Question About Cycling...

[Captain Retardo]

YOu shouldn't use it, it will take out all the stuff that you need to cycle the tank! You should just get some Tetra Aquasafe, or something similar. When buying a dechlorinatior make sure it takes away Chlorine, Chloramine, and Heavy Metals.

 

[SiriusStarr]

It DOES take out Chlorine/Chloramine/Heavy metals. It just takes out the other stuff as well..

Okay, new question then.

Why does a tank have to be cycled? Isnt the point of it to get rid of the ammonia and components? So wouldnt using something like this be the best thing ever?

 

[SiriusStarr]

*bump*

 

[andywg]

YOu shouldn't use it, it will take out all the stuff that you need to cycle the tank! You should just get some Tetra Aquasafe, or something similar. When buying a dechlorinatior make sure it takes away Chlorine, Chloramine, and Heavy Metals.

ALL chemical dechlorinators will remove both chlorine and chloramine. the only difference is that if chloramine is present it will leave trace amounts of ammonia in the water (nothing a filter can't handle once cycled, and it will help a cycling filter a little).

Using an ammonia neutraliser is not the best of things as you would have to be dosing daily and would get a serious buildup. Plus, if you should miss a dose you would then have a large ammonia spike on your hands. also, the ammonia levels spike every time you feed or put a new fish in, not a great deal, and nothing an established filter can't handle, but if you have no filter then you can have problems.

In theory, you can run a tank as a constant through-flow, that is to do a permanent water change in at a lareg enough rate to prevent the ammonia building up, but it doesn't really allocate itself to smaller tanks.