lowering no3

[idel01]

hi my no2 is 0 but my no3 is around 25 dos it need to be lowered and if so whats the best way thank you

 

[Calypso77]

No that is fine as long as it is 40 and under.

 

[idel01]

thanks for that,have you any more good tips for keeping community fish

 

[Calypso77]

Did you cycle your tank? What size tank do you have? What fish do you have?

 

[idel01]

how long dos cycling normily take its a 4 foot tank and i have a few tetra/1shark tale/2plecs i had 2 dwarf frogs but died 2weeks after getting them

 

[idel01]

didmt want to get any more till i no the tank is ok

 

[Calypso77]

What are the complete measurements, just 4 feet long doesn't help. Do you know the gallons of the tank or length, width and height.

 

[idel01]

its a 174.6 litre/44.9 us gallon tank

 

[Calypso77]

Cycling can take 6-8 weeks usually. Your stock of fis seem fine to me. Shark fish should be in a minimum of 55 gal but it should be ok at least for now. Do you know the type of shark it is? How many tetras do you have and what kind are they?

 

[idel01]

6 EMPEROR TETRA/2 plec/2 dwarf gourami/1 red tailed black shark

 

[Calypso77]

That's a good amount of tetras.

 

[idel01]

thanks for advise so are,for the weekly water change iv been reading that boiling the water first then letting it cool 24h before putting it in is best what do you think

 

[tamtam]

thanks for advise so are,for the weekly water change iv been reading that boiling the water first then letting it cool 24h before putting it in is best what do you think

personally I find that a pain in the butt. lol. There are much easier and convenient ways to do it.

Get yourself a gravel vac, or even better a water changer(it works like a vac but also can attach to your faucet to run water directly to your tank) and use this to empty how much water and clean the gravel in the process. Usually I do about 30% or so on a change, this is a pretty standard weekly change with a properly stocked tank.

Once you water is out then if you are using a water changer you want to take a good quality water conditioner like Seachems PRIME and add it directly to your tank. Enough to treat the whole tank, not just what you removed. Then temp match the water with your hand from the tank to the tap. Then use the water changer to run that water back into the tank. Dosing for the whole tank with conditioner makes sure that all of the water entering your tank will be treated.

If you use buckets than you can use the above method or just dose your buckets themselves before adding them to the tank.

Every week or 2 I take my filter media and I swish them about in old tank water to remove any debris. If I need to clean the glass inside the tank or any decor I use an algae cloth. I will pull out decor and clean them in the bucket of old water. I use a cloth or a toothbrush that I use to clean my filter housing.

 

[idel01]

thanks for advise so far,do you have a exsternal filter i have a flufal 205 if so could you tell me the best media set up

 

[tamtam]

No problem.

I have HOBs(hang on back), so no canisters here. Generally you just want lots of surface area for your BB to grow on. Sponge, floss, bio rings. I just have poly pad material(think like a scrub pad looking thing) and a sponge right now in mine and will be getting some floss to jam in there too. You don't need to do Carbon. I know most companies tote it but it really doesn't have a huge purpose unless you are trying to remove something from your water like medication.