Cycling and salinity

[alexkharden]

I have a hypothetical situation/question. If a tank were cycled with freshwater and then salinity was increased to NSW levels, would the tank re-cycle?

I guess I'm asking if the bacteria would notice the switch, or are the salt- and fresh-water bacteria different strains?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You might well kill off many of the bacteria that were growing in it.

 

[Griff]

Great question I've been wondering this as well. I wanted to cure my rock in display with fresh rodi do close to 100% water change then add salt rodi. Thoughts on this?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Great question I've been wondering this as well. I wanted to cure my rock in display with fresh rodi do close to 100% water change then add salt rodi. Thoughts on this?

It will likely kill the bacteria (or many of them) and so you'd need to cycle again.

Consequently, I think it is mostly a waste of time.

 

[alexkharden]

My goal was actually a little different. I'm hoping to acclimatize guppies, slowly over a week, to SW, such that they thrive and breed. I've read of it being done, so I wanted to do it for myself for food for my lion and angler. I was hoping I'd be able to do it this way, but if it'll kill off the bacteria I'll just cycle the tank as salt and acclimatize them in a bucket. Little bit more of a pain, but hey, se la vi!

 

[brandon429]

Should not feed fw fish to marines, Google cholecalciferol/ vit d3 difference needs between fw/sw fish and fatty liver disease in the marine fish from not getting the proper dietary form of calcium. I read that one day in 1995 while ditching English class and reading about aquarium stuff in the university bookstore all day, fond memories for sure.

Yes they will live on fw fish, and I truly really did live on Big Macs but that was only in college/ short duration heh

But the guppy acclimation is cool yes it works they can simply adapt just not with feeding as the goal. They are Oscar feed

Though I haven't googled recently I believe the outcome of the salinity change would be a large loss of filtration bac from osmotic shock due to large majority adapted to the lower salinity, but, not a complete loss as some members will survive with something called euryhaline tolerance and there are still natural seed/vector sources for bacteria that adapt to full marine conditions worldwide-> new ramp up back to marine full cycle status.

 

[alexkharden]

Yes, you're right about feeding the FW to SW, I've read that too. I have two other tanks set up, one for red cherry shrimp, one for marbled crayfish. Also, in the SW tank with the guppies will be grass shrimp that I buy in bulk online. Between the four food sources, I plan on gutloading them with what my preds need to stay healthy and happy.
Why four different kinds? Variety, and, because it's cool

 

[alexkharden]

See what I mean about the coolness factor? There isn't even any livestock in there yet and they already look awesome!

 

[alexkharden]

Plus, the sounds of the HOB's, the undergravel filter, and the sponge filters are so soothing I wonder if my wife will let me move our bed down there, lol.

 

[brandon429]

a fellow marimo guy yes we should be neighbors hey look at this one, a hacked up marimo ball (a little fw show never hurt anybody those are nice biomes up there man)

 

[brandon429]

The ground cover of this ounce planted tank is a marimo ball lopped in half mighty small system

 

[alexkharden]

Lol, that's freaking adorable! One ounce? I bet the wc's are hell!

I can't figure out what to do with the sw tank, (the one on the right). I'm going to put some shoal grass in there, and some chaeto up higher, but I really don't want to put any LR in there. I just don't know if the sand/HOB will be able to hold enough bacteria to process the ammonia from a few hundred shrimp and the guppies. I just don't know what to put in there for biological filtration.

 

[Griff]

It will likely kill the bacteria (or many of them) and so you'd need to cycle again.

Consequently, I think it is mostly a waste of time.

So if I use saltwater for cure in tank on Pukani how would you remove all the phosphate that I'm expecting to get. Huge water change, phosguard reactor, lots of smaller water changes. I will be running an oversized skimmer and bio churn bio pellet reactor. I don't have carbon reactor or phosguard reactor.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you talking about "curing" or cycling?

I'd cure in fresh water to remove phosphate (if you choose to do that)then cycle in salt water.

 

[Griff]

I was talking about curing. I started the cure this morning in the tank with salt water. Am I ok to continue? Would be a huge hassle to remove the rock as I've already done my scape. I plan on blacking out the tank with cardboard during this process. Wait 3-4 weeks check phosphates then do water changes as nessesary to get phosphate and nitrate in line. My thought was I'd be cycled and cured in the same shot. I know this wasn't ideal but do you have any pointers on what I'll be dealing with after 3-4 weeks?

 

[Griff]

You said if you choose to do that. How would you have done it?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You said if you choose to do that. How would you have done it?

I'm not saying Pukani doesn't need something. I've not used it, but from what Ihave read in terms of what it has on it, I'd bleach it to remove organic matter, either acid wash or soak in a low phosphate solution (such as lanthanum), then cycle it.

 

[Griff]

I wanted to do that and wish I'd gone with reef saver in hind sight. The issue is I have 3 kids 4 yr old and twin girls almost 2 yrs old. Finding time to do the acid wash is tough. I don't mind waiting 3 months if need be for the organic a to flake off and be removed via water changes. I just hope I'm not doomed to have hair algae forever based on this decision.

I used pukani on my 30 gallon and didn't have any issues, all I did was power wash. Well I do now because of lack of maintenance trying to spend time setting up the new system.

 

[Griff]

Also between the biopellet reactor, Refugium, carbon reactor, and phoguard reactor hopefully I'll be ok. I was going to order today but brs ran out of the reactors I was planning on getting.