# Water changes ?



## cumbrianewbie (Jul 25, 2013)

I'm currently cycling a new tank.

It's being going a few weeks and after the fish less (adding food) method for a couple of days, I have put two small bristle nose pleco in there.

So I've had ammonia readings, then high nitrite readings. Now the nitrite has tailed off (0.3 today) but I'm not sure whether to do small water changes or just leave it and wait ?

Will daily/bi daily water changes help or speed things up ? Or will it do very little ?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Water changes will just make it possible for your BN plecos to survive by keeping ammonia and nitrite down below 1.0ppm. It can easily take six weeks to cycle a tank.


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## cumbrianewbie (Jul 25, 2013)

Thanks for that.

With the bristle nose, they were taken from our neglected community tank at work. Considering its well under filtered and over stocked, I am assuming that if they can survive in there then they will survive anywhere !

There is actually a lone kribensis in there with guppies, platys and gourami. Not sure that should work but all seem happy enough.

As for my cycling, I've actually lost count of how long it's been going now. I'm fully aware it may take weeks but I'm taking regular readings anyway in the hope it won't be long. If Nitrites have peaked then dropped, I think I'm more than half way there now ?


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