Cycling question

[bardneym]

Hi

Having got my new tank. a Juwel Rekord 96, if i follow the manufacturers instructions i assemble everything and fill it through the filter unit. Other advice on here has been to fill the tank and add dechlorinator when the water is in the tank. If i do this, will the chlorine not kill the good bacteria in the filter unit? Should i add the dechlorinator first?

Thank You

Mark

 

[jcarlilesiu]

If this is a new tank, you haven't yet established any bacteria yet. Once the tank is cycled (you can find more information in the stickies) bacteria which breaks down waste is all over the tank, not just in the filter. I am unsure why the manufacturer is telling you to add water through the filter. I would add it to the tank and then add the dechlor agent. Seems to work for most others on the board.

 

[bardneym]

Thanks for the reply. I think i may be getting myself confused! My understanding from the instruction book was that the filters are "seeded" with the correct bacteria to start the cycle. But the instruction book has been translated from german to english, so isn't exactly clear!

I thought i had it all cracked, but it just proves its a continuous learning curve!

Cheers

Mark

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Thanks for the reply. I think i may be getting myself confused! My understanding from the instruction book was that the filters are "seeded" with the correct bacteria to start the cycle. But the instruction book has been translated from german to english, so isn't exactly clear!

I thought i had it all cracked, but it just proves its a continuous learning curve!

Cheers

Mark

I have never seen a tank come from a manufacturer with a seeded filter media. Bacteria, like other living organisms, need food, circulation, and air to survive. If the filter media they gave you is dry, I highly doubt that its a "seeded" media. Seems like a marketing gimic to me.

To truely seed your aquarium, you would need to find somebody with a fully cycled tank, and take the media from it and directly insert it into your filter. Even with this method, some of the bacteria will die, and it may not be enough established bacteria to sustain the waste created by your live stock, thus, you will still have a cycle, just not as dramatic.

If I were you, I would cycle the tank as included in the instructions contained in the stickies using a raw shrimp. If the media provided by the manufacturer is somehow "seeded", you should see the cycle process finish faster. If not, you will end up completing the cycle anyway.

 

[bardneym]

Thanks for the reply. Now i get it! Don't know what they will think of me at the Tescos fish counter when i ask for 1 raw shrimp... *g*

Thank you for the advice, it is very much appreciated.

Regards

Mark