23 PM
True... Lets see some others ideas. This is a good topic to pass around and maybe even help some of those that seem to have problems with adding new inhabitants.