dg512055

OK folks, I have added 1/2 oz of Fritz turbo to my 23 gallon tanks. I have read the following article and one piece of information seems important but overlooked.

http://www.fritzpet.com/turbo-start-tips-03/

Look at "Mistake #3" and notice that alkalinity should be over 80 for the bacteria to grow. My tank's alkalinity has been about 70 or 80 with a pH of 7.6. Could low alkalinity be the cause of many long cycles? I have done searches on many forums and found little if any information relating alkalinity to nitrifying bacteria. Does anyone here have any information on this?

DG

pepetj

Bacteria may thrive in water above 80ppm (4.5 DKH) of carbonate hardness, nevertheless I keep stable cycle in tanks at 2.5-3.5 dKH (45-60ppm), with pH of 6.5-6.8. Even more, under experimental conditions, I kept a small tank at 5.0-5.5pH with barely 0.5-1.5 dKH. Cycle in that small tank was also stable.

It may take longer in soft/acidic water, but eventualy, if you do your part, the tanks will cycle.

Pepe
Santo Domingo