Cycling trouble
- Thread starter Els9547
- Start date
Good luck!
I do agree that some water changes are very necessary. But, I also know that if you're doing 50% that often, you're taking out a lot of the good bacteria that is growing. Do your water changes smaller, but regular in my humble opinion. lol.
I do agree that some water changes are very necessary. But, I also know that if you're doing 50% that often, you're taking out a lot of the good bacteria that is growing. Do your water changes smaller, but regular in my humble opinion. lol.
It's not the bacteria actually, my mistake.. it's the ammonia cycle to be concerned about. Perhaps you disagree. I've always been told to do regular water changes, but keep them minimal in the beginnign to aid the ammonia cycling properly. By doing such strong water changes, you're not getting the cycle to compelte and nitrates to form.
If you have references that suggest otherwise, then by all means.. let me know. Show me links. I'm fairly new at this, but have always been told the same thing.
If you have references that suggest otherwise, then by all means.. let me know. Show me links. I'm fairly new at this, but have always been told the same thing.
It's a common myth. But in reality the bacteria reproduce just as fast in 0.25ppm ammonia as they do in 1ppm, for the same reason that rabbits reproduce at the same rate in the presence of a pile of a thousand carrots as they do in the presence of a pile of a hundred. In both cases, measurable ammonia or carrots, you're looking at the excess that they can't currently eat. What they can't eat doesn't influence their reproduction.
So, then as far as the ammonia cycle.. your tank isn't considered cycled till you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and a low amount of nitrates right?
When cycling your tank.. are you more concerned about that ammonia cycle, or building up of beneficial bacteria. The beneficial bacteria I assume helps the cycle take place right?
Hopefully I'm not hijacking a post unnecessarily. Just trying to get all this straight myself.
When cycling your tank.. are you more concerned about that ammonia cycle, or building up of beneficial bacteria. The beneficial bacteria I assume helps the cycle take place right?
Hopefully I'm not hijacking a post unnecessarily. Just trying to get all this straight myself.
You can't separate the two. Building up the bacteria is establishing the nitrogen (ammonia) cycle. You are concerned with building up beneficial bacteria while keeping the ammonia and nitrite low enough to support fish life.
There was an old assumption that the higher the ammonia level, the faster the rate of growth. But this isn't so; if there's a measurable ammonia level then the bacteria are already eating as much ammonia as they can and there is some left over. The assumption is akin to assuming that you can eat more apples if there are 10 in the fruit bowl than if there is only one*. If there's always at least one apple spare, you can eat them just as much as if there's always a surplus of 10. The assumption, therefore, is false, and the advice (which is rather old hat nowadays) to avoid large water changes which is based on it is also false, and indeed dangerous as the elevated ammonia and nitrite can, and regularly do, kill fish.
The level of nitrate isn't relevant to whether a tank is cycled or not, but whether it's receiving enough water changes. Indeed, if you don't do sufficient water changes during the cycle you will end up with a very high level of nitrate.
*Actually, humans probably will eat more apples if they can see more spare. Bacteria, however, do not have the same psychological hangups as us about eating the last one.
There was an old assumption that the higher the ammonia level, the faster the rate of growth. But this isn't so; if there's a measurable ammonia level then the bacteria are already eating as much ammonia as they can and there is some left over. The assumption is akin to assuming that you can eat more apples if there are 10 in the fruit bowl than if there is only one*. If there's always at least one apple spare, you can eat them just as much as if there's always a surplus of 10. The assumption, therefore, is false, and the advice (which is rather old hat nowadays) to avoid large water changes which is based on it is also false, and indeed dangerous as the elevated ammonia and nitrite can, and regularly do, kill fish.
The level of nitrate isn't relevant to whether a tank is cycled or not, but whether it's receiving enough water changes. Indeed, if you don't do sufficient water changes during the cycle you will end up with a very high level of nitrate.
*Actually, humans probably will eat more apples if they can see more spare. Bacteria, however, do not have the same psychological hangups as us about eating the last one.
Well...I'm wary of getting excited....but I have had 0 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate, temp has been stable and so has pH for almost a week now..so I think I might be almost there!! YAY...I think I've decided that heaven on earth is going to be a cycled tank!
In other news, the barbs made friends with everyone else in the other tank and now I don't tihnk they want to move back..so I guess I have to find a new plan for this one.
In other news, the barbs made friends with everyone else in the other tank and now I don't tihnk they want to move back..so I guess I have to find a new plan for this one.
