More Bacteria...

[fmervin]

Hello everyone,

I have a 65 ltr tank it has been cycling for almost 5 months now. The tank is a bit overstocked, however the all fish seem to be happy and the tank has cycled well. I wanted to know of some way to boost the beneficial bacteria in the tank. I was thinking of ceramic media in a stocking and then dropping it into the tank. Would this help? I have heard that the water needs to flow through the media (something like what a filter does) so I'm not sure if this would work. Any thoughts?

 

[scooterchick]

I'm not really following....you say the tank's been cycling for 5 months, do you mean 5 weeks? A 5 month old tank should be well cycled by now.

Do you have a problem with amonia and nitrite? If so the best way to reduce this is to reduce the bioload which means reducing the fish. You're more than a bit overstocked and bringing the number of fish down will mean less stress on the fish and less stress on you as you won't have to do as many water changes.

 

[fmervin]

do you mean 5 weeks? A 5 month old tank should be well cycled by now.

The tank has been cycling for 5 months and readings are Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 10

You're more than a bit overstocked and bringing the number of fish down will mean less stress on the fish and less stress on you as you won't have to do as many water changes.

I realise I am a bit overstocked and thats the reason I'm looking for ways to boost the bacteria in the tank further. I figure the more bacteria there are the more it will help. The readings are well under check and all fish seem happy. Do you think it is required to boost the bacteria in the tank with these readings? Or leave it alone? The lfs said my tank is heavily planted and that should keep the readings under check, not to mention the bottom dwellers really enjoy the planted surroundings

 

[scooterchick]

I think if you're amonia and nitrite are at 0 then I'd leave well alone! If it ain't broken don't fix it. I would also say your tank is cycled, not cycling. With good maintenance and weekly water tests you're home and dry! With a large amount of fish you will have to be very vigiliant though.

 

[fmervin]

Thanks scooterchick. However do you think more ceramic media in a stocking will help in any way?

 

[ibbledibble]

i don't think having the media in a stocking would do much good as the water needs to flow through. you could try making a sponge filter as an extra backup if you really wanted to. see this post http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=85297 for how to make one (im sure you could make one with the ceramic media in it too). or just add another filter. as you are overstocked, overfiltration can only be a good thing! on my 5ft tank i use 2 external filters to ensure it stays ok. regular water changes will help too.