is this right?

[teknikz]

my girlfriends mum is doing a fishless cycle on her tank.....she's using ammonia to cycle the tank instead.......but she's read something that tells her what to do once the tank is cycled.......heres the article

a large water change (50-70%) should be done before adding any fish to the tank to lower nitrate levels, which can be a pain to bring down later. When changing the water during a fishless cycle, do NOT use dechlorinators that also sequester ammonia, such as the very popular Amquel. I have heard from at least one individual who did everything right with regards to cycling her tank using this method... the tank cycled quickly, then she did a water change, then added a reasonable fishload the following day with more than adequate filtration, and observed both an ammonia and a nitrite spike. The only explanation that I could think of after questioning her extensively led back to the Amquel.

right.....to me....that doesnt sound right......but i may be wrong

id have thought not usin a dechlorinator would have meant that the chlorine in the water would kill the bacteria in ur filter thats just been built up from the cycle.....and therefore causing ur tank to cycle/mini cycle again.......

am i right?.......should she do as the article says or once the ammonia and nitrite/nitrate reads zero add the fish then?

 

[teknikz]

awwwwwwwwwww man i read it wrong

but..............she's followin some guidelines from another link she had

Finally ammonia and nitrite are zero. You’ve done it! Before you rush to the local fish store (LFS) to get fish, you need to do a few more things. First I would like for you to wait one or two more days to make sure that your tank is fully cycled. Si
Simply add some more ammonia and monitor your water parameters. After two days if the levels of ammonia and nitrite are still zero, you know can rest assured that your tank is cycled.
7. The last thing you need to do is a big water change. A 60% to 90% water change is necessary before adding fish. All that ammonia you have added has now turned into nitrate, and its level is simply too high for your fish. After the water change, don’t let the tank sit empty for a long time. The bacteria you have just cultivated in the tank will need ammonia as food to stay alive.
8. Go out and get those fish that you have been waiting for all this time. Remember to stock and feed the tank moderately.

is the 60-90% water change necessary?

 

[Wasserpest]

Water changes are always good How much depends a little on the NO3 level. Why not get a test kit... try to keep it @ 20 ppm or less, and change water accordingly...

 

[aquamanis]

Hi, as that article explains, all the ammonia has now been converted to nitrates which are still in the water unless you,ve got plants to use it up. Thats why that last big water change is important to get the nitrates back down to a non toxic level before adding the fish.