Newbie (sort Of) - Question About Cycling With Fish

[yoz0807]

Don't get me started on plants...

One day I will ask the question, and I will wait for the floodgates to open

 

[yoz0807]

Well I could hardley contain myself this morning and rushed down to do a water test.

Ph - 7.6
amm - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 20-40 ish (but going for 40)

HAPPY DAYS !!!

The previous tests I have done have been at night and the colours look so different in daylight, but I am erring on the safe side and assuming 40ppm 'ates
this will give me time to sort out my filling tubes etc making the next water change less back breaking.

 

[OldMan47]

It sounds like you are on your way to proving that you really do have a cycled tank there yoz. Congratulations.
The NPT is best left for a day when the hobbyist has already mastered fish and is on the way to mastering the easier plants. By that time, many of the concepts needed to understand Diana Walstad's book will be almost second nature and it won't be as big a struggle to get one right. I really enjoy mine but, so far, have not gone all the way in that direction to remove my filters and replace them with just power heads for circulation.

 

[ALW]

I explained why... but to explain again...

Fish are constantly producing ammonia. So constantly feeding the bacteria.
When there is ammonia at testable levels in the aquarium it means the bacteria aren't coping with the bioload yet.
IE. The fish are creating ammonia faster than the bacteria can process it...so even if you did a 100% water change then very soon (within an hour) after there would be a reading of ammonia in the tank again.

It'd probably be too small for the api test kit to register, but it will be present. The fish only need to be creating a small amount of waste more than the bacteria can handle for the bacteria to be able to multiply.
The fish must be creating more otherwise there would be a 0 ammonia reading in the tank.

Therefore doing a large water change does nothing to slow the bacterias growth. As the fish are still creating waste faster than the bacteria can cycle it, and the fish are always creating waste. All that doing a water change does is protect the fish from unneccesary damage.

Hope that had made it clear for you.

You miss understood me. You are right in what you are saying in theory. The bioload of thoses fish will not raise the ammonia levels in the tank enought so that you need to keep doing water changes that much. Yes water changes do slow the growth of the bacteria as you are removing there source of food. As i have said that size tank with that bioload at the moment means that following a 50% water change the tank then needs leaving for at least 2 day then retest the water and if levels of ammoina are high then do another water change.