Cycling tank half full?

[ichthyogeek]

This is more of a theoretical question than a practical question.

As long as the filtration media (live rock, those porous block things, sand filters, etc.) is submerged, and water is moving, the tank being half empty or completely full shouldn’t matter in terms of cycling, should it?

 

[Cerberusfish]

This is more of a theoretical question than a practical question.

As long as the filtration media (live rock, those porous block things, sand filters, etc.) is submerged, and water is moving, the tank being half empty or completely full shouldn’t matter in terms of cycling, should it?

Technically no. I've seen people do this when they want the tank cycled but know they are going to take a while actually finishing the build (plumbing adding equipment to the sump etc). If I was doing it I might make sure to add a small powerhead just to move water a little bit and prevent stagnation as well as keep oxygen flowing to grow your aerobic bacteria you're after. When done right it should be an efficient method of setting up a tank over a longer period of time like when on a budget

 

[homer1475]

As lonf as stuff(LR and any media you want bacteria to grow on) is submerged, you have some flow, and you heat it, it won't make a difference whether the tank is half empty or full.