Just filled our new saltwater tank today and per direction from my local aquarium store we added “seed” bacteria to the tank. The store told me to run my filter with no filtering materials so all I am doing is really circulating the water. Water is pretty cloudy right now. How long should I go with now filtering materials in the filter. I have a Fluval canister filter.
Seed Bacteria
- Thread starter Brigal72
- Start date
MrReefkprZ
New Member
just put your media in your filter, the media isn't going to make a difference at all to the bacteria.
MrReefkprZ
New Member
honestly the best way to "seed" bacteria into a tank is with sand from a running tank, 90% of the bacteria (roughly) in your tank is grown in a biofilm on any solid object in your tank and spreads fastest through contact, so sprinkling a handful of established sand across the surface of your sand bed seeds a tank faster than almost anything else, addig cured live rock is a decent way too but it doesn't ge3t as much surface to surface contact so the spread is a little slower but still very effective.
jay0705
Well-Known Member
2 things. 1st agree w above the sand and rock will hold almost all your bacteria. Get a few lbs of cured live rock and let it do the work.
2nd this being a new sw tank, canister filters are not the best. If your willing to do weekly cleanings of it fine, otherwise there a nitrate trap.
2nd this being a new sw tank, canister filters are not the best. If your willing to do weekly cleanings of it fine, otherwise there a nitrate trap.
Jesterrace
Active Member
Agreed on the canister filter in saltwater aquariums. No other filtration method has the number of complaints/issues for saltwater. I also agree about getting bacteria from existing sand/rock. I got some aqua vitro seed and followed the instructions to a tee and it didn't do jack for me. Some Spirulina formula sure got the cycling process going though.