cichlidmanjss;709029; said:
High nitrates, the end product of the nitrogen cycle, has been implicated in a myriad of fish problems, including stunting, hole-in-the-head disease (HITH), and shortened life span. Your water parameters should be ammonia-0; nitrite-0; and nitrate less than 20 ppm. The only way to know the quality of your water is to routinely test the water. You need a freshwater master test kit. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate. The frequency and amount of water changes you do, should be based on the nitrate level in the tank. In other words, enough water should be changed out to get the nitrates below 20 ppm. If in three days the nitrates are at 20 ppm, it's time for another water change. The beauty of a larger tank, is that the nitrates are more diluted, which translates into less frequent water changes. In a small, overcrowded tank, more frequent and larger water changes will have to be done to keep the nitrates low.
We know first hand about stunting, as our rescued fish are stunted from the extremely poor conditions they were subjected to most of their lives. We now have perfect water parameters for our fish, and routinely test the water before each water change.
I suggest that you go to Petsmart's website and print out their pricing for their Freshwater Master Test Kit. You can take it into their store and they will honor their online pricing. Instead of paying $30+, you can buy it for $13.49. Be aware that the nitrate test is very technique sensitive, and the instructions have to be followed to the letter, or you will get a false reading which is always lower than the actual reading. (You have to vigorous shake the second reagent for 30 seconds; you have to vigorous shake the test tube for a full minute)
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...1172417892659&itemNo=0&In=Fish&N=2030068&Ne=2
