carpguy....water changes WILL slow down cycling....true, changing water may help the beginner fish survive, but the results will be the problem that she is experiencing...ammonia levels erratically moving up and down......both methods will eventually work....one just more efficient than the other.....the ammonia buildup supports a different strain of bacteria.....if you continually artificially remove the ammonia, the bacteria have less chance to develop.
The order of a cycle?
- Thread starter Erynn
- Start date
Gill,
The bacteria in my tank are fine with no detectable ammonia. They are ok with water changes. If there is detectable ammonia then there is more than the colony can process. Any ammonia you remove is immediately replaced by continued output from the fish. If there is a supply of ammonia there will be bacteria. The colony will continue to grow until it reaches a balanced point where it can continually process the available ammonia. Until it reaches that point there is no restriction on the growth of the colony -- it doesn't slow down to conserve.
If it did slow down and you managed to keep from killing the fish that wouldn't be a bad thing. Once the fish are dead, no more ammonia (assuming you take them out of the tank at that point).
Water changes are standard practice for a fishy cycle. Skipping them in an effort to speed things up will produce nothing but dead fish.
The bacteria in my tank are fine with no detectable ammonia. They are ok with water changes. If there is detectable ammonia then there is more than the colony can process. Any ammonia you remove is immediately replaced by continued output from the fish. If there is a supply of ammonia there will be bacteria. The colony will continue to grow until it reaches a balanced point where it can continually process the available ammonia. Until it reaches that point there is no restriction on the growth of the colony -- it doesn't slow down to conserve.
If it did slow down and you managed to keep from killing the fish that wouldn't be a bad thing. Once the fish are dead, no more ammonia (assuming you take them out of the tank at that point).
Water changes are standard practice for a fishy cycle. Skipping them in an effort to speed things up will produce nothing but dead fish.
I agree with carpguy. Water changes won't slow a cycle. As long as food (ammonia) exists in excess of what the bacteria can process, they will continue to grow. Changing water only reduces the concentration and protects the fish.
Jim
Jim
