Re: Cycling a new tank.

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Cycling a new tank.
From: krombhol at felix_TECLink.Net (Paul Krombholz)
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 14:01:28 -0600

>
>From: Philmguy at aol_com
>Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 00:43:01 -0500
>Subject: Cycling new tank
>
>I'm about to start up a new 75-gallon tank that will be heavily planted and
>will include substrate heating, with laterite in the substrate, as well as
>CO2 using the yeast method. It would be nice to cycle it quickly and I could
>do that by putting some of the gravel from my present 20-gallon tank, which
>has a UGF, into the canister filter on the new setup. However, I have algae
>problems in the 20-gallon and am afraid that using gravel from that tank
>would give algae a head start in the new tank. I'd appreciate opinions from
>anyone here.
>
>Thanks
>
>Phil
>Chicago

You could treat the gravel with 10% liquid bleach overnight and rinse well,
or you could use new gravel.  A way of getting a good selection of bacteria
in your new tank is to put about a handfull of topsoil in a gallon jar, add
water until the jar is about 3/4 full, and then add one or two pinches of
oatmeal flakes or one or two pieces of dried cat food.  After about a week,
the water can be added to your tank, and it should have a good variety of
bacteria, including those that convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to
nitrate.

Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174