cycling question.....HELP
- Thread starter cajamajo
- Start date
engineer
Member
IF the cycle is done yes you need to do water changes. IF you have CC substrate you need to vacuum it when doing water change, if you have decorative amounts of sand then I would stir it around with your hand a little and vacuum the water (NOT THE SAND).
Monitor PH, ALK, CAL, phosphates, nitrite and trate, and ammonia levels.
Trates will lower themselves IF you have a DSB, because in the non oxygen area is where the trates get turned into nitrogen to complete the cycle. that is where the water changes come in. You should do atleast 20% water changes, or smaller ones more often. I do a 20ish% every 14 days.
Trates wont get down to 0 UNLESS you are not overfeeding and you are doing regular water changes.
Monitor PH, ALK, CAL, phosphates, nitrite and trate, and ammonia levels.
Trates will lower themselves IF you have a DSB, because in the non oxygen area is where the trates get turned into nitrogen to complete the cycle. that is where the water changes come in. You should do atleast 20% water changes, or smaller ones more often. I do a 20ish% every 14 days.
Trates wont get down to 0 UNLESS you are not overfeeding and you are doing regular water changes.
cajamajo
Member
I only changed 1/3 not 1/2 I did what was suggested to me. I hope now it will level out on everything. The small nitrite of o-.25 will be zero in a day or so. I will keep an eye on the nartites. I may have to do smaller changes to get the trates down, if they dont drop on there own. I will keep on trying. All help is welcome.
lilchris
Member
Don't rush it. Your nitrates will eventually go down. You have to understand that your tank is new and you do not have a strong enough Bio filter going yet. Just like anything that you are trying to grow or raise, it will take time. If you contiue to do your water changes (2 a week ) after about 4 wks. you should start seeing them drop. My tank has been up for about 3 1/2 months now and my trates are at 20 ppms. This is a my problem also, so please be patience and keep up w/ the water changes.
The sea horse is a bad idea. Unless you plan on keep a slow moving tank w/ no poewrheads and no active fish. If you are going to keep those type of fish the seahorse will not survive. Simply because they are slow moving and you will never get food to them because of the current from the powerheads and the other tank mates getting to it before him.
The skimmer will not drop your trates. They will help a little like previously posted but will not eliminate them. I like the Coralife Super skimmer w/ click wheel. It is a great skimmer and it is reasonbly priced.
The sea horse is a bad idea. Unless you plan on keep a slow moving tank w/ no poewrheads and no active fish. If you are going to keep those type of fish the seahorse will not survive. Simply because they are slow moving and you will never get food to them because of the current from the powerheads and the other tank mates getting to it before him.
The skimmer will not drop your trates. They will help a little like previously posted but will not eliminate them. I like the Coralife Super skimmer w/ click wheel. It is a great skimmer and it is reasonbly priced.
merredeth
Active Member
I wouldn't get a sea horse. They need established tanks (recommended time is about a year I read someplace else) and you will have to get screens to cover your powerheads and have slow moving water.
Sea horses also need pristine water conditions.
I wanted them too for a tank, but I just don't feel like killing a seahorse when I know water movement is too high in all of my tanks to make it possible.
Denise M.
Sea horses also need pristine water conditions.
I wanted them too for a tank, but I just don't feel like killing a seahorse when I know water movement is too high in all of my tanks to make it possible.
Denise M.