# Question about Nitrogen Cycle



## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

I have a 10 gallon tank that has passed the through the Nitrogen Cycle. I removed the HOB filter, so now just have 3 bubble filters. There is a lot of Java Moss in there, along with 3 random feeder fish (to provide nutrients for the moss). I want to turn it into a shrimp tank, and just found out that I have the wrong colored gravel in there: currently, it is river rock, whereas I want to change it to a black gravel. Does this restart the Nitrogen Cycle? 

Cheers!
Welok


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## FancyFish (Jul 22, 2015)

May I ask, why did you remove the HOB filter?

Can you explain bubble filters?


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

What do you mean by bubble filters. Air driven sponge filters? The hob filter is the part of the tank that is cycling. You need the filter because that's where the bacteria colony lives. When you remove the filter your taking away the beneficial bacteria used by the nitrogen cycle, or at least most of it.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Adding stuff is good, taking it away is bad. If you can put your new cleaned medium in a container of some kind, like the foot of a ladies stocking, and leave it in your cycled tank for maybe 2 weeks, then you can just switch your gravel.


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## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

FancyFish said:


> May I ask, why did you remove the HOB filter?
> 
> Can you explain bubble filters?


Removed the HOB so it doesn't suck up fry. It was a very poor design, with less than 1/2 inch from the intake to the propellers (so close that I had a 3 inch minnow get his tail nipped by it). That one is getting thrown out. I want to replace it with a new one, but the new one is currently in the 55 gallon as a secondary so it can gain the bacteria needed. I am also looking for a sponge for the intake, as it was not purchased to go in the 10 gallon tank, it was a backup for the one in the 55...

The bubbles filters are 2 different ones: one is under the gravel, with 2 bubble stones (one on each side) which pull water from the bottom and push it through 2 charcoal filters (one on each side), which basically move the water from the bottom of the tank and circulate it up: I lowered the pipes so it is about 2/3 of the way from the water line instead of at the very top to make sure i got good aeration in the tank. The other filter is a corner filter, so various layers/thicknesses of pads and sponges, then charcoal with ceramics, circulating from the middle-to-lower of the tank in the corner back to the middle-to-higher. The corner filter was in the 55 gallon established tank for 3 weeks prior to moving into the 10 gallon. 

And sorry if I include a lot of useless info, I try to give all knowns (regardless of how important I think it is) because what I think is important is probably irrelevant, and what I think is irrelevant is probably important. lol


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## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

chenowethpm said:


> What do you mean by bubble filters. Air driven sponge filters? The hob filter is the part of the tank that is cycling. You need the filter because that's where the bacteria colony lives. When you remove the filter your taking away the beneficial bacteria used by the nitrogen cycle, or at least most of it.


I know I took most of the bacteria, which is why I'm keeping an eye on the levels. But the HOB I had was terrible, and it will be another week before I feel comfortable putting the new one in to replace it. The 3 inch minnow that got bit by the HOB was one from the river, and is going to be used for *fishing The feeder fish in there now are going to end up in the eel tank, as well as any culls from the shrimp once they breed. Even though the one that got bit is going on a hook at some point, and the fish in there now are going to be food for my eel, I want them to have the best life they can in the interim. 



kalyke said:


> Adding stuff is good, taking it away is bad. If you can put your new cleaned medium in a container of some kind, like the foot of a ladies stocking, and leave it in your cycled tank for maybe 2 weeks, then you can just switch your gravel.


I haven't ordered the shrimp yet, as I want to swap gravel. The eel tank doesn't have anything in it for substrate at the moment, should I put in there for 2 weeks? Or should it be in the 10 gallon since it already has rocks?

Thank you all for answering


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

If you have an established filter, the corner one, in the tank, then I feel you can go ahead and change your gravel. While you are at it, I would take out the under gravel filter. They trap a lot of mulm under them that can't be removed unless they are taken up. 
Put your corner filter, fish and plants in a fish safe bucket with heater and bubbler, you can safely change out your gravel. Just rinse the new gravel extra well. Make sure the water temperature is the same as in the bucket when you refill the tank. Don't forget to use declor if you are on city water.

Add the filter to the tank and let it cycle a couple hours. Put your plants back in at this time too. Should add a spare filter at this time too. You can use some of the old tank water to refill the tank, but not all of it. 

Replace the filter for the bucket with an air stone of some kind while the tank cycles. 

After a couple hours, float the fish in a bag and slowly add the tank water so they can adjusted to it. This should take at least an hour or longer. 

You may get a bacteria bloom, but it will not harm anything and will clear in time. OH!!! Do not change anything in the filter. That is where your good bacteria is. Since it is only a small corner one, you need every bit of the bacteria in it. 

I have also taken a filter pad out of an established tank and swished it in the new one. Makes the water look terrible, but it clears shortly and will help jump start the process. 

I have done all of this and never lost a fish to it. I have done 5g, 10g, and a 20g long.

I wish you good luck. If you go slow, you shouldn't have any problems. PM me if you need to.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

I have put things in "another tank" to get the benificial bacteris going. It might be okay but make sure the eels are not sick and you have not used medications or anything in your tank for quite awhile. Shrimp are very sensitive. Also, they do better in a well established aquarium. In other words, not a new aquarium but one that has been around for awhile. 

obligate chemolithotropes are each between 4.0 and 6.0 micorons in size and they double in 7 hours by cellular division.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

OK by your description you have an undergravel filter. Decent filter to be honest, it turns your entire substrate into the filter media. That being said, sand will not go well with that. You would have to completely remove the undergravel system and go with something else. I suggest you revamp your setup for the shrimp, making sure that any power filter has a sponge over the intake.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

use sponge filters. under gravel filters (sorry, I didn't read that part) need you to remove the entire thing to clean under it. Every time you did that you would kill baby shrimp, eggs, and BB. Sponge filters are safe for fry. Look up breeding tanks for shrimp.

A good site to look at is planetinverts.com They reccommend a sponge filter. Any other type filter may or could suck the shrimp into the intake, as well, shrimp like to hide and can get trapped in the filter. Check out the tank set up advice at that site it is very educational.

And no, you never use sand with a under gravel filter. In fact, sand will kill many types of impeller type filters, or at least destroy the magnet which turned the impeller making much noise and lessened effectiveness. 

Apologies if bubble filter means something else.


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