Seawater utilization / Silicon tank repair ?

[dovla]

I'm in the process of setting up my "octo tank". I have decided to use sea water immediateley. Does the tank still need 2 -3 months of "cycle" time?

Also I have had to use silicon to repair a crack in the tank, can the elements of the silicon effect the octopus?

Regards,
Octofan

 

[Fini]

The sea water is going to help the process along, but it doesn't neccessarily make the tank more stable in the long-term. Chances are you will still fair better if the tank is cycled awhile before you add your ceph.

 

[DHyslop]

Most of the bacteria that take care of the ammonia don't swim in the water; but rather live in the filter, the substrate, rock, glass, etc. If you add water from the sea or from an established aquarium that doesn't mean its automatically cycled!

Don't worry about the silicone as long as it is aquarium silicone. Some of the household silicones on the market have anti-bacterial compounds added to them.

Dan

 

[Illithid]

Some of the household silicones on the market have anti-bacterial compounds added to them.

Dan

The ingrediant most often used in household, Home Depot types is cyanide. Even if it says 100% silicone it could have this as a additive to help stop mold. I believe you can check out the brands somewhere online or call the manufacturer if it doesn't say it is for aquariums. The people at Home Depot won't know.

 

[cthulhu77]

Yep, just check the tube...Dow 100% says "safe for aquarium use" on the side. If you used one with the antibacterial/antifungal additives, you'll need to scrape it out.

I know that cycling can be a bummer, but is completely necessary...cephs are much touchier than fish when it comes to water quality.

Oh, and welcome to Tonmo !

greg