Quote Originally Posted by Kristen87 View Post
Personally I've found the best way to cycle a tank is to limit water changes unless the readings are on the very highest end of the scale, while using a product like stress zyme or Prime which detoxifies the ammonia/nitrites so that they are not harmful to the inhabitants. If you continually do water changes then the bacteria that you are trying to grow in the filter to naturally rid the tank of ammonia/nitrite will not grow as quickly because it will have no ammonia/nitrite to feed off so the whole cycle process will be extended. For me this makes it easier to monitor when your water has completed its nitrogen cycle too, as you will see a major spike in ammonia and this will then drop down and you will have a major spike in nitrites which will then also drop and then depending on the amount of live plants in your tank you will have some nitrates which will hopefully drop (plants will absorb the nitrates from the water). I know other people prefer to do daily water changes to make sure the chemistry is at a safe level but I find this isn't necessary if you are using a product to detoxify ammonia/nitrites while leaving them present in the water to assist in the growth of good bacteria in the filter media. This is just my personal opinion and what has worked for me though.

I'm not overly experienced with stress zyme but I know the product I use - Prime - removes chorine and chloramine so I just add that to my tap water so that I don't need to leave it sitting for any time and can pour it in straight away. You might want to read the bottle of yours and see if it does the same thing

AmmoLock etc are not ways to remove ammonia from toxic levels. You limit water changes when you are doing what is called a "fish-less" (or in this case "frog-less" cycle). When you have living creatures in the tank, it is cruel to subject them to toxic levels of ammonia which burns their skin in order to make the cycle happen faster for the tank owner.

The frog's well being is the main concern here, so clean water is of the highest level of importance. I am sure the tank owner does not mind doing more frequent small water changes in order to give the frogs healthy water.


And to the thread owner - - Do you treat your water? You can buy water dechlorinator that removes the chlorine with in a few minutes, rather than having to let the water sit out for long periods of time. It is fairly cheap (less than $10) and one bottle lasts me with 6 tanks MONTHS.

The frogs will get use to their light - they have no eyelids so when you first turn it on it will startle them, but they will settle in quickly. Can't wait for pictures of their new home!