What is considered too often?

[BODYDUB]

I have a few questions about water changes and beneficial bacteria as it related to the health of the tank.

1. As I understand it beneficial bacteria just lives on physical items such as substrate and filter media, but does not just hang out in the water correct?

The live on any surface thay can find...........

2. So water changes should only add to the health of the tank, are there negatives to changing the water too often?

W/C's are needed to drop nitrate levels which can get to high and cause health problems. W/C's are based on stock and size of tank...........

3. How often should I gravel vac the substrate when doing water changes, is every time too much?

I vacuum my gravel when I do my w/cs with my siphon. I do a 50% w/c weekly on my 100G. Vacumming out your gravel will not harm anything. There are many many tanks without any gravel..........

4. Is BB attached pretty well to the substrate such that the vacuum action only picks up deteriorating fish poo/food and other items you don't want sitting?

BB only help a little without any filtration. If BB did it's own thing then we woudd'nt need filters to help. Tanks have to be filtered in an established tank in order to keep ammonia and nitrite levels at 0..........

5. Will pulling items out of the aquarium for ~15-30min while cleaning the tank kill the BB by not being in water?

As long as they stay moist the BB will survive.........

Also, can someone tell me how many times my 20g tank turns the volume over with an emperor 280 and top fin 20 HOB filters? Getting my learn on with this tank before I setup my 22nd bday present to myself, 100g tank. Thanks in advance to whoever can clear up these topics to a noob.

I have 2 aqua tech 30/60s on my 100G, but I just have two 13" oscars in in............

 

[BODYDUB]

Does anyone have any good sites breaking down the cycle process and bacteria involved into a chemical in depth analysis? Being science minded I'd enjoy reading more in depth than what most people provide, leaving you with a feeling of taking their word for it all.

Cycling your tank is probably something that you have never heard of unless you have been paying attention to the *.aquaria news groups, you have several friends with tanks, or you are working with a fairly good pet shop. The effects of the cycling process are sometimes referred to as "New Tank Syndrome."
"Cycling the tank" means that you are establishing a bacteria bed in your biological filter to remove the toxins that the fish's metabolism creates. There are right and wrong ways to do this, and several things you can do to slow this process (which you don't want to do). There are two steps to cycling, but you don't have to do anything special for either of them. First, your filter will grow a culture of bacteria that digest ammonia and turn it into Nitrite (which is more toxic than the ammonia in hard water or water with a higher pH), then your filter produces bacteria that digest Nitrite and turn it into relatively harmless Nitrate. However, Nitrate will contribute to loss of appetite and stress in your fish, as well as contributing to algae growth, so it is important to do regular small water changes to keep your tank in best condition. Read more on water changes while the tank is cycling.
How Do I Cycle MY Tank?

You should cycle your tank with a small number of fish. They should be hearty fish, and something that you will want to have in your tank in the long run. Do not cycle your tank with lots of feeder goldfish. Do not cycle your tank with any goldfish unless you intend to keep goldfish. Unfortunately many pet shops suggest this. If you want to know why, you could review my no goldfish page.
What Fish Should I Use?



For a tank of small community fish, White Clouds or Zebra Danios are good cycling fish; Cherry Barbs or Tiger Barbs are good for a slightly more aggressive tank; or Pseudotropheus zebra is a good choice for an African Cichlid tank. Your local pet shop should be able to point you toward some hardy fish of the type you are looking to keep. Purchase a small number (the number will depend on the size of your aquarium and type of fish and -to a lesser degree- the type of filter) of these fish and introduce them to your tank. For a ten to twenty gallon tank, two or three small schooling fish or one small cichlid would be more than sufficient. Let the tank sit for a couple of days, feeding your fish carefully to prevent excess food from decaying and fouling the water. There are several reasons that you do not want to cycle your tank with a large number of fish, here are a few:

1. Cycling a tank with many fish will produce a lot more waste, which will be stressful to your fish, resulting in higher die-off and greater susceptibility to disease.
2. Cycling with a large number of fish will increase water problems incurred during the cycling process.
3. Cycling with a lot of fish can contribute to a foul smell coming from the tank.

Every couple of days, do a 10%-15% water change, and after about a week, take a sample of your water to a fish store to get it tested. Most pet shops will test fresh water for a minimal fee, or even for free! If the store you got the fish from won't, check to see if there is another local store that will. At this point, your water should test with high ammonia and maybe a trace of nitrite. If it isn't, don't worry. Just give the tank time. The cycling process usually takes four to eight weeks.
After about eight weeks, your ammonia and Nitrite levels should be acceptable (about trace levels), and you can add more fish. Do not add more fish until the ammonia and Nitrite levels have both dropped. Remember to add new fish a few at a time to prevent over-stressing the filter. If you add too many at once, your tank will have to cycle again, yet if you add a few at a time, your bacteria growth rate will just increase for a short time, with minimal effect on your fish.