Do heaters help the nitrogen cycle?

[barterking85]

do heaters help nitrogen cycle and do you have an opinion on walmart heaters cause you cant adjust the temp one setting

 

[tyspot1000]

Heat does help with the nitro cycle; Warmer temps help bacteria grow faster.

Not sure about the walmart heaters though.

 

[ChelseaLake]

Heaters definitely do help bacteria grow. I have 14 cultures growing in the biology lab. They take off when you bump the heat to 86.

I have a heater from walmart. Turn it to the highest setting for cycling. Watch the temp after 24 hours, and turn it down if you need to.

 

[barterking85]

this walmart heater i dont think is adjustible or maybe it is preset what brand is yours?

 

[Marconis]

Scrap the Walmart heater and get a Marineland Stealth. They are highly accurate.

As stated, higher temperatures increase the metabolism of the bacteria (up to a certain point, of course.)

 

[carey]

I bought a walmart heater for my qt and its not adjustable either. It supposed to stay at 78 degrees which I gotta say it has done. But yeah, get yourself a decent heater. One item you don't wanna cheap out on too much.

 

[barterking85]

ok i bought myself a hagen elite 150watt adjustable for my 30 gallon wish there was other things i could do to speed up the cycle patience is not my strong suit lol thanks for the input guys and gals

 

[Marconis]

There are:

Surface agitation
Seed material

 

[barterking85]

ok marconis iam very new to this so could you tell me what surface agitation is. and do i get seed material at the pet store??

 

[Marconis]

Surface agitation, simply put, is increased movement of the water surface through disturbance, which in turn increases aeration. This is beneficial for the nitrifying bacteria in the aquarium. You can achieve this by keeping the water level in your tank low.

Seed material is any material from an established tank that will contain a sufficient amount of nitrifying bacterial colonies. This can include filter pads, a decoration, biomedia, sponges, anything. By obtaining this, you can greatly decrease the time it takes for your cycle to complete. You can go to your local pet store and ask if they can give you anything to put in your tank to aid your cycle. If they give you something, put it in a sterile pantyhose in your aquarium.

For more information, check out these helpful links:
HowStuffWorks "Aquarium Aeration and Surface Agitation"

Seeding a New Aquarium - How to Seed a New Aquarium

 

[barterking85]

ok cool i have one bubble rock which i put under my gravel and also two bubbling decorations should i still stir things up or should that do??
thanks for the input of to the pet store tomorrow hope they will help by giving me at least a decoration or sponge.
one more question my power filter has no sponge on it just a plastic grate to keep gravel out should i get a sponge to cover it for more places for bacteria to grow??

 

[Marconis]

You need a mechanical sponge so that debris can be filtered out of your water, trapped in the sponge, and not be place backed into the aquarium.

 

[barterking85]

ok but inside my filter there is a black coarse sponge like filter and a blue filter with like charcoal in it i mean on to go over the intake that sucks water into the filter

 

[Marconis]

Then you are fine. I didn't know you meant on the intake tube.

 

[barterking85]

ok kool now you see iam a real novice lol

 

[Marconis]

We were all there at one point.
Good luck!

 

[barterking85]

hey marconis one more question are you on this site everyday or close to it cause i would like to share my water results with you if your willing

 

[Marconis]

Yes, I am on it mostly everyday. There are also other people on this forum whom are far more experienced than I am, so they can chime in as well.

 

[barterking85]

ok thanks marconis i will continue my posts on cycle help for new 30 gallon tank