Fishless Cycle - Lights On/off?

[Schmill]

Does the bacteria care whether the tank lights are on or off? Obviously not the stuff in the filter as thats in a dark cupboard anyway, butI'm guessing the bacteria has to 'form' somewhere, and wondered whether lighting in the tank could have a positive / negative effect on it?
I've got no fish and no plants in the tank yet, so it's not like anything else is going to care, and I'd prefer not ot burn my tubes for the next 4 weeks or so if I don't actually need to!

Incidently I know the bacteria like oxygen, but they are living on media at the bottom of a sealed pressurised filter that we work out hardest to make sure has no air trapped in it! Presumably then the 'air' that they like is that that is 'disolved' into the water. In which case does running an air stone / curtain make any noticable difference to a cycling tank?

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts / observations on the effects of various things in the tank. (For instance we already know that the bacteria prefer a higher than normal temperature to cycle at)

 

[minxfishy]

Lights will make no difference to the cycle, will help algae grow however, never put my lights on in a cycle, I dont add plants so no need.

Sometimes running an airstone can help minimally I guess, because as the temperature is usually higher during the cycle to help the bacteria to grow, the oxygen levels may be lower, so an airstone can put some oxygen back in, personally again, never bothered, always had the filter outlet breaking the surface sufficiently to create enough aeration.

 

[Schmill]

always had the filter outlet breaking the surface sufficiently to create enough aeration.

In my 60L tank this is what I had, (also the internal filter that I was using had a venturi feature so that helped). However on my new tank, (Aqua One Regency 120) with the Aquis 1200 filter I am unable to position the duckbill high enough above the water surface to break the surface. I'm actually considering drilling the pipe feeding the duckbill so as to add a venturi effect. I just ned to readup on how to make sure it sucks air in, and doesn't squirt water out - lol

 

[minxfishy]

May sound like a daft questions, but cant you make the tube of the outlet shorter, thus pulling the duckbill higher out of the water, or turn the duckbill upwards/on its side, to do the job.

I had an aqua one royale with CF filter, and I know how awkward they are, but I did manage to create enough water movement.

 

[Schmill]

I'll upload some pictures later, but I don't think so.

The pipe is like a walking stick, with the long side outside the tank (with the feed hose from the filter attached to it), and the short side inside the tank.
This then has an elbow piece push-fitted on it to turn the pipe direction parallel with water surface, and then a short horizontal pipe connecting the duckbill to it.
The 'walkingstick' has a 'ringed' end on it so that the pushfit fittings stay on, so can't cut it to shorten it. Also the duckbill is quite close to the top of the tank anyway. I think perhaps it's more of an issue to do with where the top of the tank is, compared to where the bottom edge of the top trim of the tank is (if that makes sense!)

I like to have the water line higher than the bottom of the top trim round the tank, but then that doesn't seem to leave much more tank to have things raised above water level without risk of it splashing over!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you could always stick a spraybar on and face the outlets upwards, that would make enough surface movement for oxygenation

 

[minxfishy]

Yeah I know the problems your talking about mine was the same, I angled the solid parts of the outflow upwards and held it above the glass strengthening bars with the long stick part and duckbill facing upwards. You could try the spray bar as MW suggests, but I didnt find it any better, also if its as powerful as mine was pointing the spray bar upwards caused mayhem water everywhere, but you could try angling it across the top of the water surface.

 

[Schmill]

Another question that I have, is that at the moment althought the 'outflow' pipe is stuck inside the tank with suction cups, the 'inflow' pipe is actually stuck to the OUTSIDE of the back of the tank with suction cups as the pipe doesn't go far enough inside of the tank to have suction cups there.
This is how it was instructed in the Aquis filter 'guide', but my question is this. When I put my background on the rear of the tank, (usual waterproof type stuff off a roll), will the suction cups tehn be ok to stick to that, or do I then have to figure some other way to attach the inflow piping?

 

[minxfishy]

No they will be fine, in fact they wil help hold it into place

 

[Schmill]

So there will be:

Tank glass - Background stuck on somehow - Filter pipework 'scution cupped' to the background

That works yes?

 

[minxfishy]

Yep

 

[Schmill]

Cheers!