water change during cycle

[fuax]

Tizzo thats fine I have no problem with a great discussion but I have done the experiment you are going to do and if you start from scratch with no live sand and no live rock in either tank with the same number of starters (fish or inverts). You will see that I am correct in my first post.
I did it with 2 -10 gallon tanks. Set up one as the control and the other as the water change tank. You will see it will take longer to cycle the tank that is having the water changes to it. You must make sure you feed exactly the same in each tank everything must be the same in each set up with the exception of the water changes. Tizzo I wish I still had all the data i collected from that experiment to share with you. If you do do this please record everything and send me a copy of your results. I would be really interested if it differs from what I can remember.
( I got into this arguement 15 years ago with someone I worked with at a fish store, and I will say I beleived just as Tizzo does but in the end I ended up proving my self wrong which is why I did more research and posted as I did.)

 

[tizzo]

Actually I was thinking of doing 2 rubbermaid bins and cycling with uncured live rock, (to kill two birds with one stone) and nothing living 'cept what comes in as hitch hikers. No feeding either tank. Then maybe I'll try the same experiment using a cocktail shrimp.
I am anxious!! I will record all the data on a daily though. I will get your email addy later!!

 

[55gsw]

You do a water change during the cycling process to save the hitchikkers on your rock. What's the point of paying for all that life only to let it die? If you have fish in the tank you need to do water changes even more so. All that ammonia will damage the fishes gills if not outright kill them. Even though it does slow down the cycle, so what? Think of what you will save....
Of course this doesn't apply to dead rock and the raw shrimp cycling method where no life is there to start with!!

 

[bang guy]

Keeping the Ammonia level below 0.5ppm does not slow down the cycle. If there is measureable Ammonia levels then there's plenty of food to grow the bacteria population.