FishProfiles.com Message Forums

my tank has a reading of no ammonia, no nitrite and 20 nitrate.thats normal and means that it is cycled correct?

Yes,
0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, and something for Nitrate, indicates
that the tank has cycled. If you have very little or no
plants in the tank, then keep the nitrate reading down
around 0. If there are plenty of plants, then you should
keep the Nitrate reading between 5 and 20.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

ok so basically i need a water change then.how much would you do for a 55G

Hi,
Water changes are our way of imitating nature. Melting
snows, rain showers, floods, all perform nature's water
changes. In addition to topping off the tanks for
evaporation, we need to actually remove and replace
water at a regular basis.

How much water depends upon several factors:

The size of the tank and its occupants. Large bodied,
messy eaters, such as Oscars, require larger water changes
than does a tank with fish such as neons.

To maintain water values such as a zero Nitrate or
near zero, can require water changes of 50% or more.

To stimulate the breeding urge, some fish require water
changes larger than 50% sometimes twice or more a week.

For you, in your feeder tank you should do 50% per week
to start out, and monitor your nitrate readings. You
may have to do it twice a week. For your 55 with the
Oscars, again, 50% at least once a week would be necessary
along with gravel vacuuming to pick up the pieces of
leftover food and feces.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

ok thank you frank

also im not possitive but nitrate has a negative affect on fish. just exactly what does it do?and in order to keep nitrates down would a top water plant such as hornwart be more practical in a tank with aggressive fish.

Hornwort can be a good choice. Personally I find water sprite to be a lot more common.

High nitrates are correlated with degrading water quality. Specifically among cichlids (as well as marine fish), high nitrates are often found when hole in the head disease is present. As for what exactly it does, I don't actually know. Although it's not toxic at lower concentrations like ammonia and nitrites, at higher concentrations, if allowed to build up, it can pose a danger to health.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

now for high nitrates would that be levels above 50 ppm? the highest mine got up to was maybe 40, but probably around 30-35 ppm is more practical. its hard to tell because the color chart is set so closely together but is between 30-40ppm.that is why i estimated 35ppm.also cant high nitrates be a cause from feeding of live foods or protein rich foods, i have been feeding a higher protein diet the last few days,(crickets, fish, and a small peice of steak)

Hi,
This is getting sort of out of hand. In several of your
posts you have asked constructive questions and received
expert advice from some of the best members of FP.
Then, despite their comments, suggestions, and warnings,
you have proceeded to act contrary to their advice.
For instance, despite the advice not to, you used salt
in a tank and by your own admittance, killed some fish.

Your questions about cycling a tank, and the readings
associated with tank cycling and the Nitrogen Cycle itself
are another case.

A simple search "affects on high nitrate levels on
aquariums" provides pages of references. Some sponsored
by manufacturers of compounds designed to reduce nitrate
through their products and others written by experts with
nothing to gain but the spread of knowledge.

There are recommended "norms" for nitrate. Zero to
ten for planted tanks. Anything 40 and over indicating
the need for regular and comprehensive tank maintenance
including water changes and gravel vacuuming. Old Tank
Syndrome, in which nitrate readings climb to 100+.

Aside from the fish themselves, you are increasing the
nitrate readings in your tank with the foods that you are
feeding them. Beef steak provides not only the "meat"
(protean) that the fish need, but also the blood and
blood products that directly affect the nitrate levels.

There is no sense in our offering our assistance and or
knowledge, if you are going to read it, and ignore it, and
pose another question under a different guise to see what
other results you can get.

Decaying water quality (high nitrates), causes stress in
fish which in turn makes the fish susceptible to a variety
of diseases, infections, and parasites. Hole in the Head
is but one of many afflictions that are associated with
high nitrate readings.

All of this has been presented across several threads that
you have started. Go back and read them and the
information within them. Do a search on "The affects of
high nitrate readings in an aquarium." Follow the
information.

We cannot do much more than we have.

Frank



-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

yes i know this frank but my question is still unanswered, is the high nitrates because the fish has HITH or coud the nitrates cause the fish to be more susceptible in contracting the disease?i appreciate all the people hoave done in answereing the questions, and i did not add salt to the tank when instructed not to, i have several tanks and have added salt now and then, because i ask several questions and someone answres one does not mean that my theory is wrong.for instace i thought the fluctuation in temperature could have caused some deaths but thought it may have been ammonia too, the person said they thought it was ammonia, i said ok but what about temperature that cant be rulked out, then i feel attacked.i feel like some moderators have more knowledge then hobbyists and they are somewhat rude in their responses.i apologize for not knowing or asking to many questions however if you are becoming annoyed then no need to post replies, or even read my posts for that matter.thank you cichlid

like i mean i dont mean to over-do it witht he posts but im somewhat scared for my fish i dont want them to die i just want to be able to enjoy them for time to come.i google nitrate effects on the aquarium and it basically said HITH is caused on most all cases of nitrate being 100ppm or more but that it is recommended that it be kept belowe 40 ppm, basically what iw ant to know is that since the site said to try and keep it as low as possible would you recomend doind a water change if my nitrate is at 20ppm and also do you think over time it will cause hith or if my fish could possibly have hith now?

