In theory, the principle behind fishless cycling makes a great deal of sense, but there is one aspect which is unclear to me. Specifically, I know that bacteria require a CARBON SOURCE to multiply, and if you're only adding ammonim chloride and maybe sodium nitrite, I don't understand what the source of this required carbon would be. It doesn't seem like dechlorinated tap water would have sufficient residual carbon to support robust bacterial growth, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm inclined to go ahead with a synthetic cycling scheme but to supplement with dextrose. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.
