Fishless cycle questions

ReefGeezer

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The bacteria that's already on the rocks isn't going anywhere. The actual water doesn't have anything more beneficial pre water change. @brandon429 is there anything to show water changes can harm the environment being created?
I never said the bacteria would be removed, just possibly stressed. I'll bow out here so the thread can move along.
 
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zdrc

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I am on the side of doing a large water change. The changed water will have traces in it like any properly mixed saltwater. The nitrifying bacteria are not suspended in the water so the water change won't get rid of them.

You could damage the bacteria population if the changed water ended up having a radically different salinity, but it shouldn't if you mix the saltwater correctly and test. IMO nitrifying bacteria aren't nearly as delicate as people make them out to be. As long as the salinity is approximately the same and there's no chlorine/chloromines in the water you'll be fine.

Doing small water changes is a waste of salt in this specific case. Three 25% water changes will remove less nitrate than one 75% water change. For example, after each 25% water change, 75% of the nitrate will still be present. Therefore, three 25% water changes leaves 0.75^3 = 0.42 or 42% of the nitrate. One 75% water change will leave 25% of the nitrate.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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My offer is this: neither choice on water change affects cycle status

The tank could carry fish right now with no ammonia burn due to days underwater and the already charted ammonia movement down, by day ten like a cycling chart shows

We're on time there again, neat thing that cycling tanks do.

Literally the only thing I'd care about if that was my reef would be to instate disease preps for fish before adding them. It can carry fish today, but if you skip preps, read the first 20 help threads in the disease forum today to see what will happen by March


The bacteria for cycling were done and ready and attached before this test kit gave permission so now the only issue for me would be all disease preps ran via humblefish or Jay's method. There's no need to consider the cycle further


How someone wants to manage algae, clean water vs waste water with nitrate, isn't related to bioload carry ability its a mode of reefing someone chooses. The tank can carry fish and no water change will harm the filter from here on out is the closed matter of bioload carry.
 
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