Hey guys i had this thought while setting up my new 72gal bowfront. im making it a native tank so i decided to get buckets of sand/rock mix from the local lake. well its now in my aquarium and it sure smells like its got alot of bacteria in it. i was wondering since the sand and rocks are from the lake does the sand already have beneficial bacteria present, if so do you think it will help speed up cycling? its kind of like people selling "live" rock and sand but this is straight from the lake. what are your opinions???
Substrate straight from the lake. bacteria present and quick cycle??
- Thread starter Owain4
- Start date
I wouldn't at all. My first concern being introducing something parasitic to the tank from the lake. I am by no mean an expert but IMO there would be such a small amount of the right bacterial species (if any) that you might as well start from scratch anyway.
I reaaaallly wouldn't use sand from a lake, you're supposed to bake it and all before it goes in the tank. It could have parasites and leeches in it, all kinds of assorted nasties that will populate very fast in a tank setting.
that was my one worry, i've got it in, im going to dose it with chem tomorrow then wait for it too cycle out
imo, drain the tank and start over, you have no clue whats in the sand etc and captive bred fish probably will die in those conditions.
I have done this several times and have recommended it. I have never had a problem. Where else to get benefical bacteria. Unless it is a very polluted river I would use it.
I also have done this several times without a problem. I'm not sure if the bb is enough to cycle since I also use filter media from an established tank. Any living insects or leaches or other living things will most likely be eaten by your natives. I have never had fish get sick after adding them .
done it myself... sometimes i wont use it as substrate as much as just seeding material. grab a rock, and while under water, gently scrub with a soft brush. will knock off the majority of larger parasites... bacteria ain't gonna just scratch off ;p
common sense stuff... dont get carried away and its worked in a week for me....
common sense stuff... dont get carried away and its worked in a week for me....
It just goes to show you that if you ever want to be told that you can't do something, just come here and ask if you can. LOL.
If you have any worries about parasites, just leave the tank fallow (no animals) for a week or two. The life cycle of most smaller parasites requires a host within that time frame. Without a host, they die. An exception off the top of my head is larger leaches.
If you ever get a snail from the wild, always quarantine it without fish for a week. Snails are often hosts to non-lethal phases of parisites. After the week is up, the parasites move on to the next stage and without a fish host, they will die.
If you have any worries about parasites, just leave the tank fallow (no animals) for a week or two. The life cycle of most smaller parasites requires a host within that time frame. Without a host, they die. An exception off the top of my head is larger leaches.
If you ever get a snail from the wild, always quarantine it without fish for a week. Snails are often hosts to non-lethal phases of parisites. After the week is up, the parasites move on to the next stage and without a fish host, they will die.