How long to cycle a QT tank?
- Thread starter bunnyl99
- Start date
hagfish
Active Member
I would use a raw shrimp, never even thought of cooking it first, but why would you want to do that anyway?
The cycle will take just as long as any other tank would, if not longer because you likely don't have any live rock or sand in there to introduce good bacteria. So it will kind of have to start from scratch. Although you could put a rock or two in temporarily to try to hurry it along. But I think it will probably take about a month just like any other tank.
The cycle will take just as long as any other tank would, if not longer because you likely don't have any live rock or sand in there to introduce good bacteria. So it will kind of have to start from scratch. Although you could put a rock or two in temporarily to try to hurry it along. But I think it will probably take about a month just like any other tank.
J
jdragunas
Guest
ummm... do you have any kind of substrate or any LR or anything in the tank besides the water? if not, the bacteria has no where to grow, except for on the glass, and that's not enough for a good amount of dentrifying bacteria. So when you introduce fish, the tank won't be able to handle the bio-load, and you face re-cycling your tank.
How did you begin the cycle?
How did you begin the cycle?
J
jdragunas
Guest
well, you have introduced no ammonia, so your tank is not going to cycle. I'd also suggest adding even a little bit of LR in it, just to give a place for the bacteria to grow...
J
jdragunas
Guest
you still didn't introduce ammonia... You need to add a shrimp, or fish food, or something to get the cycle started...
bang guy
Moderator
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
Just put the sponge from another tank into the filter & that's it. Nothing on the bottom of the tank except a scoop of cc from an exisiting tank
That was going to be my exact recommendation.
I'm not a fan of using a shrimp. Just keep the bacteria fed with a tiny amount of fish food while there are no fish in the QT. I keep Mollies in my QT to keep the bacteria colony going.
Just put the sponge from another tank into the filter & that's it. Nothing on the bottom of the tank except a scoop of cc from an exisiting tank
That was going to be my exact recommendation.
I'm not a fan of using a shrimp. Just keep the bacteria fed with a tiny amount of fish food while there are no fish in the QT. I keep Mollies in my QT to keep the bacteria colony going.
J
jdragunas
Guest
i don't think adding water from your existing tank will do anything, as the water doesn't contain the bacteria, the sand and LR does...
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
i don't think adding water from your existing tank will do anything, as the water doesn't contain the bacteria, the sand and LR does...
Exactly... no idea why the myth about water continues to haunt this forum. I'm sure at any given time there is some free floating, but...Think about it... We ADD live rock and substrate to our tanks to allow MORE surface area for bacteria to grow. If the bacteria could grow in water would it possibly NEED more surface area?
i don't think adding water from your existing tank will do anything, as the water doesn't contain the bacteria, the sand and LR does...
Exactly... no idea why the myth about water continues to haunt this forum. I'm sure at any given time there is some free floating, but...Think about it... We ADD live rock and substrate to our tanks to allow MORE surface area for bacteria to grow. If the bacteria could grow in water would it possibly NEED more surface area?
J
