Cycling?

[windtrancer]

i have a new tank with two firemouths.

will doing 20% water changes every day prolong the cycle?

if so, by how much?

 

[rdd1952]

What are your readings for ammonia and nitrite? Actually, while cycling with fish, you almost have to do daily water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels lowered and safe. That will indeed slow the cycling process some but it will also keep your fish alive and healthy. I saw you're other thread about the firemouths not eating and that you thought the barbs died of ammonia poisoning. High ammonia is stressful to fish and that may be why the firemouths aren't eating or at least won't come out and hunt food.

 

[windtrancer]

my ammonia is 1.0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm.

 

[Tolak]

That depends on the size of the tank, the type of filtration, and the size of the fish. If you could get some filter media or gravel from a mature tank it would help speed the cycling process.

 

[windtrancer]

the tank is 10 gallons. filter is penguin 100 w/ bio wheel. the fish are 2 3" firemouth cichlids.

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

If your ammonia is at 1, then there is still a lot of cycling to be done. I dont know about these fish, but if they are not very hardy, then they should be taken back to the store until it is cycled. There is no amount of ammonia that is ok. So by doing water changes [which will prolong the cycling, but its hard to pinpoint how long] the fish will be in 1-3 ppm ammonia for a long time, as opposed to a little higher for a shorter amount of time. The damage sounds like it might be about the same.

When I first started out, I has no clue about cycling. [the store sold me a STARTER kit, and 5 fish!] So I tried the water changing thing and the tank never cycled, and the ammonia never diluted to anything below 1 ppm. Sounds messy, huh?Fishless cycling with Biospira is the way to go IMO.

 

[Tolak]

Those fish need a larger tank, at least a 20 gallon if not 30 that is well filtered. You will have a problem with 2 of them in a tank that small.