This may sound like a crazy question but I figured better to be safe than sorry. I'm about to do a pwc and was wondering if I need to put the water conditioner in each bucket before I pour it into the aquarium or will the fish be ok if I wait till I've poured all of the buckets in then put in the water conditioner?
PWC
- Thread starter Solarris
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I also forgot I wanted to ask about the cycle. My ammonia has been holding steady for over a week at .25 ppm and my nitrites have been steady at >1 ppm but my nitrates have spiked to 50 or more ppm for the second time in the past week. I did a 80 or 90 percent water change a few days ago and was wondering if I needed to do another or would the cycle progress anyway? I have a handful of small goldfish in there now but they are looking happy and healthy.
goalieman59
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
The cycle is still going to happen cause you have fish in the tank. I would tell you to make sure you are treating every bit of water that you are going to be putting into the tank. Are you doing water changes everyday right now?
No, I haven't been. The fish have been looking fine, with no ill effects, and I keep thinking those nitrites should start coming down any day now. I was just thinking of doing a water change today because the nitrates were so high.
dkpate
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would do pwc's every day (50-75%) until you get the numbers where you want them. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-20 nitrates. Most of the good bacteria live on your decor, in the filter and in/on the substrate, hardly any are in the water column. Since you have goldfish, you should probably be vacuuming once a week or so, as they are pretty messy if I remember right.
Good luck!
Good luck!
sarahsunshine
Aquarium Advice Activist
I just finished cycling my tank with fish. I have been treating the water in buckets before I put it in, so that the treatment has a chance to work on the chlorine before I put it in the tank.
Also, I had to do insane numbers of water changes to keep my levels low. I thought my fish were happy and healthy, but they are so much more lively now that the water parameters are right and the cycle is finished. I would concentrate on doing some big water changes to get those parameters down to where they should be.
On a happy note, if you have nitrAtes, you are close to done! I felt like I spent one day doing water changes and nothing else! It wasn't true of course, but 3 80%WC in a day just to get my nitrites down to 0.3 was insane!
Also, I had to do insane numbers of water changes to keep my levels low. I thought my fish were happy and healthy, but they are so much more lively now that the water parameters are right and the cycle is finished. I would concentrate on doing some big water changes to get those parameters down to where they should be.
On a happy note, if you have nitrAtes, you are close to done! I felt like I spent one day doing water changes and nothing else! It wasn't true of course, but 3 80%WC in a day just to get my nitrites down to 0.3 was insane!
sieski
Aquarium Advice Freak
you can do it 2 ways.
Some like to put dechlor in the tank then add tap water. You have to treat for the volume of the tank. So it its one capful per gallon. then You would put 5 in for a 5 gallon. Some like to put half the amount in before adding water and the rest after (from what I read)
I prefer to treat the water in the bucket which takes up less dechlor up for e.g if u fill up a 3gallon bucket you would put in 3 capfuls.
Of course the measurements for dechlor additives are just examples and not the correct amounts, you should read your instructions
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