"Rick Koch" wrote in message
om...
I've been over-salting. Right now there's about 2tbsp aquarium salt
per 5 gals.

At 7 weeks I wonder if I'm still cycling, or if perhaps I'm simply
exceeding the capacity of the hood filter.

The biowheels are really good......but there are limits. If its one of
those little bitty Biowheels...then you may be in trouble though. Odd
its just your Nitrite. Usually when overloaded its ammonia that pops.
Perhaps the salt overdose.....Or your Nitrite test is jacked. I use the
Emperor 400s a lot. Dual Biowheels....and its the larger wheels.


Do most of you supplement your nitrogen cycling with ammonia chips?

Used too, but now days I supplement with Amquel, salt, and water changes
until fully cycled (shotgun cycle).


Do water changes affect cycling?

Yes, but mainly with the fishless cycling method.

I've heard that excessive changes
reduce the beneficial bacteria, but it would seem that the bio-wheel
prevents that. Is it possible to impede proper cycling by changing
the water too much?

Not really with fish in there. Every couple days is normal for a lot of
folks. Some do 100% a day or more with constant drip systems.