Cycling Done! A Few More Questions To Finish Up

[jdubs]

Hi Everyone!!

My 10 and 16 gallon tanks are finally cycled and the fish have been in them for 1 week! Everything looks awesome!!! All water parameters have remained stable during this time and are as follows:

16 Gallon:
PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
Fish: 1 male Betta, 6 ember tetras (will probably get 4-6 more if I can find them)
Plants: Several live (3 Amazon swords, 3 Lutea, 1 water sprite, 1 very large Red Tiger lotus, little bit of Java moss)

10 Gallon:
PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
Fish: 1 male Betta, 10 red cherry shrimp
Plants: Several live (2 Amazon swords, 2 Lutea, 1 water sprite, 1 Red Tiger Lotus, little bit of Java moss)

Do I still need to do a 25% water change once a week if the nitrate levels are low?

How often do I change the charcoal filter in each tank? Each filter has a replaceable charcoal filter and a biological filter. I have no plans to do anything to the biological filter at all. Is that good?

Should I take the filter out at all and clean it in any fashion? If yes, how do I do it so i don't mess up the good bacteria?

It felt like the fishless cycling process would never end . . . but totally worth the wait! Fishes and shrimpies are super happy and so am I!!!

Thanks All!!

 

[OldMan47]

Do not change the carbon in your filters unless it is completely separate from other filter media. I never use carbon in my filters because it is not really needed except to remove colors and medications. If you don't use any medications, that function disappears and if you don't mind the color of tannins, the color removal is also not needed. Water changes are done to maintain the nitrates at no more than 20 ppm above tap water values. If you have a light fish load, it might take far less than 25% each week to achieve that value. If you are pushing the stocking in your tank, it may take far more than a 25% weekly change to keep things on an even keel. You need to guide your water changes amount and frequency based on nitrate concentration. What you have in that respect has not been posted here, that I found.
The filter should be cleaned at each large water change. If you do a 20% water change, rinse out the filter media in your old tank water before you dump it and place that media right back into your filter. It will keep your filter in top condition by never letting it get very bad.

 

[CezzaXV]

It's also worth mentioning that the purpose of a water change isn't just to reduce nitrates. There are all sorts of minerals in tap water that your plants will be using up, and doing a water change will replenish them.

There are people with heavily planted tanks that have no nitrate and don't change their water or might only do it a few times a year, but I'm not sure if I'd advocate that if I'm honest.