Petsmart's Advice

[angelmom]

I have to agree with Froggy only because I was having major ammonia problems and once I moved all my decorations and vacuumed under them did I help my cause. I've found from advise and experience that vacuuming the gravel every time I do a water change it keeps everything just as it should be. I'm sure the part of the reason is over feeding but and I've cut that back quite a bit. In all the time I've been coming here one thing I have learned is that most new MTFers over feed and vacuuming the remains up helps a lot.

 

[rohnds]

Why we should vacuum during a cycling process?
During the nitrogen cycle (whether it is in your tank or naturally or anywhere else), cannot start without NH3. Suppose I have a 200 gallon tank and I place a small male guppy or a table spoon of NH3. It will take a fairly long time for the nitrifying bacteria. Yet the same amount of NH3 in 10 gal tank is more than sufficient for the nitrogen cycle to start. The nitrogen cycle needs a source of NH3 as a food source for the bacteria. Without this food their development is will inhibited. During the early developing nitrogen cycle it is never good idea to remove this NH3 source i.e. vacuuming the gravel. The this food source NH3 is not on the gravel or ornaments but trapped under the gravel. Removing this food source, NH3, retards the nitrogen cycle and prolong the cycling of your tank.

Now once the tank is established (fully cycled tank or nitrogen cycle has completed or nitrifying bacteria has colonized), the only way to bring down the NH3 is vacuum to gravel since in this gravel is now a NH3 trap.

Rohn

 

[rohnds]

Please visit my web site to learn how to use the internet as a research tool.
IF you are beginner I would do couple of things to learn the correct information.

First step is posting in forums like this. Don’t just post this question in one forum. Post it in different forum and compare and evaluate the answer. And then you might able to filter out the “junk”.

The next step is pick a book or search the internet using the search function such as “google”. Again beware of personal websites that post info without references, bibliography, authors and updated dates or credentials. Today it is easy for any with access to an computer to publish a web page. That doesn’t mean they are always accurate.

Rohn

 

[homebunnyj]

Great idea for fishless cycle, rohnds. However, if you have fish in, you know you have to keep the ammonia within safe levels to avoid fish death. That would be the reason for vacuuming during the cycle. With a fish-in cycle, you must be content with slower development of the nitrifying bacteria colony.

 

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I already cycled the tank with Bio Spira after the guppy died. I don't have any test kits but the fish are fine. Can we stop talking about cycling and three year olds and try to answer some of the questions like: Does anyone else have dragon fish or how about the silver dollar questions?

 

[Lotus]

I'm not seeing a question about silver dollars or dragon fish in this thread. I guess if you cycled with Bio-Spira this thread is pretty much finished with.

Silver dollars aren't suitable for either of your tanks, as they get to 6", and won't have room to swim in a 10g or 20g tank.

 

[FroggyFox]

I think since he's talking about questions in other threads we'll close this one.