Water changes during cycling and general questions

[cowhelmet]

Hi,
This is my first post and let me start by saying I've been reading these forums for about 3 weeks now, and I have to say I love how helpful everyone seems.
I've had my 55g tank setup for two weeks now, and am using 3 Damsels and about 70lb of LR to cycle.
In reading websites about cycling the tank. Some sources have said not to perform a water change during the cycling process due to it slowing down the completion times, and other sites have said to do a 10% change after two weeks.
Does anyone have a good answer for this? My nitrate is at 10ppm, and nitrite is at 1 ppm. Ph 8.2, Ammonia .25. Currently I am running a protein skimmer and I think this is the only thing keeping my Damsels alive.
Also can anyone recommend some ideas that have helped to make the cycling process go smoothly? I used RO water and am keeping a bag of carbon in my filter.
I'm not sure if I should be expecting any green algae to grow at this point. I have started to notice some Coralline *(sp) purple algae starting to appear on my LR.
Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Cowhelmet
Hi,
This is my first post and let me start by saying I've been reading these forums for about 3 weeks now, and I have to say I love how helpful everyone seems.
I've had my 55g tank setup for two weeks now, and am using 3 Damsels and about 70lb of LR to cycle.
In reading websites about cycling the tank. Some sources have said not to perform a water change during the cycling process due to it slowing down the completion times, and other sites have said to do a 10% change after two weeks.
Does anyone have a good answer for this? My nitrate is at 10ppm, and nitrite is at 1 ppm. Ph 8.2, Ammonia .25. Currently I am running a protein skimmer and I think this is the only thing keeping my Damsels alive.
Also can anyone recommend some ideas that have helped to make the cycling process go smoothly? I used RO water and am keeping a bag of carbon in my filter.
I'm not sure if I should be expecting any green algae to grow at this point. I have started to notice some Coralline *(sp) purple algae starting to appear on my LR.
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Ok, first off welcome to swf.com!!!!!! You realy didn't need to torture the heck out of those damsels, your rock would have cycled the tank just fine. You are near the end of the cycle. Your ammonia is down to .25 and you have nitrite. Your cycle is going as it should. Your poor damsels are going to be stresed through the trite spike, but if they could live through the ammonia spike and all of the other crap they have been through so far I guesse a little nitrite won't kill them. That was horribly cruel BTW to use damsels with rock to cycle your tank. I am sure you didn't know better and were probably told to do so, but the rock would have done the job all by itself!

 

[sign guy]

welcome to swf.com tell us more about your tank
also sepulation is right if you wanted a bigger spike you could have used some coktail shrimp they will do the exact same thing

 

[greymach]

i also used damsels when my tank was pretty much cycled already and i just took them out today. It was so hard. I had to take out almost all of my LR. But i did it. I liked my yellow tail blue damsel but i guess he wasnt worth having him around later to pick on the other fish later on.

 

[cowhelmet]

Looking back on it I don't know why my LFS recommended using damsels. They insisted that due to the hardy nature of the fish that it was common to use Damsels for the first 30 days. They even said that after my cycling process was done, I could return the Damsels for half credit.
Should I be doing 10 to 20% water changes this early in the game? Or should I wait until the first month is over with?
Also is 55 gallons to small for a juvinelle blue hippo tang? Also in looking at the fish for sale on this site, I read that a small lemon peel angel could work in tanks 40g and up? Does anyone have experience in keeping a lemon peel in a tank this size?
My next concern after getting the tank cycled is when I should get a cleaning crew. My LFS offers a bundled crew for a 55g tank for $70. I was wondering when it would be okay to add this.
Thanks in advance

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by Cowhelmet
Looking back on it I don't know why my LFS recommended using damsels. They insisted that due to the hardy nature of the fish that it was common to use Damsels for the first 30 days. They even said that after my cycling process was done, I could return the Damsels for half credit.

stupid lfs
Should I be doing 10 to 20% water changes this early in the game? Or should I wait until the first month is over with? I would wait till every thing was done cycling that way you biuld a larger bio load
Also is 55 gallons to small for a juvinelle blue hippo tang? Also in looking at the fish for sale on this site, I read that a small lemon peel angel could work in tanks 40g and up? Does anyone have experience in keeping a lemon peel in a tank this size? 55 is way to small for a tang but a lemon should be fine
My next concern after getting the tank cycled is when I should get a cleaning crew. My LFS offers a bundled crew for a 55g tank for $70. I was wondering when it would be okay to add this.
Thanks in advance
I would wait till after you do your water change