lewisjameel

An I Suppose To Do Water Changes While My Tank Is Cycling

Lucy

If you're cycling with fish, yes. If you're doing a fishless cyle, no.

lewisjameel

i am cycling with fish how much water and how often

Lucy

About 50% daily.

Here's a brief explanation of the cycling process:

First your ammonia (from fish waste and left over food) will rise.
In a few weeks you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop.
After a few more weeks you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.
Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to your fish.
So until your cycle is complete, you need to keep the levels down with daily water changes.
When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.

Using Prime as your water condition will detoxify the ammonia between water changes but still make it available to the bacteria.

Here's a link to a more in depth explanation:

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Good luck

cerianthus

It all depends. What size tank and what kind of fish? 50% in S/W change is too much for S/W at one time, especially while cycling, not mention the cost of salt.
Like to know how long tank been running and Ammonia and nitrite level.
If you do have NH3, and/or NO2 registering, best bet is to add live rock. Since you have fishes, MAKE SURE LR is well cured. Smell the rock before purchasing. Choose the rocks that do not have any rotten odors and/or any white fungus growing on the dead matters. May add directly into tank since cycling.

When adding LR to well established tank, should hold them in separate container w/ well aged S/W with circulation and heaters if possible to match tank temp for couple of week to make sure it is well cured.

Would not use any dechlorinator in S/W reserve, especially for REEF Tank.. Rather prepare reserve w/ RO/DI or API Tap Water Conditioner and perculate well with Air Stone. Match up temp before using reserve water or have heaters in reserve.

Live Rock will do wonders, not just for cycling, but for entire mini system in long run.

Used to cycled the tank with uncured LR, w/o any livestock, for many years, w/ great results.

LMK the condition of tank and I'll do my best to assist.

Cerianthus.

Lucy

Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't notice this was SW. My advise is for a FW tank.

Thanks for the catch cerianthus.