If somebody was to completely clean out an aquarium, but quarantine the rocks/plants/decorations and filtration and leave about an inch of original water - but clean the gravel and re-fill the tank with treated water would a full cycling period be in order? or because the beneficial bacteria survived on the rocks/decor and the filtration would it be a reduced waiting period?
Theoretical cycling question
- Thread starter NCStateFisher
- Start date
It all depends on how you plan on cleaning the gravel. You can do whatever you want to the glass, if you don't fool around with the filter and your gravel cleaning was the equivalent an extreme vacuum you'll be almost completely cycled. If you rinse the gravel you'll get set back but not alll the way to ground zero since you'll have bb in the filter. The longest step in cycled is the first step once you have bb it will spread quickly.
basically the same info as above but yeah you're helping a lot
it'll be up to snuff much faster that a new tank would
If you rinse the gravel in tank water only and replace quickly
you may just go through a little minicycle when you put it back up
Are you fixing up a totally neglected box?
it'll be up to snuff much faster that a new tank would
If you rinse the gravel in tank water only and replace quickly
you may just go through a little minicycle when you put it back up
Are you fixing up a totally neglected box?
I've completely gutted tanks and moved them. cleaning/dry storing everything but my filters ( marineland bio-wheels, and some bio media in containers. which where tossed in a bucket just like my fish where.) And had little to no cycling effects. Maintaining the integrity of the BB is key.
Thanks everybody, the tank hadn't been neglected but after a water change my rainbow shark died and the water tested out pretty clean (tiny bit of ammonia closest to 0 on the test) and i wanted to be completely positive the water was fixed before adding a new fish, so today i went ahead and cleaned out the whole thing and kept the key parts listed in water, re-filled it with water treated in my 5 gal bucket before adding and tested the water, everything came out perfect