Habitat - Indoor :: Bio Question

[bover907]

What should properly cycled/colonized bio media look like? I have the black Rena stars, and white fluval ceramic rings. The stars have been in there for three weeks, and the rings have been in there for a week. I plan on leaving the filter alone for another 3 to 4 weeks as long as everything stays clean and flowing good.

When I finally open up the filter, what am I looking for on the white ceramic rings? (they're what I'll see in my bio tray, because they're in the top half above the black stars) I want to know what I'm looking for so I know if the filter has cycled fully or not.

[BullDog]

I don't think there's really anything you can see with your eyes on the biomedia. Your tank is fully cycled if ammonia levels are 0 or very low, and nitrate levels are 0 or very low.
After a while, the biomedia will probably get brown gunk on it, but that's just poop, and you can rinse it off in tank water.

[CB]

i have a tray of the bio-balls and a tray of ceramic rings. i cleaned my filter last night after 3/4 months and all my bio media looked pretty much the same as it did when it went in. couple chunks of pooh was it. levels are all good.
cb

[papoopeepoo]

The bacteria are single-celled organisms. This means you cannot see them with the naked eye. A good length between cleanings and clarity of your water are the signs of an established colony of bacteria.