My Cycling Experiments

[rdd1952]

Well, I bought a new 10 gallon tank yesterday to start experimenting with cycling methods and products. I had hoped to get 2 tanks so I could do 2 tests at a time but only have room for one at the moment. Anyway, all I plan to do is add water to the tank, turn the heat up, add aeration and add ammonia and what ever product I happen to be testing (Cycle, Prime, Bio Spira, etc.). For this purpose, do I need gravel in the tank? I don't see that it will matter as my opinion is that there is very little bacteria in the gravel anyway and it would definitely be easier once one cycle is completed to clean the tank, dry it out and start the next test.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hmm... I'd say don't bother, but theres the variable of whether bits get stuck on bottom etc., although I don't see how that would matter.

 

[rdd1952]

I don't plan to use any fish food, only ammonia, so I don't think that would be a factor (although a cycle using fish flakes instead of ammonia may be in the works some where along the lines). Actually, I don't plan to have anything in the tank, no plants, decorations, etc. It is going to be in my computer room so no one will really see it. I'm not concerned about it being dull looking. I guess eventually, I will try testing with say plants to see if they speed or slow the process. I really want to try testing every possible avenue to see what speeds the process and what doesnt'. What I want to do first though is to try to prove or disprove whether the "bacteria in a bottle" products really work. My thoughts are that they don't.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Are you planning on using a filter? Or something for good circulation? I was thinking about a UGF withough the gravel, that would provide excellent circulation...

 

[rdd1952]

It will be filtered. The first filter will be a Whisper 10. Later on, I want to test whether more filtration means a faster cycle. Will 2 Whisper 10s cycle the tank faster than one? I guess the whole fishless cycling thing fascinates me and I want to know as much about it as possible.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Okey dokey, you didn't mention it, thats all. But first you'd need to do a control with no products (other than ammonia) for comparison, perhaps leaving for the traditional 'two days before you add any fish' beforehand.

 

[rdd1952]

The first try will be a straight cycle with ammonia. No bacteria in a bottle products or anything like that. That will give me the standard time to compare later test to. I will probably fill the tank up one day and then add ammonia the next, after the temperature has had time to stabilize.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rdd1952

Your experiments sound very interesting and I look forward to reading your posts about them.

As for the gravel, I've always thought that that was the place that was second most heavily populated with beneficial bacteria. As I understand, the bacteria live in the top 1" or so, of it. An aquarium with fine gravel would therefore have a lot of surface area for the bacteria to cling to. While this is not comparable to the density of filter media, it might nevertheless be considerable.

 

[rdd1952]

I guess I'll try it both with and without gravel then too. I had already planned on trying one with a sock of gravel from my 75 gallon hung inside the tank to see if that helped seed the tank and how much difference it made.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rdd1952

That's another thing I wonder about.............

If the beneficial bacteria only live in the top layers of the gravel, probably for some reason having to do with the availability of oxygen, won't they die off if they are in a sock filled more than an inch thick?

 

[rdd1952]

I had actually though of putting some of the gravel in the filter cartridge just like you would carbon or any other media (probably wouldn't work very well with sand as it may prohibit water flow). If there is bacteria present on the gravel, then it should jump start the cycling. I may need to invest in a case of ammonia. I may go through some with all the stuff I want to try.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rdd1952

I think the speed that the beneficial bacteria will reproduce enough to cycle a tank has a lot to do with how many are introduced at the beginning.

Some members are fond of saying, "just add a handful of gravel to a new tank." I don't know where they got the idea from, but to get a tank cloned, or even off to a fast start, it needs a lot more than that.

 

[rdd1952]

Inchworm, I agree. I do know that running a filter in an established tank for about a week and then adding it to a new cycling tank makes a big difference in the time required as I have done that. Hopefully, by this time next year, I will be able to confirm or debunk all of the theorys and myths about cycling.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rdd1952

I think that would be great! I look forward to following your research.

Another thing I would ask you to think about is the advisability of using fish food for cycling. I don't know if you can devise a way to test for this, or not, but it sounds like a terrible thing to do.

My reasoning is that uneaten fish food laying in a tank is one of the main causes that fish develop bacterial infections. Potentially harmful bacteria feed on it and reproduce. Then, when a fish has its immunity lowered from any of a number of stresses, they take advantage and the fish gets sick.

Since fish that are probably in a weakened condition when they are purchased, (due to the stressful conditions during capture and distribution), will be added at the end of they cycle, it doesn't seem like a good idea to put them into a tank that could be polluted with disease causing bacteria.

Like I said, I don't know how you could test for this, but perhaps if you keep it in mind during your reading and research, you might be able to come to some useful conclusion about it.

 

[rdd1952]

I may try the fish food thing without gravel. I want to try cycling that way to see how it works or see if I can figure out how to regulate the amount of flakes needed to raise the ammonia to 5 or 6 ppm. If I try it with no gravel, I will easily be able to tell how much is still laying around the bottom of the tank at the end of the cycle. As for figuring out if there are harmful bacteria present, I'm not sure how to do that but will try to see what I can find on the internet.