What Does Continuously Clean, Clear Water Mean at This Point?

[ArtesiaWells]

Thanks, both of you...

I will try and do another test or a couple more just to confirm the pattern remains...

Thanks again.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Let me ask this, though: What do you make of JUST these results I posted from the test this morning? Do these results look in any way dangerous in terms of water quality?

Again -- Ammonia was approximately 0 (definitely NOT green or darker than the yellowish shade on the chart), Nitrite was DEFINITELY 0 and Nitrate was pretty low -- perhaps somewhere around 20ppm...

Do these look alright?

 

[Alyxx]

Let me ask this, though: What do you make of JUST these results I posted from the test this morning? Do these results look in any way dangerous in terms of water quality?

Again -- Ammonia was approximately 0 (definitely NOT green or darker than the yellowish shade on the chart), Nitrite was DEFINITELY 0 and Nitrate was pretty low -- perhaps somewhere around 2.0...

Do these look alright?

They look fine. And save yourself a lot of worry by testing some pure water as a sort of control sample so you can tell if you are looking at very low ammonia or no ammonia.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

They look fine. And save yourself a lot of worry by testing some pure water as a sort of control sample so you can tell if you are looking at very low ammonia or no ammonia.

Thank you for putting my mind at ease regarding the results, Al; let me ask you something else: Is there any danger in doing more than one weekly 50% water change? In other words, can I do two water changes a week just to be absolutely certain the water is in really, really good condition? Would this be in any way harmful to the fish?

Are MORE than two changes a week necessary if water parameters don't appear to be off? Or is simply one sufficient?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

They look fine. And save yourself a lot of worry by testing some pure water as a sort of control sample so you can tell if you are looking at very low ammonia or no ammonia.

BTW -- I meant the NitrAte reading was somewhere around 20ppm, not "2.0ppm"....

 

[Alyxx]

Thank you for putting my mind at ease regarding the results, Al; let me ask you something else: Is there any danger in doing more than one weekly 50% water change? In other words, can I do two water changes a week just to be absolutely certain the water is in really, really good condition? Would this be in any way harmful to the fish?

Are MORE than two changes a week necessary if water parameters don't appear to be off? Or is simply one sufficient?

One is fine as long as your parameters aren't rising faster than that one water change can bring down reasonably over the course of a week, but there's no harm in doing more. Or if you prefer, just do one change a week but make it larger, say 75-80%. Or just stick to the 50% if you aren't seeing nitrates get over 20 or so with your current schedule. I do around 75-85% a week just so I don't feel like I'm wasting prime. I use a water changer and dose for the full tank size and I would feel pretty wasteful dumping 56 gallons worth in to change 25 gallons or so, even though my nitrates don't get very high.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

One is fine as long as your parameters aren't rising faster than that one water change can bring down reasonably over the course of a week, but there's no harm in doing more. Or if you prefer, just do one change a week but make it larger, say 75-80%. Or just stick to the 50% if you aren't seeing nitrates get over 20 or so with your current schedule. I do around 75-85% a week just so I don't feel like I'm wasting prime. I use a water changer and dose for the full tank size and I would feel pretty wasteful dumping 56 gallons worth in to change 25 gallons or so, even though my nitrates don't get very high.

Well, I'm not really certain I feel okay taking out SO much water from the tank -- say, beyond the 50-percent -- so I'd probably stick with the 50 per week...but if I did decide to do more, just because I have extra time or I want the conditions of the tank to be ridiculously healthy, would a secondary change require a full 50-percent change...or could I get away with removing and replacing a bit less?

 

[Convict2161]

Anyone ever tell you, you ask ALOT of questions pertaining to the same thing? You just in a round about way add a little more finesse to the question but in the end its the same thing

Your tank is cycled. Be happy, crack open an adult beverage or whatever your favorite drink is! Even water. Relax and enjoy your tank. The hard part is over.

Now... Do your weekly maintenance water changes and monitor your parameters periodically and watch fish for any signs of health issues.

Your good to go... You have clearance to enjoy... You have permission to settle down... You have the green light... Now let your fish relax...

Enjoy!!

 

[Alyxx]

Well, I'm not really certain I feel okay taking out SO much water from the tank -- say, beyond the 50-percent -- so I'd probably stick with the 50 per week...but if I did decide to do more, just because I have extra time or I want the conditions of the tank to be ridiculously healthy, would a secondary change require a full 50-percent change...or could I get away with removing and replacing a bit less?

A second change wouldn't have to be 50%. If the once weekly 50% change is keeping your water good, any additional change during the week would be enough to make it a little better.

