Water Change Day

[black hills tj]

Hooray for Water Change Day. Pulled 10% out vaccing the substrate and put fresh in. The tanks ph level was around 6.5 and the new was between 7-7.5 so I think we're looking good. For the 2 years that my dad and I have been running the tank we have only been testing ph. Now that I see more into the world of aquaria(aka...AA ), I see that I need to be testing nitrates and nitrites as well. Is there a master kit out there that you would suggest? Thanks

Mike

 

[LandGhoti]

API Freshwater Master Test Kit

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...1176144009459&itemNo=7&In=Fish&N=2030068&Ne=2

 

[kickeralpine]

id like to add to this the link he gave you print it out and take it to petsmart and they will match the online price in the store if you dont want to order it I do it all the time. if ya dont have a petsmart close order it most stores sell this kit for 30 to 35 dollars . its a great kit i just started to test everything myself after i started reading all the info here on AA.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I agree, the API is my fav.

 

[black hills tj]

I found the API kit at foster and smith for 15 bucks. I'll probaly order it with my new lights when i decide what lighting i'm going to set up.

 

[tropicfishman]

defintly aquarium pharmacueticals!!! best around, all I ever use. they have 3 times as many tests per kit than any other companies. The PH test is rated at over 250 tests before you run out of reagent and have to buy a new test kit.

 

[7Enigma]

I would be very interested to see how high your nitrAtes are. Depending on your previous water change amount and interval it could be very high. In these older established tanks small frequent PWC's until you get the numbers back in line (nitrAte's below 40ppm) are much safer to your fish then getting the numbers in line all at once. I think your 10% PWC's are an excellent way to do this slowly. Once you get down into a good range you could ramp up the size of your water change to 20-30% (or more).

NitrIte's should not be present in your tank btw. It's good to test ammonia and nitrIte every once in a while, but your tank should be well established and you can pretty much just rely on nitrAte levels. The ammonia and nitrIte kits are very handy to keep around in case of fish death or another unexplained problem (GW for instance).

HTH

 

[black hills tj]

I did a 30% yesterday and began dosing melafix for a tetra that appears to have a case of tail rot. So I won't PWC for a week. My testing kit gets here tomorrow though

 

[7Enigma]

I did a 30% yesterday and began dosing melafix for a tetra that appears to have a case of tail rot. So I won't PWC for a week. My testing kit gets here tomorrow though

Better water quality conditions from PWC's will also help to prevent disease in the future.

 

[black hills tj]

My dad and I added a few new fish to the tank last week, and I figured a SWC every couple weeks just wasn't cutting it. Water is clearing up already though

 

[LandGhoti]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if dosing a medication, doesn't carbon need to be removed from the filter or anywhere in the tank, as it will absorb all the medication and render it pretty much useless?

I know Mike isn't using a power filter, just an UGF, but I seem to recall something or other with carbon in it in his tank.

Just looking out for the tetra and his fins/tail.

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you have carbon in a filter, you should remove it while medicating. I'd start doing more like 25% weekly water changes after you finish medicating.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, you need to remove Carbon from the filter. It will just remove the meds. I agree with 7Enigma, do more frequent PWCs. It will help clear up the rot at a faster rate.

 

[7Enigma]

It all depends on how long the carbon has been in the tank. If over a month, its basically the equivalent of biological ceramic media (ie high surface area with lots of bacteria on it). By this point the carbon itself will have virtually no filtering capabilities and I would keep it.

 

[black hills tj]

These specific carbon Cartridges have been in there for about 3 weeks. I usually change them out every 30 days. Do you think its still a major concern?

Also..you said more often pwc's will help clear the tail rot, but the melafix dosing says to dose daily for a week and then doa 25% pwc. So should I PWC every couple days or wait a week while dosing?