wet dry filter enough?

[scottswald]

well when it is first set up, there will be no bacteria biult up.

how long should i have it running before putting in a couple of hardy fish to help with the cycle. and then how long should i leave it before putting in my proper fish?

 

[bitteraspects]

if youre doing a fishless/ fish-in cycle, youre looking at anywhere from 4-6 weeks on average. if you ahve another tank you can take seeded media from (yours, a friends tank, even the LFS might be able to donate some) you can speed up this process quite a bit.

 

[scottswald]

even if it is too powerful i can just reduce the inlet to the pump down to a smaller size pipe tbh.

i assume the reason for only seeing pvc pipe is that no copper is allowed in the system?

bump for the copper????

 

[chesterthehero]

no copper.. some fish are ok with it.. some are not.. its easyer to just not use it..

 

[bitteraspects]

today is my WC day (usually i do it every week, but its been about a week and a half now because of work) so i decided to take some pics of my tank after a week and a half of buildup.
this tank is run by ONLY a (DIY) wet/dry filter. no extra mechanical filtration.

that small sprinkle of detritus is the only trace of waste in the tank. and this tank is way overstocked with messy predators. the stuff on the left side is water spots and calcium from under the tank because i have an open top wet/dry, and the bottom isnt painted.

 

[scottswald]

wow, very impressed with the clarity of the water, definately just gonna stick with just the wet and dry.

a quick question, does this bacteria grow on the substrate and rocks in the tank? does this bacteria have much of an effect with the nitrogen cycle?

 

[scottswald]

the reason i ask is because i havnt finished building my wet dry filter yet so my tank has no filter (or fish, lol). just water with substrate and rocks etc. and has been like that for 3 weeks.

i need to take the water out to drill the tank for my over flow, so i was wondering would it be a good idea to try and salvage as much of the old water as possible?

 

[bitteraspects]

its hard to see exactly how clear the water is because of the reflection off the glass, but the water is crystal clear.
heres one from the other night.

the key to using a wet/dry as your only filter is circulation. you need to keep the particles suspended long enough to be picked up by your overflows. this means having a pump that gives you a high turnover (i use at least 10x), or using a few well placed powerheads for added circulation.

as far as the substrate. bacteria will grow on any available surface, but it needs food and oxygen to survive. by simply letting the tank run with water in it, will not accumulate bacteria.
the bacteria will grow in your filter, but you need to introduce an ammonia source. either bottled ammonia, MP, fish food, or feeder fish for a fish-in cycle.

go a google search on "fishless cycle", and you will find step by step instructions.

 

[scottswald]

i will be putting feeder fish in but thought id have to wait a while to put them in if renewing water, thats why i thought if a reused the old water, i could put my feeder fish in straight away?

 

[bitteraspects]

you can add your fish to the tank at any time. but if you are planning to do a fish-in cycle, you will need to do daily water tests and WC. (you do have a liquid master test kit right?).

basically, the fish waste creates ammonia. this ammonia provides food for your bactera to grow, but it is toxic to your fish in concentrated amounts. so you will need to do frequent WC to keep the ammonia levels down to a minimum (enough to feed the bacteria, but not so much that it will harm your fish)