Is it possible my tank cycled in a week!?

[sincebeen]

How would it relate to insufficient Bio media? BB makes nitrates (essentially.) A quick refresher- bb converts ammo->nitrite and nitrite->nitrate. That is the last step in the nitrogen cycle. Either I am missing something or you are misinformed.

You are missing something. What you’ve described is nitrification (aerobic bacteria). The next step is DEnitrification, in which ANaerobic bacteria breaks-down nitrAtes into free nitrogen. There is more to it, but that's the basics.

edit: So if you have bio media that is highly porous, like Matrix, and a reasonable flow rate, you can naturally reduce nitrates. Again, I do.

I'm also abit confused how high turn-over rates, and biomedia play any part in nitrate levels lowering.... If I didn't have a high turn-over rate my tanks would be plagued with ammonia and nitrite issues, because my bio-media woulnd't have access to the ammonia and nitrite before them came to lethal levels.. and convert it to nitrates. which are then removed by regular water changes ( Aquarium water chemistry 101 )

Now for 102, lol. Anaerobic bacteria lives in low/no oxygen environments, so one option is a highly porous media paired with a low flow rate (dwell time). Seachem explains it best in the product description for Denitrate.

Back on topic, Nitrifying bacteria also does better by maximizing dwell time, i.e. low flow rate. Mechanical filtration does usually requires a high flow rate, so there is a balance.

 

[itsKRUDD]

You are missing something. What you’ve described is nitrification (aerobic bacteria). The next step is DEnitrification, in which ANaerobic bacteria breaks-down nitrAtes into free nitrogen. There is more to it, but that's the basics.

edit: So if you have bio media that is highly porous, like Matrix, and a reasonable flow rate, you can naturally reduce nitrates. Again, I do.



Now for 102, lol. Anaerobic bacteria lives in low/no oxygen environments, so one option is a highly porous media paired with a low flow rate (dwell time). Seachem explains it best in the product description for Denitrate.

Back on topic, Nitrifying bacteria also does better by maximizing dwell time, i.e. low flow rate. Mechanical filtration does usually requires a high flow rate, so there is a balance.

My bio media is very porous, but I have a lot of it. There are a ton of bioballs in that sump (right after a layer of filter floss), with that being said Im turning over 1800gph so a 15x hour turn over rate. So maybe the high flow, and bio media, explains why I am not having any nitrate readings? For what its worth I do plan on holding off another week or so and monitoring the readings daily to see if anything spikes.

 

[sincebeen]

I think you meant to say your media is not very porous, because it is not. Bio balls in your sump setup do not have the ability to house denitrifying bacteria with any flow rate (again, low/no oxygen).

Your high flow rate is good for mechanical filtration and oxygenation IMO, but it is not the reason for your low nitrates.

 

[sincebeen]

Also, I just went back to the original post and:

Considering that bio bacteria needs food, like any other living thing, I'm wondering if you've been feeding your system ammonia?

If not, and without fish, the colonies of bb on the media you harvested from the other tank will die, and some of it may already have.

So, go to the filtration forums and check out the recipe for fishless cycling. It talks about adding ammonia, take a look.

The risk at this point is, if your bb did die, or the colonies have been reduced in size, for lack of food, you will find yourself in a new bacteria bloom if you add to many fish at once.

 

[itsKRUDD]

Also, I just went back to the original post and:

Considering that bio bacteria needs food, like any other living thing, I'm wondering if you've been feeding your system ammonia?

If not, and without fish, the colonies of bb on the media you harvested from the other tank will die, and some of it may already have.

So, go to the filtration forums and check out the recipe for fishless cycling. It talks about adding ammonia, take a look.

The risk at this point is, if your bb did die, or the colonies have been reduced in size, for lack of food, you will find yourself in a new bacteria bloom if you add to many fish at once.

I get what you're saying. Correct, I have not been adding ammonia to the tank. The tank just had 20 feeders in which I was feeding them daily with cichlid gold plus and algea pellets. The gold plus is definitely a high protein food

 

[MonsterMinis]

You are missing something. What you’ve described is nitrification (aerobic bacteria). The next step is DEnitrification, in which ANaerobic bacteria breaks-down nitrAtes into free nitrogen. There is more to it, but that's the basics.

edit: So if you have bio media that is highly porous, like Matrix, and a reasonable flow rate, you can naturally reduce nitrates. Again, I do.



Now for 102, lol. Anaerobic bacteria lives in low/no oxygen environments, so one option is a highly porous media paired with a low flow rate (dwell time). Seachem explains it best in the product description for Denitrate.

Back on topic, Nitrifying bacteria also does better by maximizing dwell time, i.e. low flow rate. Mechanical filtration does usually requires a high flow rate, so there is a balance.

Learn something new every day... will have to fiddle around with this.

 

[letstalkfish]

You are missing something. What you’ve described is nitrification (aerobic bacteria). The next step is DEnitrification, in which ANaerobic bacteria breaks-down nitrAtes into free nitrogen. There is more to it, but that's the basics.

edit: So if you have bio media that is highly porous, like Matrix, and a reasonable flow rate, you can naturally reduce nitrates. Again, I do.



Now for 102, lol. Anaerobic bacteria lives in low/no oxygen environments, so one option is a highly porous media paired with a low flow rate (dwell time). Seachem explains it best in the product description for Denitrate.

Back on topic, Nitrifying bacteria also does better by maximizing dwell time, i.e. low flow rate. Mechanical filtration does usually requires a high flow rate, so there is a balance.

I am aware of denitrification, but most conventional filters don't have the capacity to perform this step of the nitrogen cycle efficiently enough to make a substantial reduction in nitrates - so I don't really think it relates.

 

[lambogriffin]

I am aware of denitrification, but most conventional filters don't have the capacity to perform this step of the nitrogen cycle efficiently enough to make a substantial reduction in nitrates - so I don't really think it relates.

Got me interested since I was under the impression that the substantial amount of porous media I have in my planted sump was doing work as far as denitrification goes.. Started looking into it and came across DSB for freshwater.. Interesting, I might try it.. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb.html unless someone has convincing info which discredits it, doesn't seam like messing with the planted section of my sump could have any disastrous consequences anyway.

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[letstalkfish]

Got me interested since I was under the impression that the substantial amount of porous media I have in my planted sump was doing work as far as denitrification goes.. Started looking into it and came across DSB for freshwater.. Interesting, I might try it.. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb.html unless someone has convincing info which discredits it, doesn't seam like messing with the planted section of my sump could have any disastrous consequences anyway.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

Yep. Standard methods of filtration just don't cut it for significant denitrification - I read an article a while back about a guy who was creating and selling filters targeting this step though, I'll try to dig it up. Honestly I've never even really though about a DSB for fresh.

EDIT: I am not saying you couldn't achieve it in a sump or something, just that it isn't conventionally done.