fish cycling question

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bubble gum

AC Members
Feb 23, 2007
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fish-cycling
heres a question. i was reading this whole thread about fishy-cycling/no fish and have a question. if someone wants to use the fishy method, i realize that water conditioner would be used, but what chemicals would need to be added for testing?

pH?
nitrates?
nitrites?
ammonia?


we have 10 gallon aquarium and i was looking on drsfostersmith.com and noticed there testing kits and chemicals. are there any chemicals that i failed to list above that i would need to buy?

next question, after the tank is done cycling, and everything is cool.....................when it comes time to a partial water change, why doesn't the tank need to recycle? you took out good water and replaced it with untreated water. how does this not screw the cycle up?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!
 
You don't "add" the testing chemicals to the tank.

The water change doesn't remove the bacteria that are maintaining your cycle.
 
the bacteria grows in the filter, on the substrate (gravel, sand, etc.), plants, decor, whatever. But not the water. I had the same question a few weeks ago. The test kits tests how much of what you listed is in the water. You want 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, about 10 nitrates, and somewhere around 7 for pH. Of course, this wont happen while the tank is cycling. When it cycles, the ammonia shoots up, and then the nitrites shoot up, and then nitrates. After the nitrates, its all cycled. Most of us here at AC would reccomend the API Freshwater Liquid Test Master Kit. I think thats what its called. Its better than the test strips.
 
thank you hendrixpujols11,,,if you don't mind me asking you a few more questions

i notice that you can buy ph additives at 6.5 and 7.0. do i need to buy any additives or do i let the aquarium do it on its own? (nitrates/nitrites/ph/ammonia)
 
You'll be fine without it, im sure. For my cycle now, I am not using it. Who knows, maybe it has worked for other people.
 
dont use additives they cause more harm then good. dont mess with your ph a stable ph is better for the fish then one that swings because your adding chemicals to the tank.

you took out good water and replaced it with untreated water
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once the tank is cycled and fish are in there and you do water changes you treat the water every time you do a water change.

but what chemicals would need to be added for testing?
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i would get the api master test kit. it has ph ammonia nitrates and nitrites tests. you test the water in 5ml tubes that you get when you buy the test kit.
 
so wait a minute. if i don't add any additives what is the reason for having to test the water with the kits? testing the water would mean that i need to do something to help the numbers right, like adding additives???? could you please elaborate on this.

right now, out of what im reading is that; i can cycle the tank with fish, im not to add anything other than water conditioner and nothing else should be added to the tank. am i right on this????
 
you test the water to make sure its safe for the fish, not to determine how to alter it. Testing is VERY important if you do a fishy cycle b/c any levels of ammonia and nitrite for any length of time can do permanent damage to the fish. So basically, for instance if you cycle with fish you could tes the ammonia and if you get any reading other than 0 you know you need to do a water change, same goes for nitrite. Once you have 0 for ammonia and nitrite for several days and start to get a reading on the nitrate you know the tank is cycled

check out www.bigalsonline.com, they have a master test kit with all the above for around 15$
 
bubble gum said:
so wait a minute. if i don't add any additives what is the reason for having to test the water with the kits? testing the water would mean that i need to do something to help the numbers right, like adding additives???? could you please elaborate on this.

right now, out of what im reading is that; i can cycle the tank with fish, im not to add anything other than water conditioner and nothing else should be added to the tank. am i right on this????
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Ammonia and all that (not so) good stuff is somewhat natural. It comes from fish waste and anything that dissolves in the water.
 
bubble gum said:
so wait a minute. if i don't add any additives what is the reason for having to test the water with the kits? testing the water would mean that i need to do something to help the numbers right, like adding additives???? could you please elaborate on this.

right now, out of what im reading is that; i can cycle the tank with fish, im not to add anything other than water conditioner and nothing else should be added to the tank. am i right on this????
Click to expand...

testing the water when cycling fishless is to see where you are in the cycle. testing the water for a fish cycle is to make sure the levels are at a safe if not you need to do a water change. testing the water once the cycle is done is again to make sure the water is safe for your fish.

if you have high ammonia nitrates or nitrites the only thing that can help is a water change.

you can cycle with fish but it a lot more work. more testing and a lot of water changes. the only thing i add to my cycled tank is water and prime which is a water conditioner.
 
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