MichaelsLilGray
Aquarium Advice FINatic
you called nitrites good bacteria.. there not.. they are evil lol only good bacteria is nitrates.(in limited quantity.)
Aggressive fish
- Thread starter Squareheads
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Neither Nitrite or Nitrate are bacteria. There are bacteria that consume them. Nor are the values plural.
MichaelsLilGray
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Eh they can be.....to each his own
fisch
Aquarium Advice Activist
I didn't call nitrites or nitrates bacteria. I simply said there is good bacteria breaking down ammonia and nitrite.
Squareheads
Aquarium Advice Activist
ill check next week, but the test strip i bought ( i know its a mistake i bought strips) showed that it was in a safe level... so i was like
meh...
meh...
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
ill check next week, but the test strip i bought ( i know its a mistake i bought strips) showed that it was in a safe level... so i was like
meh...
Yes, but with the tank being so new, it's highly possible IMO that ammonia is at quite toxic levels and that you haven't yet begun the nitrite spike phase of cycling. Given that you can only test for nitrite and nitrate, I think your tests may be giving you a false sense of security here. An ammonia test kit is a must at this point.
Yellow Eye Tang
Aquarium Advice Freak
What I would suggest at this point is to do 15 - 20% water changes every other day. If you can't afford the API tests then you need to assume that your water is hurting. Try to siphon out a 5 gallon bucket of water every other day. Then, when you refill the bucket to replace the water - make sure the temperature is right with what is in your tank. Then treat the bucket with a de-chlorinator and add aquarium salt to it as the instructions say. Use a CLEAN hand or something else to stir it up and add it back to the tank to refill. Give this schedule as long as you need to purchase the API test kit (or another one) and you should be ok. Also,... if you need to, you can always take a sample of your water in and have it tested to see what is happening there.
You had me until the aquarium salt thing. Salt of any name has no business in a FW tank unless you're treating for Ich. Also, 15-20% changes may not be enough if the tank is newly cycling. 50-75% can't hurt if a good dechol is used.
MichaelsLilGray
Aquarium Advice FINatic
and im going to stop you there... you should never change more than 50% of the water in an aquarium.. 15-30% every day vs every other day would be the best thing for the fish imo.. and im sure everyone else on here will agree with that.
I don't agree. 75-90% changes do no harm and are helpful if cycling or if something needs to be removed. Saying "you should never change more than 50%" is bad information. What do you base that on?
Squareheads
Aquarium Advice Activist
obivously we don't all see eye to eye right now since we all have different opinions from experience I presume.
I put some Seachem Prime in my tank, would that help?
I put some Seachem Prime in my tank, would that help?
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
HN1 and I change 50-60% of the water on our FW tanks every week. Our experience has told us for years that FW fish love clean water. Our fish are more colorful and active following a water change. The only time IMO that large water changes would be detrimental to fishes' health would be in a case of old tank syndrome, where nitrate and dissolved organic compounds have built up over time to such high levels that a sudden change "shocks" fish. Regular large water changes actually help prevent this situation. When I was keeping discus I did 50% water changes 3x per week, and looking back on it I should have done more. I agree that there are different ways to do things, but to say that fish will suffer from changing a lot of water is just completely bogus info.
When a tank is cycling with fish, large frequent water changes are often the only way to prevent permanent damage to fish due to ammonia and/or nitrite (both are very toxic to fish).
Yes square, Prime will help bind ammonia in such a way that is not toxic to fish. Water changes are still a great option as well.
I agree that there are different ways to do things, but to say that fish will suffer from changing a lot of water is just completely bogus info.When a tank is cycling with fish, large frequent water changes are often the only way to prevent permanent damage to fish due to ammonia and/or nitrite (both are very toxic to fish).
Yes square, Prime will help bind ammonia in such a way that is not toxic to fish. Water changes are still a great option as well.
Squareheads
Aquarium Advice Activist
i've read in an article that i believe if i can paraphrase it, it says that the general rule of thumb that 1 inch of fish per gallon, doesn't necessarily have to be the case. It's how you take care of the fish...
of course over populating the tank is absurd but I think what i can get from this article is that, as long as you can take care of your fish, you'll know how many more fish you can add to your aquarium until its reasonable to say "stop."
btw... im thinking of getting some sorta night light for my aquarium so i can see the fishies at night time. good idea?... the light i believe is called Current USA Lunar Light... anyone got ne experience on these guys?
of course over populating the tank is absurd but I think what i can get from this article is that, as long as you can take care of your fish, you'll know how many more fish you can add to your aquarium until its reasonable to say "stop."
btw... im thinking of getting some sorta night light for my aquarium so i can see the fishies at night time. good idea?... the light i believe is called Current USA Lunar Light... anyone got ne experience on these guys?
fisch
Aquarium Advice Activist
Most people don't follow the one inch per gallon rule. A 5 inch fish needs a lot more space and produces a lot more waste than five 1 inch fish.
The important thing is to take care of fish. One of the best ways of doing that is not overstocking. It does not matter how often you do water changes, if you have too many fish for a given area they will become stressed and suffer as a result.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
I couldn't agree more. The inch per gallon "rule" is worthless IMO. Think of it this way: by that logic, we could keep a 10 inch oscar in a 10 gallon tank.
As for the lunar light, it's all a matter or personal preference. Lunar lighting does look pretty cool, but that's about it; there are no inherent benefits to your tank. I think I know which light you're talking about, but I'm wondering how you will mount it to your tank. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's meant to be mounted on the underside of a canopy so I'm not sure where you'd put it. we have a couple of the Coralife brand lunar lights that are used on the 120 gallon, but that brand has a mechanism that snaps into the track on the Coralife brand light (which we also have). They can also be mounted into a canopy, but I think those are the only options. Let me search and see what I can come up with. If you look around here you may also find a DIY lunar lighting thread.
As for the lunar light, it's all a matter or personal preference. Lunar lighting does look pretty cool, but that's about it; there are no inherent benefits to your tank. I think I know which light you're talking about, but I'm wondering how you will mount it to your tank. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's meant to be mounted on the underside of a canopy so I'm not sure where you'd put it. we have a couple of the Coralife brand lunar lights that are used on the 120 gallon, but that brand has a mechanism that snaps into the track on the Coralife brand light (which we also have). They can also be mounted into a canopy, but I think those are the only options. Let me search and see what I can come up with. If you look around here you may also find a DIY lunar lighting thread.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok, looks like these would work, since they can be mounted to glass:
LED Aquarium Lights & Decorative Lunar Lights: Marina Micro LED Lights
Aquarium Lighting: Aqualight Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow Lunar Light
LED Aquarium Lights & Decorative Lunar Lights: Marina Micro LED Lights
Aquarium Lighting: Aqualight Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow Lunar Light
Joker741
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I agree with HN1, I have done 75% changes before when cycling and it has never been a bad thing.
Squareheads
Aquarium Advice Activist
btw... what are signs of high ammonia levels?
fisch
Aquarium Advice Activist
There are only signs of ammonia poisoning. Usually labored breathing and fish hanging near the top gasping for air.
Signs of high ammonia would be from your test kit.
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