Cycling the 46l Edge

Just a couple of quick questions. Tank now set up and should hopefully aquascape and fill this weekend before starting to cycle.

1) Should the carbon and Biomax be removed from the filter basket during fishless cycling and put back a few days before introducing the fish? I heard the Carbon at least can remove the ammonia which is obviously counter productive.

2) If i forget to add amonia for a couple of days will the good bacrteria all die? i.e. how long can the bacteria survive without an ammonia source (it will be difficult for me to test and top up ammonia everyday due to work etc).

3) Why did it come with 3 nozzles? Are you supposed to connect all 3? I've noticed other peoples pictures showing only 1 nozzle.

Thanks for any help in advance!

Hi Darbinho,

A1) I've left the carbon in my Edge; it's been there for 8 months but I believe it's only effective for a few weeks.

You must leave the Biomax in - it's one of the items that the beneficial bacteria grows on.

A2) I'm no expert on how often you need to add Ammonia, but I would imagine that enough Ammonia will persist in the water for a day or two to keep the bacteria going. You could also add some fish food flakes - these will rot over days rather than hours I imagine and will provide a source of Ammonia also. You really need a test kit to keep an eye on these things eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/API-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329921234&sr=8-1

A3) I don't have the 46 L Edge, but the assembled ones I've seen in Dobbies have the three nozzels connected so that the bottommost nozzle is close to the base of the tank to improve circulation. You might want to consider adding the Fluval sponge filter onto the end of the nozzle to stop shrimp or very small fish getting sucked in.

Regards,

Ricky

Thanks Ricky,

That clears up the nozzle business then. The filter sponge is on my list of stuff to get this weekend.

Thanks again.

rickO2 wrote:Hi Darbinho,

A1) I've left the carbon in my Edge; it's been there for 8 months but I believe it's only effective for a few weeks.

Not only that but after the carbon is saturated it will start to leech all the nasties that it had removed back into the tank.
Carbon should be replaced approximately every 6 weeks, or better still removed completely and replaced with another bag of biomax which will benfit the tank far more than the carbon.