Fahaka Puffer Help

[FallenPepper]

I'm nosey about puffer i can't lie I love em but what do you generally feed your puffers and what does your tank look like I'd love to see. I have to redo my gsp tank and would like to see what others have done for em

 

[AJE]

You can just transfer media from another tank to instantly cycle the tank

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You can just transfer media from another tank to instantly cycle the tank

I agree. If you use filter cartridges just switch it over.

 

[Essjay]

I will use some aquarium water in filters along with mature media and new to help cycle. And use tetra aqua safe and safe start.

As I said before, don't bother transferring water, just use filter media. There are no bacteria in the water but there are lots in the media.

 

[FallenPepper]

If theres plants in the tank the nitrogen and ammonia will help the cycle by feeding the plants. Old water doesn't hurt plus it's what the bacteria is used too

 

[Essjay]

Yes, forgot to mention live plants. They take up ammonia as fertiliser and they don't turn it into nitrite or nitrate.

 

[FallenPepper]

No but bacteria do and In turn produce ammonia. Basically since my career is wastewater/water quality I deal with the nitrogen cycle a lot and our main way of treat the water if the IFAS tanks.
( integrated fixed film activated sludge) it basically is aerobic bacteria on media (K3) suspended in highly oxygenated water that breaks down these nitrates and nitrites into ammonia which is used with sodium hypochlorite to kill pathogens, viruses along with other nasty things. I think I explained that well enough but I'm not sure

 

[Essjay]

Sorry, I don't understand? What produces ammonia, besides the fish?

 

[FallenPepper]

Sorry I edited my post

 

[Essjay]

I do know that the bacteria involved with waste management are different from those in fish tanks - this is why the early bottled bacteria products contained the wrong species of nitrite eaters. They used the species found in treatment works where levels are a lot higher than fish tanks. These nitrite eaters do not survive in fish tanks with their low nitrite levels.

In fish tanks, ammonia is turned into nitrite by one species of bacteria, and this nitrite is turned into nitrate by another species. There are no bacteria in fish tanks which turn nitrate into ammonia. Nitrate just builds up in the water until we remove it with water changes. Or when we have live plants, the ammonia is taken up by plants and never gets turned into nitrate.

In a mature tank there are all sorts of other micro-organisms that 'eat' ammonia and nitrite besides the bacteria we grow during cycling.

 

[FallenPepper]

Possibly on break ill check out the labs logs and see what kind we've got growing currently though it Is winter and it isn't permit season so our dissolved oxygen is lower so the bacteria is slower

 

[FallenPepper]

Aquarium coop just did this little bit on the nitrogen cycle a few hours ago lol my plants just a slightly larger scale by a few million gallons

 

[Essjay]

Just because there are bacteria which turn nitrate into ammonia in treatment works doesn't mean there are the same bacteria in home fish tanks. If there were bacteria which do this in home fish tanks, why would nitrate increase in non-planted tanks while ammonia stays at zero?

Your link says that nitrate builds up and must be removed by water changes - it doesn't say nitrate is turned into ammonia. The link says what I've been saying. However, it is inaccurate in one respect. Plants prefer ammonia to nitrate. They don't use the nitrate made by the nitrogen cycle, they use the ammonia made by the fish so it never gets turned into nitrate. This is how plants keep nitrate low. Yes they can use nitrate if there is no ammonia, but they prefer ammonia.

 

[FallenPepper]

This was about bacteria using the nitrogen in the tank as food along with the ammonia for plants and keeping some tank water that the bacteria were used too not neccesarily about it being a perfect system that will bring all levels to zero. This is about using old tank water for a new tank and benefits it could bring

 

[Essjay]

Yes, I'm afraid things went somewhat off topic


Back on topic - transferring old water won't help cycle the tank. Transferring filter media will help.