water changes during cycle?

[hackteck]

like the topic says do you guys recommend a water change during the fishless cycle?. i just did a test my ammonia is 1.0 nitrite is maybe 15 or so cant really tell between 15-20, nitrate is around the same, been cycling since friday morning. could my tests be so high due to die off from the rocks? because i didnt put the shrimp in there till yesterday morning and already my tests are reading pretty high thanks in advance

 

[hackteck]

also is an ro/di unit really needed? i dont have one yet and ive been using tap water with start right to remove metals and chlorine/chloramine

 

[fishrfreinds]

thats pretty high nitrite.

 

[Hara]

Do not do any water changes if there is no fish or inverts in the tank. You will just slow down the cycling process. You will really want to change over to ro water when you do your water change at the end of the cycle. This will prevent undesireable algae etc from becoming a problem in your tank.

 

[melosu58]

I agree that you will want the ro/di unit. Tap water is a big fuel source for algea. I buy it from my LFS but will be ordering myself one next month.

 

[emorrison33]

Using start right does remove heavy metals and detoxifies chlorine and chloramines, but then you need to detoxify the ammonia that is released from the chloramine break down. If you need to use tap water, I would run it through some kinf of filter, like a brita or Pur water filter (remove the metals) and then use Kent Ammonia Detox for removing the chlorine and chloramine, and also the ammonia. It doesn't actually remove the ammonia, but detoxifies it until your biological process can break it down.

 

[hackteck]

i just checked this morning, and the ammonia is undetectable, but my nitrite is about 15 or so. isnt the ammonia to nitrite cycle supposed to last longer no? also the shrimp i dropped in the tank is like gone lol. i dropped it in the tank right in the front where i could see it 2 days ago, last night before i went to bed it was there, today i wake up and its gone. maybe i have a crab or somethin because it didnt just blow away it was 60/80 jumbo shrimp so it wasnt light it didnt get blown away by my power heads i'm sure of it heh. anything like this happen to anyone else?

 

[lando]

Sounds like your cycle is well under-way. Wait until NO2 is testing zero and you see an increase in NO3. This is the tail end of your cycle. Do a large (50%) water change and re-test all parameters for the following week. If all looks well, you may begin to add livestock very slowly. Good luck!

 

[hackteck]

ok i tested today my nitrites are 0 and my ammonia is 0 my trates are 10 or so, i dont think i had much of a cycle. i added a second shrimp yesterday but it didnt make any of my levels rise, do you think my tank is cycled ? or should i try to add another ammonia source. i dont want to add any livestock into my tank and go through them dying due to ammonia or nitrite

 

[lando]

Sounds like your cycle is complete. As mentioned, do a large water change and follow the parameters for the next few days. I would actually remove the second shrimp you added. If all is well in a few days add your first fish. Monitor parameters daily and be prepared to do water changes as needed. Wait a couple of weeks before adding another fish. This will give the tank's biological filtration a chance to catch up with the new bioload. Now...whatsize tank and what are your stocking ideas?

 

[hackteck]

its a 55g with around 80 lbs of lr and 60lbs of live sand. eventually i want to add corals when my tank matures, i understand its better to do that about 6 months or so after your tank i setup, so i want fish that wont nip at corals any recommendations?

 

[lando]

If you have asparations of doing a reef tank, stick with fish that are considered reef-safe from the begining as save yourself trouble down the road. You have lots of options...a small school of blue/green chromis, royal gramma, firefish, reef-safe wrasses, clowns, gobies, and others. In a 55 with 80lbs of LR you should be able to start with a pair of percula or ocellaris clowns with no problems. They are common and popular fish, but are a lot of fun to watch and add nice color to the tank.