When Cycling With A Piranha.

[piranha_tim]

When cycling with a Piranha.

Would it benefit to change 40% twice daily like once when i get home from work at 6pm and again before I head to sleep 11-12pm?

Or is this just too much?

Piranha is relaxed and not skittish during the process. (almost seems to enjoy it)

 

[Mr._Fishy]

It is fine to change 40%. I would recommend doing so with a large predatory fish in a small tank. Although I would recommend doing it once when you leave for work and once when you get home to space them out more.

Ryan

 

[piranha_tim]

Won't it be fun doing a change at 5:30am ha ha

 

[Mr._Fishy]

What? Thats my life long dream to do water changes at 5:30 am! lol Well, doing water changes only 6 hrs apart is better than nothing, so I say go ahead and do it.

Ryan

 

[piranha_tim]

True say I me with 6 hours the bad water would of mixed with the good water thining it out and by doing it only again in the day you can only be thining it further.

When I bought the tank it had an inch full of water with gravel in it ... by any chance could this have started the cycle you think?

Besides with my new 75 Gallon with only one fish hopefully still doing the changes he will be hardly feeling anything (I hope)

 

[Mr._Fishy]

Possibly, but don't put your money on it. Most of the bacteria is in the filter media, not the gravel.

He may feel less, but not nothing. That one piranha may be putting as much bio load on the tank as a lightly stocked community tank. Be sure to keep up on those water changes.

Ryan

 

[CFC]

In older established tanks there can be as much bacteria in the gravel and on decore within the tank as there is in the filter, indeed there have been many cases of people forgetting to switch their filters back on after a water change expecting to find the worst when they notice and do some water tests only to find that everything is still fine. This is to do with biofilms which slowly build up on all surfaces within the tank creating a complex mix of micro fauna and flora which feed on the biological waste in the tank.

Provided the bacteria didnt starve of oxygen or food supply within the move then there is a chance that some of the nitrifying bacteria survived and will kick start the cycling of the new tank, you will still see some elevated levels of ammonia and nitrite but they may come down much quicker than starting with a brand new sterile tank.