Bravo Frank!
Cichlid honey, I've read your posts. You have asked the same question in multiple treads in different ways and the same way. You have been told the same thing in each instance. I'm a newbie, but I think you should re-read some of the answers you've been given and some of the replies you've posted. I know there is a margin for misunderstanding, but man-o-man!... Sometimes it reads as if you are fishing for what you want to hear, not what you've been told. If you are told to read... You'd better get to crackin'. Open a book or two or search the web, you won't be wasting time. You'll be gaining knowledge! You will probably find out somethings you could teach to the rest of us, in addition to learning how to fix your original problems. Criticism should always be taken with a grain of salt(truth). And the truth sometimes hurts. (Just don't add it to the tank, sorry I couldn't resist.) Suck it up and move on, grow from it! I'm not attacking, just observing. I'll be quiet now.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Sweetie, Nitrite, Ammonia and PH are all normal? That nitrate reading is awfully high! Is this a single fish (oscar) in this particular tank? Does this fish look like it has a hole in the head? How often are you changing the water and how much? How long have you had this fish? In the first post you said the reading was 20 then later you noted between 30 and 40. Which is it? In any case do a water change. You're freaking me out man!

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

no i meant to say that the site i was reading it on said that the nitrate should be kept belowe 40 ppm at all times. mine was around 15-20 ppm, in the time between my posts i did a water change. the current nitrate is at 5ppm.i just wanted to know if 20 ppm is somewhat normal, or if you people thought it was ridiculously high.the reason why i think it is so high was because i was feeding the oscar live food one day then the next a peice or too of steak and i know live foods and terrestrial meats are high in protein and (not possitive) but assume that could make a nitrate to sorta spike a bit. i normally do atleast a 25% water change once a week, but on this site i have been told to up it to a 50% once a week or 2 25%s as needed and just to keep the nitrate in watch by using a test kit.yes it is just one oscar.also if i was planning on setting up another tank in the future could i use water from and already cycled tank to help kick start that one, or is this unacceptable?also the fish does not look like it has HITH.

Thanks, I think you are headed in the right direction. You can use the some of the water to "kick start" your new tank, but you should still expect to run a normal cycle in the new tank before you add fish to it. As I've found, a test kit is your new best friend! When in doubt, test it out!

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Hi,
Here are a series of sites about high nitrate readings
to read:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/watercare/a/nitrates.htm

http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/Articles/TonyGriffitts/AdverseAffectofNitrateontheAquarium.htm

http://www.novalek.com/kordon/aquatru/nitrate_high.htm

Old Tank Syndrome (OTS)
http://www.bestfish.com/oldtank.html

Hole in the Head Disease:
http://www.worldcichlids.com/diseases/Adamhith.html

In a marine tank:
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/marineaquarium/nitrate.php

Feeding....
While many folks do feed their fish beef, they do not
feed a muscle or fatty piece of meat such as a steak.
Instead they feed a very small amount of chopped beef heart.
Think about it... Just how many times would a fish eat
beef in nature, in its life time? Probably never.
The meat shreds differently than does fish. Fish generally
"flakes" while beef "strings." This is one of the reasons
that fish food comes in pellets and flakes.
The blood from the beef passes directly into the water
where it will begin to pollute the tank.

Some folks tend to crowd the limits, and others either
by nature of out of concern for their fish tend to be more
conservative. That's why you see the lower limits of
acceptable Nitrate varying between 40s and 50s.

Moderators are allot like people, they come in all sorts
of sizes, genders, shapes, and attitudes. Most don't
like to be ignored. When a question is asked, it is answered.
What they don't expect is to find the same question
elsewhere couched in different phrases phishing
for a more comfortable answer. If you don't feel that
your specific question is being answered, then be more
specific.

Don't stop asking questions. Questions are how we learn.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

ok thankyou frank, i did not mean to be arragant(dont know if i spelled it correct) and i like this site alot, ive returned to it for several years now,so i guess i shouldnt be overly worried if my nitrates were around 20 but that is when a water change should probably ensue.thankyou.
PS, i have looked at most of those site already but the ones i havent i plan to, especially the HITH, because my first ever oscar died from that mostly because i went to florida for 2 weeks and was unable to do a water change it that is why i think he contratcted it.also becaue i lacked knowledge and fed feeders straight from the store which were not quarantined.after these rosy reds are quarantined i plan to do a breeding guppy or other livebearers tank.