in a fully cycled tank your amo and nitrites should be 0
if you have nitrites something went wrong.
probably bb died.
if you have nitrites something went wrong.
probably bb died.
Nitrates?
- Thread starter ernie9624
- Start date
i agree with syno.. the stages of a cycle are ammonia-that is converted to nitrItes.. that nitrIte bacteria is consumed and converted to the least deadly/harmful form which is NitrAtes.. nitrAtes are the final stage. when a tank is cycled you should finally have NO ammonia and NO nitrItes.. and keep your nitrAtes at 40-50 ppm or less. with your tank i would do little waterchanges until you reach 40-50 ppm, then from there do 50 or a little more percent of waterchanges a week.
also, dont over feed! i tended to do this when i was new to fishkeeping 14 yrs ago.. i would feed once a day and make sure they are eating it all.. if you see food settling on the bottom and they arent interested in it, you are overfeeding..
best of luck to ya!
also, dont over feed! i tended to do this when i was new to fishkeeping 14 yrs ago.. i would feed once a day and make sure they are eating it all.. if you see food settling on the bottom and they arent interested in it, you are overfeeding..
best of luck to ya!
I guess I'm an over-acheiver. I wouldn't let my nitrates get over 20 ppm max on a bet and that's pushing it. Mine don't get over 7-8 ppm at the highest before they get a water change. I've come to realize that's not the norm. I figure if it's recommended & acceptable enough for Discus & fry then it's good enough for my adult SA/CA cichlids, too. I didn't know until I joined forums that most people let their nitrates get so much higher. Not arguing the point, I just didn't realize. And with the color and growth of my Oscars I won't be changing my ways anytime soon 
twisted,
Post some pic of your oscars, would love to see the color and size,
Might take that 7-8PPM into consideration.
Post some pic of your oscars, would love to see the color and size,
Might take that 7-8PPM into consideration.
lol twisted. love that EBJD in your avatar! cute little guy.. i try to keep my nitrates under 40 ppm-but i keep africans and i overstock them-which is par for the course for africans.
AnimalHouse, there's some pics of my 5 Oscars in the album at http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=281
NavyGirl, I think it does depend a lot on what kind of fish and there's no 'rule' that covers them all & some are more sensitive than others to nitrates. But in my mind it didn't sit right with me to keep my Discus at or <5 and my Oscars and other fish at or <25 ppm since my Oscars are my babies. So I just change a lot of water and understock so I don't have to stress it <g>.
NavyGirl, I think it does depend a lot on what kind of fish and there's no 'rule' that covers them all & some are more sensitive than others to nitrates. But in my mind it didn't sit right with me to keep my Discus at or <5 and my Oscars and other fish at or <25 ppm since my Oscars are my babies. So I just change a lot of water and understock so I don't have to stress it <g>.
you should have 0 in nitrite and its possible to get 0 nitrates but its easier to acheive using an ro unit ro
Nothing wrong with that...Lord knows there are people for the life of them can't get their nitrAtes below 40ppm...TwistedPenguin;2176922; said:I guess I'm an over-acheiver. I wouldn't let my nitrates get over 20 ppm max on a bet and that's pushing it. Mine don't get over 7-8 ppm at the highest before they get a water change. I've come to realize that's not the norm. I figure if it's recommended & acceptable enough for Discus & fry then it's good enough for my adult SA/CA cichlids, too. I didn't know until I joined forums that most people let their nitrates get so much higher. Not arguing the point, I just didn't realize. And with the color and growth of my Oscars I won't be changing my ways anytime soon
Good job and your fish, I'm sure love you for that...
