Do I Need To Cycle

[bulldogsimon]

hi, do i need to cycle a new 300 gallon tank?

it will have an hma filter connected directly to the sump via a float switch

it will have a pump to remove water 24/7 so i will be effectively changing 25% to 200% water per week depending on how fast i set the pump

 

[sted]

i would say yes you still need your filter to hold all the correct bacteria in order to remove the ammonia and nitrite in the water which are toxic to the fish

 

[PDSimon]

Yeah but you could choose to do a fishless cycle instead if you're able to pump conveniently. Its up to you whether you want to do fishless or fishin

 

[OldMan47]

It really doesn't matter what you use for adding water to a tank, a filter is always needed that can process the organic nitrogen wastes.
What the heck is a HMA filter?

 

[bulldogsimon]

from the shop website "Devotedly Discus HMA filters are widely used by Discus enthusiasts for the preparation of tap water prior to adding to the aquarium. The HMA is available in three standard models with varying outputs to suit most needs. At the heart of the filter is the HMA multimedia carbon. This element is a multimedia resin based cartridge which removes chlorine and large percentages of dissolved metals, which if left unchecked will eventually cause health issues for Discus by attacking their central nervous systems."

 

[arobinson1984]

Basically the HMA is an expensive, fancy water conditioner. It basically does the same job as adding water conditioner to the water before filling a tank.

This has no effect whatsoever on your tanks main filter/sump and the tank would need cycling as normal to establish beneficial bacteria to deal with ammonia and nitrites in the tank.

Andy

 

[Tolak]

It's basically a sediment filter & a carbon block filter hooked in line. As stated, you would still need to cycle.

 

[waterdrop]

Tolak, as a raiser of angels you're probably knowledgeable about some of the extras that discus might (or might not) need. To me, this HMA filter sounds like it would cost the OP a lot more in replacement "multimedia resin based carbon cartridges" than if they simply used Seachem Prime or some other concentrated conditioner to dechlorinate/dechloraminate the water. Any thoughts?

I agree with OM47, issues of pumping or dechlorinating basically have nothing to do with the core requirement of having a good, working biofilter that has passed its biological qualifications (can hold both ammonia and nitrite(NO2) at zero ppm for a week when pure ammonia is dosed at 5ppm once each 24 hours and no water is changed out.)

Welcome to our freshwater startup section Bulldogsimon! I applaud you for not letting the fact that you're getting a very large tank and considering some very fancy and no doubt expensive equipment stand in the way of asking questions here. I believe you will find that knowledge of the core elements of freshwater fishkeeping and experience in how to prioritize these bits of information will be far more valuable than the benefits that various pieces of equipment can possibly deliver!

Don't hesitate to read our three articles: the Nitrogen Cycle, the Fishless Cycle and the Fish-In cycling situation. Even if you're fairly familiar with the concept of cycling, these may round out your nitrogen cycle information.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[bulldogsimon]

i have kept trops in the past and understand the basics of cycling

i have been keeping a marine reef system for the last 5 years and am just finishing selling all the stock

i cant use a dechlorinator as the waterchange will be automaticly flushing all the time

the hma filter is around 40quid as i can use my ro filter and just change the cartridges and do away with the ro bit

there is no waste with an hma and they will make upto 80000 gallons

 

[K-Holed]

So am I right in thinking that with the setup you have in mind, old water will be going out and brand new being pumped in on a continual basis?

 

[bulldogsimon]

yes, thats right approx 2 to 10 litres an hour

 

[K-Holed]

In that case, the filter will still cycle whether you want it to or not.

The imediate benifit I can see is it will be constantly diluting the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates from the word go. This could leave you in the possition of being able to do an 'effortless fish in cycle'.

However, discus may not be your ideal guinneapigs to start off with. A lot will depend on whether the auto-water change will dilute the waste quicker than it's being produced. Obviously your filter will eventually become populated with the necercarry bacteria to make this point redundent.

 

[bulldogsimon]

i was going to start with 100 or so cardinal tetras