FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Okay, my tank finally cycled (after 8 weeks!), with 3 platies and MANY frys. Now it has the 3 platies, and maybe 10 2 wk old frys, and 2 dwarf gouramis. It is a 20 gal tank. No plants, other than fake ones. Just did my first water change 3 days ago.

I tested it before and after the water change. I always get the same readings, Ammonia = 0, NitrItes = 0, NitrAtes = 40-80 (hard to distinquish), but I think its closer to 40.

I had a bout with Brown algae, but have reduced my feedings, and that seems to have slowed. (Never was a big problem, just a few 'rust' spots). And no other forms of algae seem to have taken root.

The fish all seem happy, and healthy, from what I can tell.

IS this an okay level for Nitrates? And if not, aside from water changes (which I will now do on a weekly basis 20% change), what else can I do? I don't want to add plants, as I don't think I could handle those.

Thanks!

10-20 is a good range to shoot for, anything under 40ppm is best, although there have been some who have reported nitrAtes over 100ppm (not that I'm reccomending it).

Water changes and plants are really the only way. Maybe something floating like hornwort would work for you. It's fairly low maintence, and is great @sucking up nitrates (so much so that some people have to add them). When you do the WC's just be sure that you only vac part of the gravel @a time and also trade off when you do the filter maintence. You don't want to lose so much of the bacteria that you end up in mini cycle.

^_^
[/font]

New master test kits, not all, do not include nitrate tests...

It's true that algaes, all of them, seem to love nitrates as snack food. However, nitrates do not hang out a sign saying "Here I am, algae, come and eat me".

There are tanks that have high nitrates, perhaps 50ppm and over, with no sign of the dreaded green/blue/red stuff.

As long as you're performing bi-weekly small water changes, you'll have no concern with nitrates.

--garyroland.