Continued from page 6
Very Important Notes
Whereas cycling sand in the aquarium itself is possible, it is fraught with difficulties. Although I am not saying that it cannot be done (in fact, I just explained how to do it), I far prefer the method that follows which is cycling all the sand you need and making it live outside of the aquarium.
Note also that the time period that will elapse before ammonia and nitrite appear, differs from system to system and has to do with the load in the aquarium, the amount of organic detritus generated that settles in the sand and works its way into it, and the speed at which it starts to decompose. In tanks with low loads, no over feeding and lots of live rock, you may not even see it appear at all in the slow method and you may only see minimal amounts in the rapid method.
The key is to remember that biological decay is going on and that the sand is slowly but surely being populated by bacteria. This biochemical process generates carbon dioxide and will add it to the tank's water, converting it to carbonic acid (as in any filter that is cycling) and that will affect your pH. How much is hard to say, just be aware that it may, and more than likely will. It is, in fact, an indication that bacteria are starting to grow in the sand. To counteract this falling pH, have a good and complete buffering compound available that you can add to the tank as required to re-establish the correct pH.
If no ammonia has appeared after about 10 days, it is safe to add more sand if you need to. This note or remark applies to both the slow and the fast "in the aquarium" methods. The reason none have appeared has to do with the potency of the existing filter. In aged systems this is a likely scenario, especially if combined with the removal of other biological filtration devices (slowly though as pointed out).
| Back | Next |
 NetPets® Main Page |  The Fish Center |