Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdcad!ames!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!jack!crash!gryphon!richard From: richard@gryphon.UUCP Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.pets Subject: Re: Nitrification... Message-ID: <2426@gryphon.CTS.COM> Date: Sat, 28-Nov-87 19:25:07 EST Article-I.D.: gryphon.2426 Posted: Sat Nov 28 19:25:07 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 1-Dec-87 05:27:04 EST References: <7044@pur-ee.UUCP> <155@bacchus.DEC.COM> Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) Distribution: usa Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA Lines: 38 Keywords: How long??? has this been going on. duh duh, da da da da da da. Xref: hoptoad alt.aquaria:27 rec.pets:1988 Summary: give it time In article <155@bacchus.DEC.COM> gringort@decwrl.UUCP (Joel Gringorten) writes: >In article <7044@pur-ee.UUCP> tom@ee.ecn.purdue.edu (Tom McCain) writes: >> I was under the impression that it only took a week >>maybe two. > >Most articles on cycling marine tanks suggest that it takes a minimum of >4 or 5 weeks. The real answer is "it depends." It took my 100 gallon >tank around 2 months to cycle. I attribute that to a very light fish >load (3 damsels and a couple of hermit crabs). The cycle can be greatly >reduced by "seeding" the tank with substrate (gravel) from an established >tank. By using bacteria additives you can reduce tank breakin to a couple >of days. If you cant get a culture of the nitrifying bacteria, you can, I believe, buy the stuff in a petshop. >Beware of adding too many fish too quickly. This can't be emphasized strongly enough. After the tank gets going well with one fish, the temptation is great to add half a dozen fish to celebrate. DON'T ! Add them one at a time, preferably letting at least a month go by after a new fish is introduced. New fish should be quarantined in a bare tank with copper solution present, Assume all incoming fish are diseased. Just because they *look* healthy in the dealers, and all the other fish in that tank are fine, means nothing. > -joel -- Richard J. Sexton INTERNET: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM UUCP: {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard "It's too dark to put the keys in my ignition..."