Goldfish nitrogen cycle

[hisyamk]

what is the best way to complete nitrogen cycle? Is it good to use bacteria supplemet like seachem stability and prime etc? Or just let nature take it’s course? I have quite an overstock tank with goldfish. My tank is 850 litres and i have 17 gold fishes with size ranging from 4 to 5 inches.

 

[BigBurgassio]

Any pictures of the tank ?

Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

With an overstocked tank containing large fish, you should do big (75%) water changes every few days, or any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm. You should also gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change.

I would add a liquid filter bacteria supplement to help speed up the cycling process. Add a double dose every day for a week and then pour the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the filter bacteria near the filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter where it belongs.

If you add a filter bacteria supplement, do it after a water change, not before.

 

[hisyamk]

With an overstocked tank containing large fish, you should do big (75%) water changes every few days, or any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm. You should also gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change.

I would add a liquid filter bacteria supplement to help speed up the cycling process. Add a double dose every day for a week and then pour the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the filter bacteria near the filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter where it belongs.

If you add a filter bacteria supplement, do it after a water change, not before.

I’m using seachem stability for bacteria supplement to speed up the process. Been using it for 1 week but my ammonia has never dropped to zero. I performed 50% water change every day. How long usually can i see some changes after using stability?

 

[hisyamk]

Any pictures of the tank ?

Thanks

I have a 250 litres sump tank with 21kg mountain tree media, bio ring 2.5kg and 500g biohome ultimate

 

[Colin_T]

I’m using seachem stability for bacteria supplement to speed up the process. Been using it for 1 week but my ammonia has never dropped to zero. I performed 50% water change every day. How long usually can i see some changes after using stability?

Don't know about stability.

Normally without a filter bacteria supplement you have ammonia readings for 2-3 weeks, then they drop to 0ppm virtually overnight. When that happens you start to get nitrite readings and they last 2-3 weeks before dropping overnight. Once that happens the tank is cycled.

Don't test for nitrates until the filter has finished cycling because nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false nitrate reading.

Normally if you add a filter bacteria supplement, the cycling process is reduced by about half (2-3 weeks).

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You need a substrate in your tank and a heap of live plants. Goldfish need plants in their diet and at least half of their diet should be plant based. Some good plants for them include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, narrow Vallis, and Duckweed (a small floating plant).