Help an unprepared person

[blackberry75]

This is so frustrating. Pre water change; ammonia .25, nitrite 2, nitrate 80. Post water change 24h later, ammonia 0, nitrite 2, nitrate 20. I can't get the nitrite down. That was after a 50% change. Should I be doing larger water changes? I haven't cleaned my filters beyond swishing in old tank water to remove large detritus. One week I'll swish the sponge filters the next I'll do the internals and only the filter floss, not the ceramic rings.

I've ordered a canister filter, my thinking is I don't have enough surface area for bb for as overstocked as this tank is. Plus, I'd like to do something with this giant tank after the goldfish are re-homed. I'm keeping that snail though, I'm ridiculously entertained by it yeeting itself off the waterline to the bottom lol.

Because the nitrite is so high I've been doing daily water changes. I'm worried about long term health if the fish are exposed to constant high levels.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Your target should be to keep ammonia + nitrate combined below 0.5ppm through water changes until everything is cycled and your system can keep them both at 0ppm. With a very heavily stocked tank, that will be difficult. I would imagine daily water changes or twice daily could be needed for several weeks.

You have upgraded to a 65g tank with 7 goldfish in there? That is still too small for them. 90g would be suitable to give the fish enough space and filtration for twice that would be good as goldfish are very messy. You could be correct that your current filtration simply isnt enough to cycle out all the waste.

 

[charliebankston]

Maybe this will help, good reads
https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/6-2-biofiltration/

 

[charliebankston]

I think your restarting the cycle when your cleaning your filter. That article has good info about that

 

[blackberry75]

Thank you all for your help, I think we're actually cycled! The readings the last couple days is zero ammonia/nitrite and 5 nitrate. Now my question is should I do weekly water changes or only do them based on water parameters?

And just because, here's a pic of Perry the plecostomus. So sad I'll have to rehome him. He's so much prettier than the plecos I'm used to seeing.

 

[charliebankston]

Sorry about your pleco. On a few of my tanks that are heavily stocked I need to do a weekly water change of 25%. The lighter stocked ones I do a change monthly of about 33%. That's based on how much detritus is settled on the bottom and my nitrates staying under 40 or 80 ppm. There is not set rule or guidelines on water changes. Every tank is different, so whatever keeps your water parameters normal and your poop cleaned up will work

 

[charliebankston]

That might be a clown pleco. They sell them at petsmart and petco regularly. I don't think they get to big, I can't remember

 

[blackberry75]

That might be a clown pleco. They sell them at petsmart and petco regularly. I don't think they get to big, I can't remember

That would be lovely. Perry is the only fish in the tank I have any real affection for. I work nights and when I come home he comes out of his hide to swim to the top and let me hand feed him. Guy goes crazy for cucumbers.

 

[charliebankston]

Haha! That's awesome!

 

[blackberry75]

Do common plecos eat off driftwood a lot? That's Perry's favorite hobby. He likes that more than the pleco wafers and he won't touch the bottom feeder pellets I got him at all. Aside from the veggies I give him I'm afraid he's not getting enough nutrients, especially protein.

 

[charliebankston]

I'm honestly not sure, but I think all plecos like to eat on wood. He's prob getting enough protein tho, if he's more herbivore, then they have a desire for low protein anyway