Fish Tank Info

How long does it take to cycle a fish tank.And i get different info on how much to change the water a week?

Some tell me that it does not matter how much you change the water.Water does not have no good bacteria in it.Then others say never change more the 50 percent per week which one is true.I have tryed both i my fish seem fine either way.I was told that the good bacteria live on the gravel and the ornaments not the water.But then i hear the other way to that is the reason they say don’t change over 50 percent a week.Which one is true.does good bacteria live in the water.

The cycle bacteria live on all the solid surfaces in the tank, mostly the filter media, but also on the gravel, ornaments and the glass. A few stray ones are floating in the water, but they are just drifting about looking for a new place to colonise. Thats how they can spread to new filter media etc.

You can change 100 of the water and not loose cycle, but thats pretty stressfull for the fish, especially if the new water has different parameters from the old tank water. So I suggest only changing up to 50% at a time.

As to how much, the exact amount you NEED to change depends on the number, size and type of fish and how much they are eating. Water changes control the Nitrate buildup in the water that is the end result of the cycle. If the tank is really heavily stocked maybe you will
need to do 50% per week. If the tank is only lightly stocked then 10% per week may be enough. But changing more than you need to will do no harm, so if in doubt, change more water.

How long it takes for the cycle to start up properly depends on a lot of things. If you seed the tank with old filter media then you can have some cycle on day 1. Or it may take 6 weeks to fully build up from scratch. It’s also affected by temp, ammonia level and pH so it’s impossible to give an exact number.

Ian

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