HeliAngel Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 I am cycling a tank and have put in some of the used filter wool from my little tank. I also have some water that plant material has dissolved/rotted down in, will this have the kind of bacteria I need to cycle the tank? Or will the filter wool be enough? How soon after starting cycling should I be testing? Am I correct in saying that I'm looking for low ammonia and low nitrites? Chemistry not my strongest suit!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 The filter wool should do it. You want zero ammonia and some nitrates. Ammonia is super bad for fish. Ammonia > nitrite > nitrate - nitrate at low levels is safe. I would test for ammonia after maybe 2-3 days. You may choose to supplement feed also, especially if the filter is much bigger than the wool you've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Are you using fish to cycle the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeliAngel Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 No, haven't put any fish in yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 bacteria need food to expand their population, this food either comes from slowly adding fish or by adding another ammonia source - decomposing food or pure ammonia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.