Actually there is a thread in the scientific section where experimental evidence has shown that removing some of the excess ammonia will actually cause a tank to cycle faster, not slower. The ammonia needed to keep the cycle at top build up rate is actually any bit more than the current bacteria can use. Because our test kit is not perfect at picking up every minor trace of ammonia, no amount of detectable ammonia is the exact amount that we want. The bacteria will continue to grow at levels where the ammonia is not detectable and the fish will be much healthier for having good water to live in. Water changes cause no stress at all in fish when they are replacing bad water with better water. They merely give the fish a chance to survive with no permanent damage as we used to see before the cycling process became well understood. Whether it takes 2 water changes a day or 6, clean water is far more important than the perceived risk of changing water parameters too quickly. If you have ever watched a leaf float along in a river, you will realize that those fish are getting fresh water every few seconds, how can a change every hour cause stress?
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