Ok. So, how do I get a qt ready for fish. I went through the cycle process and my nitrates were 180. Ammonia and Nitrites were 0. I did a small water change to lower the nitrates and my Nitrites and Ammonia levels rose. A qt is not supposed to have rock or sand in it incase the tank gets infected with disease from a new fish. It should only be equipped with a power head, heater, bio wheel (or sponge filter), and water.
Originally Posted by acekjd83
a biowheel is good but not enough on its own...
a rough estimate of biowheel area:
about 20 "ridges"
x about 1" deep (to be generous)
x about 6" wide
x about 1/8" thick
~15 cubic inches of highly oxygenated substrate... only 3"x5"x1" of sand
granted, this is a more efficient, metabolically active area than underwater sand, but it is not much in the grand scheme of a DSB... it is a supplement, not a replacement, for a biological substrate.
the deeper in the tank samples are taken, the "more accurate" the readings will be, but keep in mind that not all the water is the same... water in the deep sand will have very little, if any, oxygen, and even sand near the surface will have less oxygen than free-flowing water. water vigorously circulating in the water column will tend to be fairly well-equilibrated, but it does NOT represent nutrient levels present in the substrate or in "dead spots" like crevaces and inaccessible cavities within the rockwork. if this water is suddenly mixed with the open water, it will cause the nutrient levels to fluctuate as the stagnant water dumps its load of nutrients, as mentioned above.