water changes?

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Oscarito

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 6, 2013
53
0
6
Los angeles
what should i do because my tap water has very high nitrates(40) and ammonia (.25) and nitrites(.25) i do a 70% water change every sunday but i can never get my niitrates under 40 and my ammonia sometimes reads .25

i have a 10x turn over rate wet dry sump
one aquaclear110
and i have added a couple pothos plants

i have a aro with a fire eel, clown knife, and IT dat

i 3x a day every other day

im using the api master test kit

can anyone tell me if prime would work?
 
Oscarito said:
what should i do because my tap water has very high nitrates(40) and ammonia (.25) and nitrites(.25) i do a 70% water change every sunday but i can never get my niitrates under 40 and my ammonia sometimes reads .25

i have a 10x turn over rate wet dry sump
one aquaclear110
and i have added a couple pothos plants

i have a aro with a fire eel, clown knife, and IT dat

i 3x a day every other day

im using the api master test kit

can anyone tell me if prime would work?
Click to expand...

First off, are you using a water conditioner (Prime, Safe, etc)? If not, that will solve the problem. If you are using a conditioner, your levels are right at their highest acceptable levels without causing issues.

What is the tank size?

Hat are you doing 3x a day, every other day?

How big is the sump?


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I googled the 2012 LA water quality report, LA uses chloramine as a disinfectant, which will add a slight detect for ammonia and nitrate (<1ppm).
This however does not add up to 40ppm.
If you have 40ppm it is usually an indication you are not cleaning filters, not doing enough water changes (for the size fish in the size tank)
and maybe overfeeding.
I consider 20ppm nitrate to be stressful for fish, and a precursor for disease.
My water provider also uses chloramine in the same ratio as LA, and my tanks average 2-5ppm nitrate.
I try to change 30% of tank volume every other day, especially on what I consider "overcrowded" tanks. For me, this is 100 gallons every other day, on each bank of tanks (so 300 gallons water change for my 3 banks, every other day). The old water is used to flush toilets, and water yard and garden.
I also rinse out filter socks with each water change, using the old water.
I believe more frequent water changes provide for a much more stable environment, because the water in the tank is not allowed to become a stew of fish urine and acidify over a weeks time.
 
The tank size is a 100 gallon I feed 3x a day every other day the sump is the diy one from uarujoey I'm currently using the api tap water conditioner i think the sump is 30 gallons
 
Oscarito said:
The tank size is a 100 gallon I feed 3x a day every other day the sump is the diy one from uarujoey I'm currently using the api tap water conditioner i think the sump is 30 gallons
Click to expand...

The feedings are what is killing your water parameters. If you are going to feed that much with such large growing fish, you will need to increase your water changes. I would recommend doing two 50% water changes a week and that should help keep get parameters under control. And even though API water conditioner may work, I personally use Prime and have never, ever had issues with it. The API brand works with a wide variety of aquarium related products, but Seachem, the makers of Prime, work exclusively with water chemistry through chemicals and filtration. And in those two areas, I definitely prefer work with the specialists rather than the generalist.

Also, slightly off topic, but do you plan to upgrade tanks eventually with that stock list? The aro alone will need a 6', 150+ gallon tank while the dat would need a 125-150. The eel should be fine in there and I can't comment on the knife as I have never kept them.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
If that were my tank, 100gal + 30gal sump, with that stock, I would change 30-40 gallons every other day, rinsing whatever mechanical media is used in water change water during every water change.
 
Feed less, change more water and clean your filter more often.

I sincerely doubt that the tap water registers 40ppm of nitrate. It would be WAY over the limit set by the clean water act for safe use by people...

Matt
 
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