Extremely Small Bioload...

[soritan]

You know, the thought just occured to me.... I am probably not going to be able to afford any more fish or occupants for my tank until mid to late December, if not Janurary outright. During that time, I expect my tank to re-cycle itself and earn its occupants: a single betta, and some ghost shrimp which are sold locally as feeders.

Should I really be cycling a tank with 4-5ppm ammonia, if my bioload is most likely going to be a single betta and 6 ghost shrimp? Or should I cycle it with.. oh, uhn, 2-3 ppm of ammonia? Considering that the occupants i am cycling it for, will not create enough waste to keep such a macho bacteria colony alive, and my tank will likely mini-cycle once I can afford to add other fish in a month or two.

10 US gallon tank, fishless cycle, "add ammonia to 5ppm, maintain, monitor nitrites" method of cycling.


I think I worded my question funny, but you get the drift. I hope.

OH, I forgot, sorry:

10 US gallon tank. Planted with 4wpg, and bogwood.
"Add ammonia to 5ppm, wait til it drops to 0, add half that daily until nitrites drop to 0, big water change, add fish" method.
My tank experienced.... something, and it uncycled itself a bit, so I'm "re-cycling" it now, and theoretically that won't take as long as an initial cycling.

My question is mostly out of curiosity, I think, as my ammonia and nitrites will probably 0 rather quickly.

 

[kris-b-]

I think you should cycle it with 2-3. If you cycle it for 4-5 and then the fish you put in in the first instance will not keep up this bio-load and the bacteria will die off, then when you add your next lot of fish you will more than likely have a mini cycle.

 

[yvez9]

i personnally think 5 ppm is quite a big bioload for even a fully stocked tank but I really don't know...

as far as you tank goes 2 ppm should be more than enough.

 

[rdd1952]

I have had the same thoughts on betta tanks. They are not huge bioload fish and if yours are like mine, overfeeding isn't a problem. I feed them the Hikari Betta Bio Gold and they eat them immediately so there is absolutely no excess food laying arouund to rot. I have considered experimenting with cycling one with 1 ppm of ammonia to see if that was enough for a betta. You definitely don't need to cycle it for a full fish load. Also, with a planted tank, the plants will process some of the waste too. You most likely can add a betta to a planted tank without cycling at all. Having said that, please, don't everyone go off on me here. I am one of the biggest pushers of fishless cycling (see my signature) and do it on every tank. But with the small bioload of a single betta and a moderately to heavily planted tank, I really don't think you will every see any ammonia present, especially if you can add a seeded filter from another tank.

 

[OrkyBetta]

Just a warning, bettas have been known to eat their ghost shrimp tankmates. Personally, I would suggest keeping the tank in the 70's and popping in a small school of white cloud mountain minnows, or some kind of dull colored, non-nippy fish.

 

[soritan]

Yeah, it had been mentioned to me several times that bettas sometimes enjoy a bit of shrimp in their diet. Apart from the fact that I wouldn't mind if he ate all 7 (I'm sure the shrimp are thrilled to bits about that part), my tank is so extremely nookish and planted... that half the time, I can't see them at all. Like little ninjas, they are.

Since they're still so new, I'm obsessed with counting them, this involves all manner of cramming around and twisting, I was finally able to count all seven about three hours ago. It'll be difficult if ever one of them dies... ><