Cycling your tank

[Aqua John]

Hi all I have access to fresh clean water from a spring fed creek high up in the hills before any land run off into the creek. My question is can I use this water to jumpstart my tank in the cycling process?

 

[10 Tanks]

Hi all I have access to fresh clean water from a spring fed creek high up in the hills before any land run off into the creek. My question is can I use this water to jumpstart my tank in the cycling process?

Hello Aqua. You can use that water. But, I'd use a water conditioner to be safe. The water won't help with the cycling process, because there is no bacteria.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Aqua John]

Hello. You can certainly use this water. I would use a water treatment to be on the safe side. The water won't help the cycling process, there's no bacteria. When I start a tank, I use a larger tank, at least 45 gallons. I fill it with treated tap water and dose a bacteria starter. I add a few fish and feed them a little every day. I start a routine of removing and replacing half the tank water every few days and add the bacteria starter every time I change the water. I add a few fish every couple of weeks until the tank is fully stocked. Once the tank is stocked, I change the water change routine to half the water weekly for as long as I keep the tank running. This way, I get to have fish in the tank from the start. This process seems to work well for me.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Thanks 10 now 11. I asked about the cycling because I have a friend who mentioned he uses this water to "cycle" his aquaponic set up. I'll have to get back to him and ask what he meant by that. Thanks again

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello again. There are many ways to cycle a tank. My post was only one way. Bacteria must grow on surfaces inside the tank. There's very little bacteria in the tank water.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Ram419]

Thanks 10 now 11. I asked about the cycling because I have a friend who mentioned he uses this water to "cycle" his aquaponic set up. I'll have to get back to him and ask what he meant by that. Thanks again

Never heard the term aquaponic myself so had to look it up. Interesting. Aquaponics is a combination of fish and plant production and hydroponics (growing plants without soil).

 

[Essjay]

If your friend is growing plants in the tank water (either fully immersed or just the roots in the water) he doesn't need to cycle it by growing bacteria as the plants will remove the ammonia made by the fish etc. Plants use ammonia as fertiliser and they don't turn it into nitrite or nitrate.
Plants can be used when setting up a new fish tank, it's called a silent cycle. The tank is heavily planted with fast growing plants and once the plants are actively growing, fish can be added a batch at a time.


The spring water will just be free of chlorine or chloramine, it won't help add bacteria to a tank (for fishless or fish-in cycling). Your friend possibly doesn't understand what fish keepers mean by cycling; many people think that cycling means water changes.

 

[Endlersendlers]

I would prefer getting a used filter or some gravel from an established healthy tank to jumpstart cycling. Spring water sounds great in general, I just don’t think it will have the bacteria you want and will still have to cycle.

 

[Byron]

Where do the nitrifying bacteria come from? They live in freshwater on the planet. Whether you use spring water or tap water, it will likely contain the nitrifying bacteria. The real issue here might be other pathogens in the spring water. Generally it is better to use tap water and a dechlorinator if chlorine or chloramine are added to your source/tap water.

To answer the initial question, you will most probably not have any benefit in jumpstarting the cycling by using spring water over tap water. Both will contain the nitrifying bacteria--chlorine and chloramine used at the levels allowed by health authorities in drinking water will not, repeat not, kill of the bacteria in any number. Studies in the US and Sweden showed that more than half the nitrifying bacteria lived through chlorination with either chlorine or chloramine.

 

[sharkweek178]

I'm always nervous about the idea of bringing in something from the wild. You never know what pathogens are in there. Any measures to sterilize it would kill the beneficial bacteria so that defeats the purpose. Our fish have been raised in relatively sterile environments. So they might not handle wild pathogens very well.

 

[Aqua John]

Never heard the term aquaponic myself so had to look it up. Interesting. Aquaponics is a combination of fish and plant production and hydroponics (growing plants without soil).

And the fruits or veggies of your labour taste great too.

 

[Aqua John]

Where do the nitrifying bacteria come from? They live in freshwater on the planet. Whether you use spring water or tap water, it will likely contain the nitrifying bacteria. The real issue here might be other pathogens in the spring water. Generally it is better to use tap water and a dechlorinator if chlorine or chloramine are added to your source/tap water.

To answer the initial question, you will most probably not have any benefit in jumpstarting the cycling by using spring water over tap water. Both will contain the nitrifying bacteria--chlorine and chloramine used at the levels allowed by health authorities in drinking water will not, repeat not, kill of the bacteria in any number. Studies in the US and Sweden showed that more than half the nitrifying bacteria lived through chlorination with either chlorine or chloramine.

Thanks for the info Byron that's very interesting.

I would prefer getting a used filter or some gravel from an established healthy tank to jumpstart cycling. Spring water sounds great in general, I just don’t think it will have the bacteria you want and will still have to cycle.

Thanks Endlers I have used the spring water as well as some cycled media in a mesh bag seems to be doing well.

 

[Aqua John]

I'm always nervous about the idea of bringing in something from the wild. You never know what pathogens are in there. Any measures to sterilize it would kill the beneficial bacteria so that defeats the purpose. Our fish have been raised in relatively sterile environments. So they might not handle wild pathogens very well.

Thanks for that sharkweek I have been drinking this spring water for the last 30 years have had it tested several times over the years and has always come back pristine. So I'm not too worried about pathogens. Any way I've used it now and seems to be going well so far.

 

[Aqua John]

I'm always nervous about the idea of bringing in something from the wild. You never know what pathogens are in there. Any measures to sterilize it would kill the beneficial bacteria so that defeats the purpose. Our fish have been raised in relatively sterile environments. So they might not handle wild pathogens very well.

Thanks for that sharkweek I have been drinking this spring water for the last 30 years have had it tested several times over the years and has always come back pristine. So I'm not too worried about pathogens. Any way I've used it now and seems to be going well so far.

If your friend is growing plants in the tank water (either fully immersed or just the roots in the water) he doesn't need to cycle it by growing bacteria as the plants will remove the ammonia made by the fish etc. Plants use ammonia as fertiliser and they don't turn it into nitrite or nitrate.
Plants can be used when setting up a new fish tank, it's called a silent cycle. The tank is heavily planted with fast growing plants and once the plants are actively growing, fish can be added a batch at a time.


The spring water will just be free of chlorine or chloramine, it won't help add bacteria to a tank (for fishless or fish-in cycling). Your friend possibly doesn't understand what fish keepers mean by cycling; many people think that cycling means water changes.

Thanks for the response Essjay. In an aquaponic set up the fish in a tote come first before any plants are grown so the tote or "tank" needs to be cycled first to be able to add the fish at least this is my understanding.