How Not To Undo A Cycle

[Loopy6588]

I really think my tank is cycled and it feels like a miracle. It couldn't have happened at a better time. This is very first go round so what are some common things I can avoid to ensure I don't ruin the cycle?

I haven't touched the filter and it'll be a month this Sunday. So if I need to do anything with that, I want to make sure I do it right. Tips?

I also don't know how to clean/do anything with gravel. Are there specific products?

I'm super excited about being done with frequent water changes and don't want to undo it!

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Lorekeeper]

Of course, never let chlorinated water touch the tank. Always make sure to add Prime before any water goes into the tank!

I'd leave the filter until it's literally falling apart, and then you can add in a sponge/Matrix to seed in the hob in order to avoid wasting money on replacement filters. If your filter starts to slow down due to the gunk on your filter pad, rinse it off in old tank water.

I'd just buy a siphon for your gravel, to make water changes easier and also to allow you to get all that gunk out of you gravel.

You should still be doing weekly water changes in most tanks, just so ya know. Not sure what your definition of "frequent" is, though.

 

[Loopy6588]

Thanks, I will have to be especially careful with putting in too much Prime. I'm not crazy with it but I do probably put a few more drops in than strictly necessary. Had no idea that was causing more ammonia!

A little confused on the filter explanation but I can Google that. Good to know it's okay sitting in there for a good while. I may need to rinse it in tank water though, it looks awful gross.

I was doing daily/every other day water changes so switching to weekly sounds glorious. Is 50% okay or do I need to go higher?

 

[finnipper59]

I really think my tank is cycled and it feels like a miracle. It couldn't have happened at a better time. This is very first go round so what are some common things I can avoid to ensure I don't ruin the cycle?

I haven't touched the filter and it'll be a month this Sunday. So if I need to do anything with that, I want to make sure I do it right. Tips?

I also don't know how to clean/do anything with gravel. Are there specific products?

I'm super excited about being done with frequent water changes and don't want to undo it!

Thanks for any tips!

Get youself a gravel vacuuming hose from your petshop. Vacuum your water changes from the gravel always when you do water changes so you will get fish poop and uneaten food out of the tank. If any filter sponges or other media in your filter starts to get full, clean by vigorously shaking and squeezing them in water with dechlorinator or some tank and replace them. Even though you will have squished out the gunk, the nitrifying bacteria will still be in the filtering media. Keep that 75 gallon set up somewhere for a quarantine tank and and add 1 species at a time. The biggest problem with large tanks is the tendency to overfeed, so be careful with that.

 

[Loopy6588]

Get youself a gravel vacuuming hose from your petshop. Vacuum your water changes from the gravel always when you do water changes so you will get fish poop and uneaten food out of the tank. If any filter sponges or other media in your filter starts to get full, clean by vigorously shaking and squeezing them in water with dechlorinator or some tank and replace them. Even though you will have squished out the gunk, the nitrifying bacteria will still be in the filtering media. Keep that 75 gallon set up somewhere for a quarantine tank and and add 1 species at a time. The biggest problem with large tanks is the tendency to overfeed, so be careful with that.

Thanks! I don't know if my profile is wrong but I actually have a too small tank due to inheriting/rescuing the fish unexpectedly. He's only in a two gallon for now and I'm actually having trouble finding a hose for a smaller tank. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd appreciate it. I know he needs an upgrade soon but I had to figure out how to keep him healthy and alive first!