Cycling and canister filters

[Trilobite]

Just wondering. My fluval 704 has ammonia, phosphate, and nitrite filters. How does that affect the new tanks cycle start-up?

Thanks for all replies.

 

[Spare time]

You should remove all of those except for biomedia so that you don't start the initial bacteria growing on the disposable filter parts as well as not to compete with the cycling bacteria. The ammonia filter and phosphate filter are the main problem as they will compete with cycling bacteria.

 

[Trilobite]

Excellent. I'll do that. Ty

 

[brandon429]

cycle info tuning for the thread:

there is no competition between filter surfaces and cycling bac on the rock

running that canister filter has no impact on your tank's cycle whatsoever. it has no benefit in a reef tank either, they aren't addressing any need or shortage of active surface area. those are for freshwater setups. they're actually a risk in reefing...when power goes out if you aren't home to pre clean it, and things restart up while you're out after an extended outage, that pumps rot into your tank and can kill it.

those are a slight tax to your reef tank (full of aerobes, they consume oxygen vs produce it) but are overall harmless. what you do in a canister filter never, ever, impacts your cycle. perhaps if it was jammed with gfo/which a reef tank would never need/ and you ran three canisters full you could phosphate lock the cycle but that's never been documented in reefing. at no time in searchable reefing has canister filter components affected a cycle that wasn't already an api misreading cycle.

if anyone works at a pet store and tells this info to customers, cease immediately. do not spread cycling misinformation: that causes people to buy extra bottle bac in fear that they never needed. spread cycling truth

have links handy for claims made.

 

[Spare time]

cycle info tuning for the thread:

there is no competition between filter surfaces and cycling bac on the rock

running that canister filter has no impact on your tank's cycle whatsoever. it has no benefit in a reef tank either, they aren't addressing any need or shortage of active surface area. those are for freshwater setups. they're actually a risk in reefing...when power goes out if you aren't home to pre clean it, and things restart up while you're out after an extended outage, that pumps rot into your tank and can kill it.

those are a slight tax to your reef tank (full of aerobes, they consume oxygen vs produce it) but are overall harmless. what you do in a canister filter never, ever, impacts your cycle. perhaps if it was jammed with gfo/which a reef tank would never need/ and you ran three canisters full you could phosphate lock the cycle but that's never been documented in reefing. at no time in searchable reefing has canister filter components affected a cycle that wasn't already an api misreading cycle.

if anyone works at a pet store and tells this info to customers, cease immediately. do not spread cycling misinformation: that causes people to buy extra bottle bac in fear that they never needed. spread cycling truth

have links handy for claims made.

What claims are wrong? The manufacturers say to remove media that bacteria like to grow on that you will throw out. Yes this isn't important long term but for the short duration of a cycle there is not point. And yes ammonia and phosphate media will compete with cycling bacteria since they are literally taking out the same things. Also I can't believe the arrogance that you say a phosphate limitation has never been documented in reefing. You don't talk with probably 99+% of people in the hobby. Your "documentation" is not a world list nor is this website representative of average people in the hobby. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it cant happen especially if the person cycles with just ammonium chloride in a system with all the phosphate scavenged out of it.