Cycling tank and pods/phyto

[Reefer911]

I have a new tank cycling without fish and just wondering when I should add pods and start dosing phytoplankton. Should I want until it cycles?

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

I have a new tank cycling without fish and just wondering when I should add pods and start dosing phytoplankton. Should I want until it cycles?

Mine came before my cycle finished, and I added them, they survived, so its not the end of the world, but I bet its better to start once you are seeing nitrite being formed /ammonia starting to go down.

Mine went in before either.

 

[KQuillan]

I just searched for this kind of question also.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Mine came before my cycle finished, and I added them, they survived, so its not the end of the world, but I bet its better to start once you are seeing nitrite being formed /ammonia starting to go down.

Mine went in before either.

Pods, like other inverts, are affected negatively by ammonia. Once ammonia is back to zero, then it's safe to add pods.

Will some pods probably survive in an uncycled tank? Sure, probably, but why waste $$ adding pods so most can die?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

but I bet its better to start once you are seeing nitrite being formed /ammonia starting to go down.

Again, measuring nitrite is essentially meaningless in a saltwater tank cycle...

 

[KQuillan]

Pods, like other inverts, are affected negatively by ammonia. Once ammonia is back to zero, then it's safe to add pods.

Will some pods probably survive in an uncycled tank? Sure, probably, but why waste $$ adding pods so most can die?

Thank you!

 

[bushdoc]

What Erin says, also you probably want to do partial water change when cycle is finished to reduce Nitrates. I would add pods after water change otherwise you would throw same of them out.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I would add pods after water change otherwise you would throw same of them out.

In general, unless you literally do a water change right after you add pods or if you deliberately siphon them from the glass, you don't need to worry about this.