Habitat - Indoor :: Question about water quality and nitrogen cycle.

[TurtleKeeper48]

I keep reading up on this stuff, I even posted a question of two, but I’m still not getting something.

I keep reading that when you first set up a new tank, and a new filter, you are going to have to go through the “cycle” process while you establish the biological filter. That I understand.

BUT – In my research, I keep reading over and over again that during this time it is essential that you do frequent partial water changes. That’s what I don’t get. WHY? Is it just to control the levels of Ammonia and Nitrite? Is it just to make sure that the tank does cycle, ammonia never gets TOO high, you don’t get that cloudy bloom, or some other reason? Why do frequent partial water changes at the beginning of the cycle?

My story – I didn’t. I recently set up a new tank and I didn’t do ANY water changes. None. Each week, I just topped off whatever evaporated. I didn’t get my test kit and start testing until two weeks into it. By then it seemed to have already cycled and now I’ve been testing water every two days, and I’m almost a month into it – my water is crystal clear and tests: ammonia = 0, PH = 7.4, Nitrite = 0, Nitrate = 10 . As far as I know, that’s good water quality. Right? Why was I supposed to do partial water changes for the first few weeks? Am I looking for trouble down the road because I didn’t do partial water changes the first couple of weeks?

Did I just get lucky? Is it maybe because the amount of water, the filter and the level of bio filtration it provides, and the bio load itself(the turtles) are all well matched and thus it’s going to cycle pretty easy and trouble free (with no water changes)?

[BullDog]

It is to keep Ammonia and Nitrites in check. Partial water changes in the first couple weeks is usually more for fish, who are much more sensitive to Ammonia and Nitrite. Turtles can be affected by prolonged exposure, but a short time exposed to higher level isn't too harmful.

I think by the time you got your test kit, then tank was already cycled. Did you add anything from an old tank to the new one - substrate, decorations, plants, filter media? If so, that helps along the cycling process, and it could be that your ammonia and nitrite never got very high to start with.

[TurtleKeeper48]

It is to keep Ammonia and Nitrites in check. Partial water changes in the first couple weeks is usually more for fish, who are much more sensitive to Ammonia and Nitrite. Turtles can be affected by prolonged exposure, but a short time exposed to higher level isn't too harmful.

I think by the time you got your test kit, then tank was already cycled. Did you add anything from an old tank to the new one - substrate, decorations, plants, filter media? If so, that helps along the cycling process, and it could be that your ammonia and nitrite never got very high to start with.

Thanks for the reply BullDog.

Yes, I did try to help things along by placing some plastic plants from the old tank in the new one and letting the filter run for a week or so before putting the turtles in... so I guess the filters been running for 5 weeks with the turtles in there for the last 4 weeks.

Thanks for the info - I want to have a thorough understanding because I'm about to set up a second tank (upgrading my son's turtle too) and I've already bought the same sized tank, I'm probably going to buy the same type of filter and try to follow the same maintanence routine... so if I do have trouble, I'm going to have double trouble... I want to really do everything right and avoid trouble.

Thanks for your help!

[BullDog]

That sounds good. If you do the same for your next tank, take a few decorations and the filter from the old tank, you should have no problem cycling it.

I just set up a new 10g myself, and just put a few rocks from another tank in there, and so far no ammonia spike. I think I've had pretty good luck as far as cycling goes.

Just make sure when you do a filter clean you clean the biomedia with tank water or dechlorinated water, otherwise you may have to re-cycle the tank. The other media you can clean in tap water if it's easier. That's what I do.