First hand experience from an aquarium newb
May 20, 2009 7:46 am Daily life, Random Helpful tips, fishI am learning first hand what a difference a cycled tank makes. The Donna’s have really needed very little maintenance; every day I check their water and it shows no ammonia or nitrites. I feed them and move on. I will do regular water changes based on their nitrate, but it’s still reading really low and I’m learning through the tests how long I can wait between changes.
Meanwhile, Takeyo’s tank is cycling because I didn’t do a fish-less cycle on his tank before I got him. He looks terrible, his tail is trashed, but he’s still very active and that’s great. Every time I do a test his nitrites read 1.0 or more, which is sooo bad for any fish. I’ve now been doing 70% water changes every 12 or so hours and the work seems never-ending. I know some people would ask why I work so hard at it, and the answer is: this is a living thing. A creature God made and I agreed to take care of him as best I know how. So if I know that nitrites are not supposed to be that high for the health of a fish, I know that this is a process called cycling and it’s not a surprise (I regret not doing a fish-less cycle before I got him.) and I am the only person responsible for changing his water- well I gotta do it.
But what I learned from this is how much easier to cycle the tank without fish. You can let the levels skyrocket because you are not simultaneously trying to care for a living thing. Having the 2 tanks side by side really drives the point home.
Take my advice: cycle your tank BEFORE you get any fish.
June 12th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I had been planning to have an aquarium myself. I do not know much about cycling but i do know that people who values animals , like the one that you are doing, are sensible and good people.