Optimal Levels

[Dragonmommy]

I was wondering what optimal water conditions for lake malawi cichlids are. I know I can look it up but I would like to see what kind of information I get from here.
I would like to know wha ph, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia ect should be during

week 1 of cycle
week 2
complete cycle

and anything else i should know.

I am asking now because i finally got me a complete test kit toniight.

Thanks!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

For Lake Malawi Cichlids, a pH of 7.6+ is good. It can be increased by using crushed coral, which will also increase the hardness of your water.

The levels during the cycle really don't matter except for ammonia. If you are going to be doing it fishless, aim for 4 ppm of Ammonia until the NItrite spike. Then half the amount of dosed ammonia until the Nitrites are zero and Nitrates are detectable.

Do you know what your tap pH and hardness levels are?

 

[Dragonmommy]

OK well the tap water seems to come out at 7.8 ph which is good I suppose.
Our water is not soft water.

I am being forced to cycle with my fish due to a failure of my other tank. The ammonia levels are being kept low, under 1ppm by 20% to 40% water changes every 1 or 2 days. Should I be doing something different?
I have detected no nitrates or nitrites at all yet. Last night the ammonia was about .50 ppm so a 20 % water change made it 0 ppm again.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you are cycling with fish, then keep the Ammonia and Nitrite below 1 ppm at all times. Higher levels can be lethal. As long as it is below 1, whatever you are doing sounds good. You don't want the Ammonia to be 0 unless you start seeing Nitrites. Otherwise it won't cycle. Do not clean the filter during the cycling phase or do too much of a gravel vac. What kind of dechlorinator are you using? Amquel Plus is known to harm the cycle of the tank. Also, don't use any additives to reduce the ammonia or nitrite levels. (I'm not farmiliar with how much you know about the cycling process so if I say something that you already know, I'm sorry.)

 

[Dragonmommy]

OK, here is my latest test results

Ph is 7.8

Ammonia is .50 ppm

Nitrate is 5 ppm

Nitrite is 0 ppm

I will do another 20% water change after I eat (eating now)

I am not using a gravel vac now, just bailing water out and replacing it. I will get the stupid gravel vac when i go back to the store, I keep forgetting it and all I have is the tiny one for the little tank... it takes forvever.

I use aqua safe to treat my water... I accidently dumped half of it down my sink yesterday too

 

[Jchillin]

Tests look good! You are using established media from another tank if I remember correctly?

 

[Dragonmommy]

well the media from the other tank was run in a semi-new tank for 3 weeks. I had taken a tank that had been run then torn down for a few weeks and rined the gravel and added a new filter since the existing filer was not enough (the tank was used for fry)
See, I was forced to set up with no cycle then because my mother has some little guys in her little pond (she didnt know they were even there) who were so covered in ich they were on deaths door. I Took 5, 1 died before coming home, 1 died on the way but I saved the other 3... then 1 got killed presumably by high ammonia levels. This all happened before my LFS got a new shipment of testing supplies in, I finally got a full test kit last night (after I asked them to order it)
I just did a 20-25% water change and turned the filter up to pump the water a bit faster, will test in a bit.

 

[Dragonmommy]

OK new test results after a 20% water change, I think I will stick with 20% daily so I don't poisen my babies.

ph is still 7.8, nice stable tap water

no nitrite still

nitrate is about 2, its less than 5ppm but more than 0 so I am guessing about 2 or 2.5 ppm

ammonia is about .30 ppm, again more than .25 but less than .50

 

[rich311k]

Those levels are just fine. Keep ammonia and nitrite under one and you should be ok.

 

[Dragonmommy]

OK i will do that. This who nitrate nitrite thing is a confusing mess!!!