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I think you have figured it out. Your biological filter isn't adequate anymore. Water changes and sparse feelings are our only options, unless you can get some colonized media from a different established tank.

From the pictures, it looks like you are already using the AP (aquarium pharmaceuticals) freshwater master test kit, so you are good. It's what most of us use. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

Yep. New card looked like a misprint to me. I can't tell those two values apart. But I think the drop amounts changed for nitrate compared to the old color cards? I use both, but in reality I keep nitrates down around 5 so it's moot. Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I recently converted my established tank to a cichlid tank by adding texas holey rock on top of the existing gravel, and also adding 8 yellow lab and eleven 1.5 inch demasoni. Water quality is excellent, no ammonia or nitrite spikes from the sudden bioload (tank has been up and running for...

I have a python that attaches to the faucet with a large tube. They also sell ones with a narrow tube like you have that do not attach to the faucet, just go by manual suction. Do you think the narrow tube could be jammed onto or fitted to the larger one? I have narrow spots in the tank like you do.

Chloramine and chlorine are used as disinfectants for municipal water supplies. Chlorine is a dissolved gas required in higher concentrations, dissipates easily, and will be different concentrations depending on how far away from the treatment facility you are. Chloarmine is chlorine bound...

Run the full range of tests on your tap water. It is very common for well water to have nitrates in it, and also common for municipal supplies to have chloramines in it. Chloramines test positive for ammonia in the API 2 bottle test kit. Compare tap water to tank water. If you have nitrates in...

Reasons for not having ammonia: Your biofilter efficiently converts ammonia to nitrite so that it is undetectable. or Amquel or Biosafe, or similar water treatments hide the ammonia from the salicylate (2 bottle green indicator) test for ammonia. Aquarium pharmacueticals claims Ammo-lock...

I have cycled a 55 gallon tank with fish without exposing the fish to detectable levels of ammonia or nitrite. I did it by using a very low bioload (ie: few fish) and very careful, sparce feedings. I used about 0.25 inch of fish per gallon. In my case, that was about 6 zebra danios and 6 platies...

Actual water changing takes less than 5 minutes on my 55 gallon. I have a strainer connected to a pond pump connected to tubing and pvc that empties into a utility sink. Then i have a plastic 30 gal garbage tank with heater and airstones with a pond pump in it, connected to tubing connected to a...

No plants. I have never had much luck with plants, even before I changed over to African cichlids. Having second thoughts about the turkey baster this time of year. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Since farm fertilizers and lawn fertilizers can follow the rainwater down into the aquifier, it makes perfect sense that nitrates from septic systems can do the same. You have to get your mind around not just one septic system, but hundreds or thousands of them in a town all doing the same...

I would agree with the above, no need to throw away the activated carbon. Activated carbon is good at removing some contaminants, medications, and such, but only for a certain period of time. After that, it isn't absorbing much, but it is acting like a high surface area good water flow media for...

Then you and your neighbors are definitely fertilizing those lawns! Aquifiers are usually large underground things, deep...deep underground things , at least I hope they are A LOT deeper than septic systems! I can not comment on how long things last or how far they travel. I do know that...

First, I suspect you have nitrates in your tap water. No way a new tank gets 50 or 100 ppm of nitrate in a few weeks. Well, one way is to use a saltwater nitrate test on fresh water, but I assume you bought a freshwater kit. Run a test on your tap water. Do ammonia and nitrite on your tap water...

Can you be more specific about your tank set up and filter type? I presume you are talking about replacing an activated charcoal insert?

Does your town pump it up from the ground? I get Lake Michigan water pumped to my house. Heavily chlorinated, but no chloramines or nitrates. Unless you live next to a large body of fresh water or river, where does it come from? Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

Farm fertilizer run off can cause nitrate in well water. I have heard of people noticing increases after heavy rains. There is no easy fix. Bottled water or reverse osmosis? Your septic system should not have anything to do with it. If it did, think about it... Ewwwww. Sent from my iPad using...

Or perhaps a turkey baster to move about the tank and blow out the hard to reach areas?

While there is lots of circulation from the two canister filters, there are always nooks and crannies with low flow. I suppose I could alter the direction of the output periodically. A powerhead would seem like overkill.

I have had fluval 404's for years. The impellers break periodically, parts are still available. easy to service, lots of compartments to customize what you use.

A nice plan. I converted an existing tank to cichlids. White ( for now at least) holey rock but I was too lazy to change the substrate from the brown aquarium gravel. If I was starting from scratch I would choose white or light colored sand or fine gravel. Black background was trashed from...

I was pretty lucky to have a big box aquarium store 25 min away with lots of rock and lots of cichlids. When you build your rock, take the advice I was given. Wide, flat stable pieces on the bottom. Then build on that for a stable rock wall that doesn't need the aquarium glass to stay upright...

The yellow lab I have no idea why it died. Looked to be in perfect health even when dead. The demasoni's seemed to get pale before dying. I wasn't sure if it was because they were so far down the pecking order, or if something else was wrong. It's been 2 days now, no more losses. I wonder if I...

I use a python to vacuum and send the water into a utility sink when vacuuming. I have a 30 gal plus plastic garbage can as a holding tank. I use an airstone to speed bubling off the chlorine, a heater in the bottom to bring it up to tank temp, and a pond pump to pump it into the tank. I also...