cycle question
- Thread starter rgaynor81
- Start date
robertmathern
Active Member
How high are the trates. I am sure someone else will chime in but imo to a 10% water change every few days intill its below 10. The reason I say this is a 10% water only reduces trate by 10%. I am sure you get the idea there. But if you do a 100% yes you will have 0 for trates but you also just removed the bacteria needed to turn the amonia into nitrites and then to nitrates. But that is my 2 cents worth. I am sure someone knows more than me. But I figured this was good for my 600th post yay me lol good luck
robertmathern
Active Member
wow by the time I typed that 2 posts. Se I told you they would chime in thats a question not seen in a little bit. They all said 100% they are the same people that got my tank up and running so my all means take there advise before mine. But I am a question for them would it not remove most of the bacteria thats you put in with cycleing the tank. If not then whats the point of ghost feeding to keep it alive. I know some is in the rock and will reproduce but if it is already there why remove it. and not a little at a time till you got the trates down.
robertmathern
Active Member
+1 I am not trying to argue with bang guy thats for sure. Just want to know if there is something I am missing
rgaynor81
Member
Well Put It This Way Im Useing The Red Sea Test Kit And Looking At The Color Chart Its Reading Some Where Around 50 Which Is Almost Of The Chart.i Have Been Testing For It On And Off For About A Week Now And Its Been The Same. I Have A Wet/dry Sump W/ Bio Balls In Its But Getting Ready To Change It Over To A Refugium.
robertmathern
Active Member
Ok well are you testing correctly take some water to you lfs and see what they get just to check it. I know I will get smacked for telling you to trust your lfs but if its close to the same. Deffintly do more than a 10% I would go like premilove said. But then again bang guy is not wrong to often it just seems a little extreme to me
florida joe
Well-Known Member
Nitrifying bacteria is not suspended in the water colom but rather colonized on the substrate, rocks and material media in our tanks. Bangs idea of a large value water change is to lower the nitrates because the colonization of denitrifying bacteria take a while to establish its self
robertmathern
Active Member
0 is what you need to shoot for. But what kind of tank are you going with reef tanks you want 0. A fish only with live rock it can be higher but still always shoot for 0. Now question for ya joe how dose bacteria consume amonia in the water colum if it is not in the water colume but in the rock and stuff. Also then why do 10% water changes a week instead of 100% a week. I dont dissagree just I am interesred
florida joe
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by robertmathern
http:///forum/post/2877524
0 is what you need to shoot for. But what kind of tank are you going with reef tanks you want 0. A fish only with live rock it can be higher but still always shoot for 0. Now question for ya joe how dose bacteria consume amonia in the water colum if it is not in the water colume but in the rock and stuff. Also then why do 10% water changes a week instead of 100% a week. I dont dissagree just I am interesred
Flow my friend flow you will at first colonize on your filter material as the water passes through it then on your rocks and substrate water is constantly passing over and through it all. The ten present water change is a prophylactic measure to stabilize water parameters as well as removing nitrates where denitrification is not keeping up. Also denitrifying bacteria can only live in an anaerobic environment hence inside your live rock or substraight and the water slowly passing through feeds the bactera it needs to grow but the Process is slow to develop again reason for water changes And that brings us to the assimilation and harvesting of algae
http:///forum/post/2877524
0 is what you need to shoot for. But what kind of tank are you going with reef tanks you want 0. A fish only with live rock it can be higher but still always shoot for 0. Now question for ya joe how dose bacteria consume amonia in the water colum if it is not in the water colume but in the rock and stuff. Also then why do 10% water changes a week instead of 100% a week. I dont dissagree just I am interesred
Flow my friend flow you will at first colonize on your filter material as the water passes through it then on your rocks and substrate water is constantly passing over and through it all. The ten present water change is a prophylactic measure to stabilize water parameters as well as removing nitrates where denitrification is not keeping up. Also denitrifying bacteria can only live in an anaerobic environment hence inside your live rock or substraight and the water slowly passing through feeds the bactera it needs to grow but the Process is slow to develop again reason for water changes And that brings us to the assimilation and harvesting of algae
rgaynor81
Member
Ok Well I Think From What Gattered So Far I Think Ill Do A Start With A 50% Water Change And Go From There. I Plan On Doing A Reef Tank Maybe. Also On Last Question In My Local Fish Store They Sell That Premixed Saltwater I Forget What Its Called But Is That Ok To Use On Water Changes.