Varga
Well-Known Member
So I've been out of the hobby for a while and now sand can instantly cycle your tank?
http://www.reefsand.com/
http://www.reefsand.com/
Last edited:
Instant cycle? Just add fish?
- Thread starter Varga
- Start date
In my opinion, this product is best avoided. While it might contain some bacteria, you really have no way of knowing what kind of condition the bacteria is in. Improper storage, or shipping could have killed a lot of it off. Other factors could limit how well it works. For example, aerobic bacteria films that develop all over the tank, live rock and everything else, tend to be in areas of high oxygen and flow. You are not going to get that in a sandbed.
Cycle the tank by traditional methods, using the deli shrimp method mentioned by PSU4ME and you know you'll get good results. Reef systems take time and effort to obtain good results. You can not rush things.
Cycle the tank by traditional methods, using the deli shrimp method mentioned by PSU4ME and you know you'll get good results. Reef systems take time and effort to obtain good results. You can not rush things.
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
It is much faster to use some other ammonia source in a fish-less tank for the cycle. A dead deli shrimp works great here. That way you can create high levels of ammonia which in turn allows for larger amounts of bacteria to grow in a shorter amount of time.
Using live fish to cycle a tank is not humane. By having a fish in a tank that is cycling is harming the fish and causing it to suffer. Even low amounts of ammonia burn the gills of fish which affects the amount of oxygen they can take in. They tend to die due to lack of oxygen. Suffocation. It is a slow death that causes the fish to suffer. Ammonia can cause damage to fish gills at a level as small as 0.25 mg/l. Ammonia is extremely toxic to fish and your CUC at 0.5 mg/l.
If you do cycle tanks w/fish, the proper way to do it is to monitor the ammonia levels to make sure they don't get high, keep on top of testing of ammonia levels and keep on top of water changes (sometimes water changes need to be done daily to keep the ammonia levels low). Low amount of feeding helps. This type of tank cycling can take longer b/c it will take more time to build up the bacteria in the tank that breaks down ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. All these levels need to stay low for the safety of the fish in the tank.
Here is an article on cycling a tank: http://www.fishchannel.com/fishkidz/beyond-beginners/saltwater-fishless-cycling.aspx
I suggest you buy test kits and test your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Knowing these levels will tell you if your tank is cycling and how far along you are.
Using live fish to cycle a tank is not humane. By having a fish in a tank that is cycling is harming the fish and causing it to suffer. Even low amounts of ammonia burn the gills of fish which affects the amount of oxygen they can take in. They tend to die due to lack of oxygen. Suffocation. It is a slow death that causes the fish to suffer. Ammonia can cause damage to fish gills at a level as small as 0.25 mg/l. Ammonia is extremely toxic to fish and your CUC at 0.5 mg/l.
If you do cycle tanks w/fish, the proper way to do it is to monitor the ammonia levels to make sure they don't get high, keep on top of testing of ammonia levels and keep on top of water changes (sometimes water changes need to be done daily to keep the ammonia levels low). Low amount of feeding helps. This type of tank cycling can take longer b/c it will take more time to build up the bacteria in the tank that breaks down ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. All these levels need to stay low for the safety of the fish in the tank.
Here is an article on cycling a tank: http://www.fishchannel.com/fishkidz/beyond-beginners/saltwater-fishless-cycling.aspx
I suggest you buy test kits and test your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Knowing these levels will tell you if your tank is cycling and how far along you are.
sirrealism
Well-Known Member
I agree with dave and Oxy. But I will say that in a pinch and I had no other choice I used a product called turbo start. It worked perfectly and I had no issues. The tank had been filled for 2 days and my Octo which was not to come for 3 weeks showed up early. The place I got it from could not hold it and I could not put it in any other tank. I used the product which was kept cold and I never had any ammonia, nitrite. I still would not suggest doing this as Dave said you never know how it was handled or if the bacteria is any good but it did work for me and my octo. Doing it the old way is always best.