High nitrates?? What do should i do?

[Cjnicol]

Hi guys, I've just done a 30% water change yesterday and today I have tested my water and got the following results.
Nitrites - 0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 40 - 80 (can't really tell if it's 40 or 80)
Ph - 7.4

I have recently started feeding them twice a day, because they seem to be so hungry all the time, as soon as I put food in the tank it gets eaten. I currently have 12 African cichlids in a 55 gal tank. Any suggestions would be much appreciated??

 

[Mogurako]

50% PWC every day until the nitrates come down below 20 ppm, then continue to do 50% PWC once a week. Rinse you filter media in old tank to remove any excess waste.

Go bak to feeding them once a day, only fry need to be fed more than once a day. Trust me they are not hungry, they'll just always eat regardless.

 

[Cjnicol]

Thanks, will do. Worried about killing good bacteria in my filter if I give it a good clean. Tank setup is relatively new and I just want to make sure I don't loose my cycle. So u think I will be ok to give my filter a good clean with out disrupting my cycle?? Thanks for you're help!

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Thanks, will do. Worried about killing good bacteria in my filter if I give it a good clean. Tank setup is relatively new and I just want to make sure I don't loose my cycle. So u think I will be ok to give my filter a good clean with out disrupting my cycle?? Thanks for you're help!

It will be fine to rinse it in old tank water.

 

[phin]

Hi guys, I've just done a 30% water change yesterday and today I have tested my water and got the following results.
Nitrites - 0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 40 - 80 (can't really tell if it's 40 or 80)
Ph - 7.4

I have recently started feeding them twice a day, because they seem to be so hungry all the time, as soon as I put food in the tank it gets eaten. I currently have 12 African cichlids in a 55 gal tank. Any suggestions would be much appreciated??

It is hard to differeniate between 40-80 as well as 10-20 in the API color chart. Just do water changes until the color is more orange than red and the fish will be fine.

Also, cichlids are always going to tell you they are hungry. Be very careful not to overfeed. many species are natural grazers with long intestines. just feed them once or twice (small amounts) a day. I figured out the correct amount to feed my fish by feeding a small amount, if it was gone in 10 seconds I would feed some more. Give them 20 seconds of feedng time twice a day and they will be ok.

 

[Cjnicol]

Thanks guys, good to know. Thanks for you're help!!