Tank cycled..... now what?

[SamanthaJayne]

I have finished my nitrogen cycle and have read a few articles that say do a 90% water change and others that say do a 25% at the most.
Should I do a big water change?
Also how to I go about cleaning my filter no that it has all the beneficial bacteria in it?
Thanks in advance

Sent from my ME371MG using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[RadMax8]

Well, if your tank is fully cycled, it probably means you have a very large amount of nitrAtes. The only way this can be resolved is through a large water change (90%). Measure your nitrAtes after this, if they are still a little high you can change more water.

As far as cleaning your filter, here's what I do: When I do a water change, I pull my filter media and sponge out and swish the media in the old tank water and squeeze the sponge out. I do this a few times until the filter looks clean to me.

Hope this helps.

 

[trennamw]

What he said.

None of your bacteria are in the water so there is no harm in removing it, along with all the wastes from your cycle.


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

I have finished my nitrogen cycle and have read a few articles that say do a 90% water change and others that say do a 25% at the most.
Should I do a big water change?
Also how to I go about cleaning my filter no that it has all the beneficial bacteria in it?
Thanks in advance

Sent from my ME371MG using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Hello Sam...

After my tank cycled, I started removing and replacing 50 percent of the tank water every week. I had all the plants and fish in, so to keep the tank water clean of dissolved wastes I thought half was about right. I'd remove most of the dissolved wastes from the fish and plants and the rest was diluted to a safe level in all the new, treated tap water.

With a water change so large, I found I didn't need to service the filter very often because it was simply filtering water that was already clean. I eventually stopped testing too, because I knew if I changed out half the water every week, there was never a problem with toxins building up in the water. It was always toxin free.

The large, weekly water changes sure saves a lot on time and money.

B