Question related to fishless cycle
- Thread starter erik333
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I happened to look on the box that the sponge filter came in and here are some manufacturers tips for optimum performance: A new sponge filter needs a minimum of 30 days to operate at peak performance. However, it also says that when replacing an old sponge with a new one, let the new one sit in the aquarium for at least 2 weeks to allow it to colonize w/ bacteria. So probably somewhere between 15-30 days is the right answer depending on what you need. I think for me, stocking a 5 gal tank with 1 fish, I would be at the lower end and keep a close eye on Ammonia over the first 1-2 weeks. Thanks all
Just an update on this topic, 4 weeks later... I let the sponge filter sit in my 70 GAL tank for about 2.5 weeks and then transferred to a new 5 GAL aquarium. I put an L273 Titanic Pleco in there and he/she is doing fine. I've been monitoring NH3 and NO2 and there were no issues or spikes of any kind. I think that for going from tank to tank, if the sizes are more equivalent, you should leave the filter in for closer to a month. But I think that all of the bacteria that colonized the sponge filter in 2.5 weeks in a stocked 70 gal tank were more than enough for a single 4" fish in a 5 gal tank.
You could have gone out and got that pleco that day and just used bottled bacteria...1 week tops to cycle my 55 gallon tanks.
i'm not a believer in bottled bacteria.... I always wonder what they eat during all those months in the bottle on a shelf somewhere with no O2?
i'm not a believer in bottled bacteria.... I always wonder what they eat during all those months in the bottle on a shelf somewhere with no O2?
Allow me to rephrase the definition of them...
Straight from SeaChem themselves about Stability, their brand of bottled bacteria...
Q: Bio-spira has to remain refrigerated in order for the bacteria to survive. Why does Stability not need refrigeration? If there's living bacteria in the solution, how do they stay alive for so long? Or is there something else besides bacteria in the product altogether?
A: The bacteria in Stability are alive but not active. They exist in a spore form. They can withstand extreme temperatures and do not require food to survive. When you add them to your aquarium they become active due to dilution. The bacterias that require refrigeration are active. Refrigerating them slows down their life cycle and they require less food when cold. Because they are active they do require food, and that is packaged with them. They also will not survive extreme heat or cold and will die when they run out of food.
Personally I wouldn't take what a person paid to promote the brand would say in a situation like this if I had not had the success I've had with the product. I have, however, cycled multiple tanks within a week at most with this product as well as Tetra SafeStart+. People don't believe in the whole super quick cycle thing because this stuff used to be a scam back in the day.
