when to waterchange

russjet

russjet

AC Members
Oct 25, 2004
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greenwich london uk
this is my first tank
my mum has had hers years and hardly ever changes the water and her quality reads as excellent 0 on everything .but i know water changes are the way to go.
i am now on day four (fishie cycle)and my new readings are
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate looks to be above 0 but only just and not to the first colour above 0
do i water change now ?
i am aiming at a community tank with lots of little schools,my tank is a 32gallon fluval duo

this forum is excellent i did loads of research before buying the tank and then the fish (10 neon tetras) but didnt find this forum until i had done the deed and inserted my first victims.
i wish i had found this as it is the first place i found out about fishless cycling
but it is too late so please help do i change water today or not?

juliette
 
yeah, do a water change. ammonia isn't at a lethal level yet but neons are rather sensitive.
 
ammo lock

as a side note is this good to add to make the ammonia non toxic or does it mess up cycling the tank
 
I don't think it'll work unless your pH is below 7... ammonia only converts to the other chemical, ammonium when the pH is below 7.
 
Yeah, start doing water changes now for those little neons. If there is any detectable ammonia or nitrite then it means that there is more than the bacteria can use. And fish will keep making more. Since neons are quite fragile fish I would err on the side of caution and be doing water changes (at least small ones or 3-4 gallon or more) every few days. Fresh water can never hurt and while your mom's tank may show zero on many of the readings (though I doubt it does for nitrate) there are a lot fo things we don't have tests for that build up and lead to problems.

Also you say a lot of small schools. Generally in a tank schooling fish quickly learn not to be affraid enough to school and those that still do school end up combining school of fish. Many tetras school together as do barbs. I would stick to 2 main schools if I were you and then some extra fish like gourami or paradise fish etc...
 
fish suggestions

i want easy peaceful fish any ideas welcome
i dont think my fish obsessed 20 month old who sits on his little chair watching the neons in awe would be too happy to see any fish fights or deaths so water change is planned for nap time so i can do it in peace

i think it is great though that while the tv is showing kids channels he opts for staring at the fish or grabbing his nemo book

my ph is 8.0 and that has been pretty consistent so far
so is there any add in that will detoxify the water without stopping the cycle
that i can use at this ph
 
Yes, definitely change water. Although I would advise 10g daily for now, perhaps increasing if necessary. Since you've got some NO2 present, you have some of the first nitrifiers present, which means that they just need to build their colony to handle the bioload. Remember when you go about adding more fish that the colonies will have to grow to suit the heavier bioload, so add new additions very gradually.

Skip the ammo-lock, all it will do is hinder your cycle's progress, then expire and you'll see an ammonia spike and wonder where it came from. It can only adsorb so much. While the colonies will grow as long as there is surplus ammonia, this product and its ilk only make the bioload appear smaller than it really is.

Agreed TKOS, it was my first reaction, I doubt that your mom's tanks are 0 on everything. NO3, PO4, KH, pH, GH are all likely above 0.
 
I agree with 10 gallon changes daily, may even have to do more some days. Just keep testing ammonia and nitrites. I wouldn't let them get up much higher than they are now, neons are rather sensitive.

I also agree with only having 1-2 schools of fish. If it were me, I think I'd stick with only the neons for the main schooling fish in there. Add 2-4 more neons and a group of 5-8 cories (small ones like panda cories). The cories will mostly stay grouped together around the bottom, they are very fun and active fish. Your son should love watching them. Then I'd pick out one "show" fish. A smallish fish (3-5") that is colorful, happy living alone and won't eat your neons would be a good choice. Do a bit of research and find one that you like. Something like a betta, paradise fish, dwarf gourami, etc. Don't get an angelfish, he'd definitely end up eating the neons once he got big enough :)

Don't add anything else until your ammonia and nitrites are staying at zero without water changes, then only add 1-3 fish at a time. Wait 2-3 weeks in between additions. As you add more fish, you will have small ammonia/nitrite spikes while the bacteria multiplies enough to handle the waste of the additional fish.

Good luck, you're doing a great job :)
 
And also now that you know about fishless cycling, you can do that on your next tank (yes, there will be another one lol) and it will be less hassle :)
 
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