So, I'll hopefully be getting a chiller this weekend, but I'm at the tail end of leak testing and looking towards starting my cycle. With the weather this week, it's likely that the water will climb up to the low 80s. I know that lower temps can stall bacteria replication, but I don't think that'll be a problem. However, is there an established upper bound that can stall the cycle and/or kill the beneficial bacteria?
Additionally, I've had a fist-sized chunk of ceramic media in the sand of my display tank for ~5 days to seed it with life. I'll be putting that, along with an 8x8x4 block of ceramic media and the recommended dose of Microbacter 7, into the sump when I start cycle. Having never started a tank with stuff from an existing tank before, will this significantly cut down the amount of time for the cycle/any rough estimate for how long the cycle might take?
Additionally, I've had a fist-sized chunk of ceramic media in the sand of my display tank for ~5 days to seed it with life. I'll be putting that, along with an 8x8x4 block of ceramic media and the recommended dose of Microbacter 7, into the sump when I start cycle. Having never started a tank with stuff from an existing tank before, will this significantly cut down the amount of time for the cycle/any rough estimate for how long the cycle might take?