[readingbabelfish]

Ok guys, I have seen a lot of posts about cycling a tank. I just did a 25percent water change on my 55g tank. I have five three inch rbp's in there. I have amazon swords and 260 watts of 10000k light in the tank. I also have 2 plecos in there. I have been testing the water and have had no ammonia, no nitrites, and some nitrates. I have had the tank running almost 3 months. I did the water change and used reverse osmosis water. Now I am reading no ammonia, but some nitrites! What the heck!!? I don't know what is going on, but it seems like the water I used must have contained nitrites. As for the nitrites, I wonder why the bacteria hasn't ate them. I will keep testing and let you guys know what happens. Thanks for listening!!

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

hmm, make sure not to use too much RO water, its too pure for fish, use about 30% max

 

[Atlanta Braves Baby!]

what is RO water?

 

[WebHostExpert]

thought I answered that atlanta,,, Humm

MAD

 

[Netmancer]

RO water is reverse osmosis water. I will have to disagree with Nate's comment about it being too pure though. Not wanting to start an argument, but being a betta breeder for years I have done a number of experiments with different kinds of filtration and I have found that RO water is the best IMHO. Distilled water should not be used since it is devoid of all nutrients, but RO water is simply passed through a purous substance that removes most harmful chemicals and metals, then through carbon, then UV light. I know this is the case with bettas, but it may not be the same for piranhas, maybe they're more sensitive to something missing due to the RO process. Any other input to argue for or against my point would be appreciated.

 

[Atlanta Braves Baby!]

thought I answered that atlanta,,, Humm

MAD

You did "mad" I asked you in a PM after I posted this here. I had a bet going on with my buddy because he disagread with me. I won!

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

RO water is what labs use for science experiments, its is about 99.9% pure which means all that is left is hydrogen and oxygen molecules, no nutrients and minerals. the one I have leaves water 99.7% pure, but perhaps yours has been altered so it runs faster and less pure