high nitrates in relocated tank

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SigEpRudy

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2013
Messages
26
Location
Northwest Ohio
I just bought a 75 gallon mixed cichlid tank with about 10 large cichlids, 20 small fairy cichlids and a 10 inch pleco. All fish came with tank. There are a fluval 304 and large Marineland HOB filters as well. Almost 95% of the water was new as of Saturday afternoon and treated with Prime. Just tested with API master kit and found Nitrates to be 40-80 ppm. Does this sound right?

Nitrites 0
Ammonia 0
PH about 8
Temp 80 degrees

Fed some mini cichlid pellets and a small handful of shelled peas. The pleco also ate a few of the small baby fairy cichlids.
 

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You should be ok as long as you kept the original filter media in your filters to seed. Your nitrates are high tho. It is likely due to the substrate being stirred up during the move. I would be inclined to test water paramters one in the am and once in the pm for the next two weeks just to be sure. I would also do smaller water changes (1/4) or just a little less every other or every third day, depending on testing results. Treat with prime on every change. You may norice a spike in ammonia in the next few days due cycling. Do a 1/3 change when ammonia appears.
The smaller more frequent water changes will help to gradually bring nitrates down with minimum stress on your fish.
This is my regime when ever i move a tank and i usually suffer 0 loss. Good luck kepp us posted
 
You are far better off doing a series of small water changes back to back, then to do a single large scale water change.
 
Well... I did a small water change as I was interrupted by daddy duty; about 5-10%. About 2 hours later I did a 75% PWC. I will test when I get off work at 11 tonight. Hope all stabilizes as my wife is getting tired of all the water going out the front door...
 
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