Water Change

[mcpeach93]

Hey guys, new to this app/community and only been keeping fish for about 3 months and have african cichlids, i have lost many due to the lack of knowledge, but everyone here gives good advice and from other various channels of discussion like this but had a quick question about this pic. The picture is the last bit of water in my 5 gallon bucket from a 15% water change, but what is that detritus?

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[Mogurako]

Looks like sand


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[mikem691]

I 2nd the sand

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[mcpeach93]

It is not that big, when i feel it, there is almost nothing, kinda like slime so i am thinking that it is waste.

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[mikem691]

It is not that big, when i feel it, there is almost nothing, kinda like slime so i am thinking that it is waste.

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That's possible also. I'm on my phone so the pic is small.

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[HUKIT]

Looks like Mulm, which is detritus the fish wastes and organic materials that have not decomposed.

 

[mcpeach93]

Yeah thats what ifigured, just wasnt sure what it was called thatnks for the help.

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[mcpeach93]

Another question, when i am testing for nitrates, if some of the liquid is coming out of the tube while shaking it for the minute will the test still be accurate?

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[HUKIT]

Another question, when i am testing for nitrates, if some of the liquid is coming out of the tube while shaking it for the minute will the test still be accurate?

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Yes it will still be accurate and yes those caps suck in API's kit lol.

 

[mcpeach93]

K cool just making sure that means my annubias and bamboo are starting to help cause i was doing 2-3 15% water changes a week and havent done one for a week and it just showed a huge difference from the usual levels.

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[mcpeach93]

Are these parameters okay for my africans, the ph is at about 8.2 the buffer should kick in and make a little bit darker than in pic for a solid 8.2 ammonia is at about 0.25 i am not sure why, but it always stays about that, i think it because of my plants heard somewhere that the plants give off some ammonia but someone has another theory please tell me. Nitrite is 0, and is always that. Nitrates are now at about 10-20 at most no hint of red at all, usually are at about a slight 40 before the water change, but were a little lower today at about 25ish but it looks like it is more around 10 or 15 now. My general hardness is always 12ish mainly. My kh is very fluctuant, so i have been adding cichlid malawi buffer from seachem it is currently at 7 or 8ish so i will be adding more in a min since i just did a water change. Just let me know how those parameters are and if anyone has any ideas about them. Thanks

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[Ulrichsd]

In your pic nitrates are pretty high. I'd get a water exchanger and bump weekly water changes to 50%. Vacuuming with the exchanger will help too.

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[mcpeach93]

Do you mean like an aqueon siphon ? cause i use that and the pic shows it a little darjer, but it was about half as much as usual lol.

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[HUKIT]

The ammonia at 0.25ppm is of no concern with a high PH like that.

I would recommend changing the water more frequently as the nitrates are high, when they hit 20ppm change 50% then continue to re-test. This will allow you come up with a water change schedule as to how often it needs to be done.

 

[mcpeach93]

Thanks and i figured that the low ammonia had no real strong risk.

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[PNWaquarist]

The ammonia could be a false positive. I've seen that before with the API kit. If you have no nitrite, you probably don't have appreciable ammonia.

Agreed about 20 ppm being a good upper limit for nitrate with cichlids. 50% WCs once a week are a good routine to adopt.


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[mcpeach93]

Thanks for the input. I will do that when they get back up in a day or two.

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