Maintenance schedule for 20 tall

[JerryO]

Now that my cycle is complete I find it hard to get on a regular maintenance schedule.

I do a 20% water change / vacuum once a week, but how often should I be testing for Ammonia, PH, Nitrate, Nitrite, etc... Right now I am testing every other day and it does not feel like I am doing enogh. This may have to do with the fack that I am still use to my daily cycle testing routine adn I just can't break the habit (Captain OCD).

When I do a water change I treat with prime because my tap has 1ppm ammonia if that makes a difference.

 

[mommytron]

your tap has 1ppm of ammonia???? i probably wouldn't be using tap then, personally. do you test the water before you add it to the tank after you have primed it??? does the prime take all the ammonia out?? if not you could consider boiling the water or using spring water (we actually have a spring tap right down the road from us) i'm not really sure if that would make a difference in the ammonia though.

i normally don't test my tank unless the fish are acting funny. the only times i do make sure to test are right before a water change, and then the day after the water change, especially if i've changed the filter floss in the filter media.

 

[Lowryder]

your tap has 1ppm of ammonia????

All this means is that his water has chloramine. Chloramine is formed when ammonia is added to water that contains free chlorine. Depending upon the pH and the amount of ammonia, ammonia reacts to form one of three chloramine compounds. When your tapwater tests positive for ammonia, this is a sign that your water is being treated with chloramines.

 

[mommytron]

oh! i didn't realize that. in that case, nevermind what i said about the tap water!! thanks for the info lowryder

 

[logansmomma1228]

i normally don't test my tank unless the fish are acting funny. the only times i do make sure to test are right before a water change, and then the day after the water change, especially if i've changed the filter floss in the filter media.

+1... I test before water changes and the day after also. When I cycled I tested every other day/every day, then I would test every other day for the first week or so after the cycle was complete just to make sure everything was stable.

I don't know if this will help with the ammonia or not, but some people leave their water out over night before adding it to the tank. I personally use prime and temp match it close as I can. Then I just put it in. I don't have ammonia in my tap, but I do have about 20ppm of nitrates out of it.

 

[Lowryder]

I don't know if this will help with the ammonia or not, but some people leave their water out over night before adding it to the tank. I personally use prime and temp match it close as I can. Then I just put it in. I don't have ammonia in my tap, but I do have about 20ppm of nitrates out of it.

Chloramines will not off gas like chlorine thus, the need for prime or the like.

I like to add water slightly colder than the tank, sometimes that will kick start spawning.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

I would do your weekly maint. then every two weeks do your water testing. IMO I dont find it necessary to do weekly or even daily water tests.