Yes do smaller water changes, but you can do them daily. I would get the original tank down to 20ppm and the tank at your house down to 10ppm.
Very high nitrates
I am rehoming my brothers livestock. He has neglected it for a few months since he is moving. I have my tank cycled and ready so I went over to test his water parameters. 0 ammonia,0 nitrites but the nitrates were off the chart. Way off. The API test sample was ruby red. Over 160 by a good amount. I did a 50% water change and brought it down somewhere between 80 to 160. Fish showed no signs of stress before the water change. 10 duboisi and 4 petros are in the tank now. How far down should I get the nitrates before I can safely bring them to my house tank which is <20 nitrates ? Any dangers in doing large water changes to get it down to normal limits in his tank ?
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Thanks. This is going to take a while. I am guessing the remaining canister filter is loaded with mulm like the one I brought over to start my cycle. Thought about giving it a rinse out but worried about a crash. Best to slow it down here I suppose. Thanks for the help so far. Thought this would go a bit smoother.
I would think the mulm is, by and large, a source of the nitrates ... and a rinse out would not be a problem as far as a crash goes, given that the rest of the tank is likely covered in beneficial bacteria.Belair62 said:Thanks. This is going to take a while. I am guessing the remaining canister filter is loaded with mulm like the one I brought over to start my cycle. Thought about giving it a rinse out but worried about a crash. Best to slow it down here I suppose. Thanks for the help so far. Thought this would go a bit smoother.
I took apart one that I brought home to start my tank. It was really really bad. I am going over there tomorrow and am going to rinse the one left in his tank. There is a HOB on the tank still too so it should be ok. Its actually shocking to see nitrates this high and no signs of distress.
Is the test kit good? I have an API for my saltwater tanks and its fairly new but gives me false readings. I use Salifert now for it.
Bought the kit 3 weeks ago. Tests seem OK in my tank.he neglected his tank for a long time. Never seen filters so filthy.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Cichlid Fish Forum
A forum community dedicated to Cichlid Fish owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