Here is a little theoretical breakdown... (Yay math)
For the sake of example, let's say you change exactly 50% of your tank water every Sunday. Assume at the end of your average week you have 20ppm nitrate before your 50% change. After that change you would have 10ppm. If on Wednesday (halfway between your weekly water changes) you had 15ppm (halfway back to the end of week total of 20 from the 10 you started the new week with) and you did another 25% water change as an extra you would have 11.75ppm after that change. By the next Sunday, assuming your tank generates 10ppm a week (end of week total is 20, taken down to 10 by the 50% change and then goes back up to 20) your tank would have 16.75ppm of nitrate. The 50% Sunday change would put you to 8.75 to start the new week. Using the same schedule, by the end of the next week you would be at 15.0275ppm, by the next week at 14.386, and by 5 weeks of this schedule at 14.01ppm. It would theoretically keep dropping a little more each week, although the difference will essentially even out to around 14ppm instead of the usual 20, assuming waste production is stable.

Now lets assume a 50% change twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday with the same weekly waste production. On Sunday you start with 10ppm after your 50% change from 20ppm, and on Wednesday you have 15ppm again, but you decide to do another 50% change, by the end of the week you would have 12.5ppm. Then you do your Sunday change and start the week off with 6.25. Another week of this and you would end the week at 10.62, the next at 10.15ppm, similarly staying around 10ppm at the end of the week.

Essentially, as you would probably guess, the amount of this second water change would reduce your end of week total nitrates by the percentage that you change. I just felt like playing with numbers for a while to give you a better picture of how adding a second water change might affect your overall water chemistry. Also remember that I totally pulled those numbers out of thin air, as I am not sure what your nitrates look like after a week between water changes. Just used 20 because it is the generally accepted "safe" level by many people, and of course the exact daily rate of production will probably vary from day to day and week to week.

And I think that is the most math I have done at one time since my last math class...

 

[Alyxx]

Anyone ever tell you, you ask ALOT of questions pertaining to the same thing? You just in a round about way add a little more finesse to the question but in the end its the same thing

Your tank is cycled. Be happy, crack open an adult beverage or whatever your favorite drink is! Even water. Relax and enjoy your tank. The hard part is over.

Now... Do your weekly maintenance water changes and monitor your parameters periodically and watch fish for any signs of health issues.

Your good to go... You have clearance to enjoy... You have permission to settle down... You have the green light... Now let your fish relax...

Enjoy!!

... Really? Enjoy? Settle down? Relax?

Ever think about taking your own advice, Dino?

Haha, but yes, I agree. Listen to him even if he can't seem to take his own advice here. You are cycled and now it is time to just stop worrying and enjoy the fish!

 

[Convict2161]

... Really? Enjoy? Settle down? Relax?

Ever think about taking your own advice, Dino?

Haha, but yes, I agree. Listen to him even if he can't seem to take his own advice here. You are cycled and now it is time to just stop worrying and enjoy the fish!

Oh I wasn't being serious. I've spoke with him so It was a little joke

And me relax? lol... I wouldn't be Dino if I did that

 

[ArtesiaWells]

A second change wouldn't have to be 50%. If the once weekly 50% change is keeping your water good, any additional change during the week would be enough to make it a little better.

This is essentially all I wanted to know; thanks, Alyxx...

Here is a little theoretical breakdown... (Yay math)
For the sake of example, let's say you change exactly 50% of your tank water every Sunday. Assume at the end of your average week you have 20ppm nitrate before your 50% change. After that change you would have 10ppm. If on Wednesday (halfway between your weekly water changes) you had 15ppm (halfway back to the end of week total of 20 from the 10 you started the new week with) and you did another 25% water change as an extra you would have 11.75ppm after that change. By the next Sunday, assuming your tank generates 10ppm a week (end of week total is 20, taken down to 10 by the 50% change and then goes back up to 20) your tank would have 16.75ppm of nitrate. The 50% Sunday change would put you to 8.75 to start the new week. Using the same schedule, by the end of the next week you would be at 15.0275ppm, by the next week at 14.386, and by 5 weeks of this schedule at 14.01ppm. It would theoretically keep dropping a little more each week, although the difference will essentially even out to around 14ppm instead of the usual 20, assuming waste production is stable.

Now lets assume a 50% change twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday with the same weekly waste production. On Sunday you start with 10ppm after your 50% change from 20ppm, and on Wednesday you have 15ppm again, but you decide to do another 50% change, by the end of the week you would have 12.5ppm. Then you do your Sunday change and start the week off with 6.25. Another week of this and you would end the week at 10.62, the next at 10.15ppm, similarly staying around 10ppm at the end of the week.

Essentially, as you would probably guess, the amount of this second water change would reduce your end of week total nitrates by the percentage that you change. I just felt like playing with numbers for a while to give you a better picture of how adding a second water change might affect your overall water chemistry. Also remember that I totally pulled those numbers out of thin air, as I am not sure what your nitrates look like after a week between water changes. Just used 20 because it is the generally accepted "safe" level by many people, and of course the exact daily rate of production will probably vary from day to day and week to week.

And I think that is the most math I have done at one time since my last math class...

WHOAA!!! You just blew my mind with these numbers, as I'm more of a word person....thank you so much for taking the time to attempt breaking that down for me....the essential thing I wanted to ascertain, though, was if doing more than the one 50% change per week was not going to harm the fish in any way, and if it would in fact somehow "improve" upon the water quality...even if it wasn't 50% for that secondary change...