off the charts

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greatgman

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Sep 23, 2004
Messages
342
Location
washington pa.
i just checked m water parameters
in my hospital tank yesterday
and they were
OFF THE CHARTS
in a panic i changed 50 percent of the water
and to day i'll do the same
after the first water change the nirtites were dowm abit
(over 5.0 ppm)
now they are around 2.5)
nitrate were high too at 40 ppm
ammonia was fine 0.0ppm
:eek: :!:
 
what is in the hospital tank for fish and how large is the tank? definitely cut down on the feedings and try to do small water changes to keep everything stable.

one more thing, when you come across bad water like that, it is usually a good idea to do a few small water changes to let the fish adapt to the new water more easily. the only time you should really do a large water change all at once is if the fish are in immediate danger of going belly up.
 
I agree with grimlock and Ray, you would be better off with smaller daily water changes.
If the ammonia is 0, don't panic. Nitrite is bad for the fish, but ammonia is the fast killer. Fish can tolerate small amounts of nitrite for a while.
Huge water changes can stress a fish out too, I would do about 20% daily and monitor it. Bet it will level off if you are not too overstocked. Also siphon out any uneaten food after about 15 minutes.
Don't even concern yourself with nitrate, it will not bother the fish and in a qt setting I quite honestly don't even test for it.
 
58 quart serlite clear tub
hob filter
small 50 w heater
got my tang(dorrie)
two clowns
4 chromis
and scooter blenny

feed every other day
they were not active much just hiding out
dorrie was breathing quickly
now it seems they are a bit more active
(but not much )
tomorrow i will change 25 percent
havent checke the water yet
stilll think it will be high
they got 2 weeks to go
to go into the main
 
quarryshark.... question..... nitrate doesn't bother fish? how bout corals? whats the point of water changes then if high nitrates dont matter? i mean i know to keep trace elements and stuff. but how come everything says to keep nitrates under 10 then? i know there must be a reason, but my common sense just isnt' kicking in right now :wink:
 
Ok, many questions here. I am a fish and invert person and there may be a better answer for you but.....
nitrate doesn't bother fish?
Fish can tolerate higher nitrates for a long period of time, but still will do better in the long run with nitrates lower than 20 PPM. In a qt setting like the one mentioned above, it is not a reason for concern with the relative short time the fish will spend in this environment. I don't even test for nitrates in a qt setting.
how bout corals? whats the point of water changes then if high nitrates dont matter? i mean i know to keep trace elements and stuff. but how come everything says to keep nitrates under 10 then?
Corals cannot take the amount of nitrates that fish can tolerate. Below 10 PPM is highly recommended in a reef tank.
Also water changes are a must for more reasons than nitrate control. Trace elements are recharges in every water change as well as the dilution of pollutants such and nitrite, niitrate, PO4 and ammonia. Basically they add trace elements and reduce DOCS, thus routine water changes are very much a part of the basic care of your marine system.
HTH
 
as of yesterday
trites 2.0 ppm
trates 15 ppm
amm o.00
will do 1 more 25% change
seems to help
just waiting 2 and a half more weeks till i can
put them in the main
main tank is at 84-86f
skimmer is skimming good
 
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