Water Changes While Cycling Fishless

[XeroTolerance]

Hello everyone. Earlier today I had to do a 90% water change to bring up the pH because it dropped to low. After the water change I was wondering " what happened to all of my bacteria". Since I only had 10ppm of Nitrates I wasn't sure if the water change would take them all out. I wasn't sure if I had just restarted phase two. I'm also not sure if my Nitrites will be able to handle the 3ppm of ammonia that they would be able to handle before. The water change did bring up the pH which is an upside. I also don't have access to baking soda at the time.

Thanks for reading.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You didn't do any damage. Like I said before, there may be a brief "pause" in the cycle, but it will restart in a day and be just as strong as before, if not stronger.


There is virtually zero of the bacteria you are trying to cultivate in the water, they are found primarily (and practically exclusively) in the filter.

 

[XeroTolerance]

Ok, good. Thanks for the reassurance that makes me feel alot better know that I may not need to start phase two over again. When you say a day you mean 24 hours from the time of the water change, right?

I can't imagine how annoyed you must feel right now. I just like getting this right, its my personality.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm not annoyed at all. I am a teacher by trade, so answering questions of inquisitive students is what makes my day, actually!

Some students need a little more reassurance or have extra examples of things to help them more fully understand concepts. This is no different. I'm glad to be able to help out. It wasn't long ago that this was all brand new to me.


There are a lot of variables (as I'm sure you are aware, even if you don't know about the specifics for these particular bacteria species), so a specific number of hours is impossible. It could be almost imperceptible or it might be closer to two days. "A day" is just an estimate. Don't fret. One of the nicest features of a fishless cycle is that there are no fish at risk, so even if a cycle stalls for a week or even two, no animal is suffering for it! Fishless cycling is low stress, but high frustration. Use this time to research your preferred fish types, substrates, plants, etc. Scour the local fish shops for attractive rocks or driftwood that you want to decorate your tank with. Don't fret about the bacteria. They will come along. The key to a successful fishless cycle is patience. Honestly, the only thing that you can do to mess this up is get impatient and try to add fish too quickly.

 

[XeroTolerance]

I'm glad your not annoyed. Thank you so much for you help it has really helped me out. I guess I just have to wait. It feels weird just "waiting". I'm so used to being busy and working when I'm trying to get something set up or ready to go. I guess my head just needed a little adjustment.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I know what you mean, but my experience as a gardener really helped me out. Gardening is a great teacher of patience. I started growing plants from seeds a few years ago and again patience is often the key. There really isn't much I can do to speed up the process. And you are dealing with a similar thing here. You can't rush nature. The bacteria will only grow so fast, just like my seeds will only germinate and grow so fast. Sure, there are some things you can do to provide the ideal conditions, but there are limits to how fast it can all happen. Just sit back and relax. You are using the "add and WAIT" method. It can be frustrating, but it is for the best in the end. If you weren't doing it this way, you would be doing 50-90% water changes daily for a while. You would be more involved in the entire process, but your fish would be the ones to suffer.

 

[XeroTolerance]

You make a good point. I think the relaxing way is the better way to go.