A
Anonymous
Guest
all tanks 'cycle'
'cycling' is the name for the process where the bacterial colonies reproduce in sufficient numbers to handle the waste production of the animals in the system, at a rate that matches that production, to the point where the levels of those substances(ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) do not accumulate in the water column at a level high enough to be detected by testing the water w/a kit.
i'll refer to any detectable level as a 'spike'
not all tanks 'spike' :wink:
everytime the amount of inhabitants of a tank changes, the tank 'cycles', either growing more, or less, bacteria, depending if animals are removed/added.
if the amount of processing bacteria present on the rock you added ='d, or were > than, the amount of waste being produced in your tank-you shouldn't expect to see any 'spikes' on a test reading.
as long as you add livestock to the tank slowly enough to enable the bacterial colonies to 'catch up' to the loads you add-you may never see a 'spike'.
however,-it is a very good idea to let the system 'rest' between each load plateau you reach after each change to the load of the system-to let the various bacterial colonies 'stabilize' themselves, before changing the status quo.
an excellent recommendation that has worked very well for me over the years is no more than one addition per month-though 2 small clowns can be thought of as 1 grouper, as an addition :wink:
pushing the system too quickly can also lead to 'new tank syndrome'-a sudden crash after 6 months to a year-due to pushing and stressing the bacterial colonies too often, and too quickly
no two tanks follow the exact same cycle pattern, or levels-the variables that affect the development of the tank,from a biological standpoint, are too numerous to duplicate exactly in any two systems :wink:
hth
'cycling' is the name for the process where the bacterial colonies reproduce in sufficient numbers to handle the waste production of the animals in the system, at a rate that matches that production, to the point where the levels of those substances(ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) do not accumulate in the water column at a level high enough to be detected by testing the water w/a kit.
i'll refer to any detectable level as a 'spike'
not all tanks 'spike' :wink:
everytime the amount of inhabitants of a tank changes, the tank 'cycles', either growing more, or less, bacteria, depending if animals are removed/added.
if the amount of processing bacteria present on the rock you added ='d, or were > than, the amount of waste being produced in your tank-you shouldn't expect to see any 'spikes' on a test reading.
as long as you add livestock to the tank slowly enough to enable the bacterial colonies to 'catch up' to the loads you add-you may never see a 'spike'.
however,-it is a very good idea to let the system 'rest' between each load plateau you reach after each change to the load of the system-to let the various bacterial colonies 'stabilize' themselves, before changing the status quo.
an excellent recommendation that has worked very well for me over the years is no more than one addition per month-though 2 small clowns can be thought of as 1 grouper, as an addition :wink:
pushing the system too quickly can also lead to 'new tank syndrome'-a sudden crash after 6 months to a year-due to pushing and stressing the bacterial colonies too often, and too quickly
no two tanks follow the exact same cycle pattern, or levels-the variables that affect the development of the tank,from a biological standpoint, are too numerous to duplicate exactly in any two systems :wink:
hth
