mitch126

I was reading a post and Neville advised to do a full water change once a month I am a little puzzled I am doing a fishless cycle I was advised to do this for about 3 weeks to a month that means doing a full change every month I would never get any fish I only have 1 tank sorry if I seem a bit stupid but I am new to this heeellllllppppp

sgould

Well, 3 things...

First, it is possible to do a full change and not have to cycle again. This is because the bacteria that cycle your tank do not actually live in the water. They live on surfaces. In particular, in the filter media and substrate. Therefore, so long as you do not disturb those or allow them to dry out, doing a 100% water change is possible.

BUT...

Secand, doing a total water change just for the sake of doing a total water change is not something I would recommend. If your tank is healthy and your water parameters are in line, it is only necessary to change 20-25% of the water once per week, and you are done. Larger changes, up to and including 100% would only be done if you had a serious issue in your tank that you were trying to correct...disease, algae, high ammonia/nitrites, etc

And finally...

If you are cycling fishless, don't do any water changes at all until your cycle is complete. Water changes slow the cycle down, so you would only do them if there are fish in the tank that need relief from high ammonia/nitrite levels. Once your cycle is done, do a 50% change, wait a few hours, and test your nitrates. Once your nitrates are at a safe level (preferably below 20), go ahead and begin adding fish.

mitch126

Thank you for the info sgould I feel much better now must say I am glad I found this web site very helpful and friendly people cheers

sgould

You're welcome. Glad you are enjoying the site!