Advice?

[Judge92]

Oh, that's great! In the testing instruction book all it says that if it's over 50 then it isn't good lol. It doesn't say where it SHOULD be.

Speaking of PWC... when should I start doing them? Is it ok to start doing them now that the parameters are where they should be? When I replace the water should I put in the water and then add the chemicals?(conditioner/bio-support). My tap water is softened and it is what's in the tank right now. Should I continue with this?

 

[Deep Seven]

Well, if you need conditioner to dechlorinate tap water then keep using that. Not sure what you mean by bio support, if it's bacteria for the ammonia cycle you shouldn't need to add it if your tanks stable but if the directions say to keep adding for a while then I'd follow directions.

If you don't add the "bio stuff" then watch ammonia and nitrites closely, I think you want ammonia below .25ppm, and nitrites lower. Well, really you want both at around zero, but if they're going up or higher then .25ppm I'd PWC to get it down and start adding the bio stuff again.

When your tank is stable I'd do PWC weekly, or twice a month, or when nitrates get around 15-20ppm.

P.S. I'm no expert, but I'm trying to make sure all my advice is expert certified, lol

 

[BigJim]

Don't mess with the pH. 7.0 is pretty perfect for most fish. You'll make a lot of people here jealous with that number. Fish adapt to different pH levels very well.

Run the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests on your tap water. That will give you a baseline to compare your tank measurements. 5ppm of nitrate may be in the water out of the tap. If it's not, I'd say you're well on your way to being cycled.

What test kit did you get? If it's API brand, hold the tube against the white part of the card to compare it to the colors.

I don't like to see my nitrates go above 20ppm. I have no problem keeping them closer to 10ppm with weekly PWCs. At 50ppm, most LFSs won't honor the guarantee.

You should start doing PWCs. If the tank is cycled, there's no need for the bio-support stuff. The bacteria are already there. Add the conditioner to the aquarium first, then fill it back up. The conditioner is supposed to work instantaneously, so by adding it first, you'll limit the chance that your tank is exposed to chlorine, which will kill your fish and your beneficial bacteria.

 

[Judge92]

My tap water is already dechlorinated because I have a water softener. Do I still put in the conditioner? I believe the bacteria chemical stuff said to put a capfull in when doing water changes. But it makes sense that the bacteria is already in there so why bother right?

 

[BigJim]

I'd still add the dechlorinator. A good dechlorinator also removes heavy metals and other things too.

 

[Judge92]

How many gallons should I change?

 

[BigJim]

25-50% of the total tank volume.