"Tynk" wrote in message
oups.com...

Zëbulon wrote:


I got my first aquarium in the early 1950s. The changes are unbelievable
over the years. Pick up some Fish magazines and search the web. The new
knowledge is everywhere.


This is why I posted the current information about nitrifying bacteria
being sticky and adhering to the surfaces like glue. This *IS* the
current info.

No one said it wasn't. ;-)

If you take your own advice and pick up the January issue of Tropical
Fish Hobbyist magazine, you will read for yourself how sticky the
nitrifying bacteria are.

I'm retired and my husband is semi-retired. If that magazine had something
other than adds, salt water articles and a very few fresh water articles I
would pay the price for it. Otherwise it can stay on the shelf at the pet
store. ;-) I've dropped all the Fish magazines due to the price and fact
they all seem to cater to the sw crowd. It was to where the few fresh water
articles seemed to cover the same topics over and over. But someone new or
getting back into the hobby after may years would probably find them
helpful.

Keep in mind what works the best for one person and their set up and
conditions, may not for another.

Yes, that is true. However, new found information that is completely
different than once was thought can only benifit the hobbyist, and
mostly, the fish. Hence the reason for vacuuming during the cycling
period.


Is there a consensus in the group as the
most comprehensive, correct, and readable guide (either printed or web
page) for setting up a new tank geared toward the new hobbyist?

BTW, I am very impressed with the quality of posts in this group and
(except for a few notable but very rare occasions) the civilized way in
which the discussions are presented.

Hang out and learn......... we all are! :-)

That's good advice.
Seriously though, January's issue of TFH. This information about the
bacteria secreting a very sticky substance was only recently found
out...like within the past decade.

Perhaps I was told that because if you remove the small amount of fish feces
on the gravel there's nothing for the bacteria to feed on that establishes
the cycle in the tank. I don't know... but it does work for me. YMMV.
But then I do a lot of partial water changes in a new setup until the
ammonia and nitrites are zero. Most of the time the seeded filter works and
there is no cycle to speak of. For some odd reason that sometimes fails
completely. :-(

I too once thought if you vacuumed during the cycle you'd be removing
the bacteria. I also once thought that adding old tank water to a new
tank transfered some too. It does not, as the bacteria do not float
about in the water.

That seems to be well known now for awhile.

Some also thought that if you squeeze out a filter pad from an
established tank into a new tank that you would be "seeding" the new
tank. It does not. It only adds gunk.
I realize you've been in the hobby since the 1950's, but this is the
current information.
Science is an amazing subject that never gets dull.

This is very true.
--
ZB....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
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