# Question about water change?



## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

So my ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite are really high. I have my 2 gallon tank set up and the levels are fine in that. Is it okay to put the 3 fish and 2 snails in the 2 gallon tank for a little while so I can do a 100% water change? Is doing a 100% wc a good idea? 

Once I get done with the 20 gallon tank, I can put them right back in there. So they will be in the small tank for an hour or 2. Do you think that is okay?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Never 100% water change. It will ruin the whole point of cycling the tank in the first place. What are your exact Nitrogen levels?

The Gourami itself will overstock that 2G tank. You will have Nitrogen levels that are too high within a day if you throw all of those fish in the 2G tank.

I would recommend doing a 50% water change on the 20G tank and see if that fixes your problem.


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2011)

Do 50% to lower some of the ppm in there.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

I just did a 50% water change. I removed some of the gravel in the tank. When I got the tank they gave me a under gravel filter. Which has since broke. I can't pull the grates out from under the gravel unless I empty the tank. So my worry is, wont food and waste get stuck under those under gravel grates? Which means I can't clean under them.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

How did the gravel filter break? They are a pretty simple design. If you mean the powerhead or air pump broke, then thats an easy fix. 

I wouldn't worry about the UG filter though. Its not really different than not having it. You could even shove your siphon tube into the hole for the UG filter if you really wanted to clean under it. Or be really careful and empty 50% of the tank, then pull them out.

Worry more about why your tank has such high Nitrogen levels. How old is the tank? A fully cycled tank should not show any ammonia or nitrite. It should only show nitrate.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

My tank has been up and running for over 3 or 4 months. The UG filter head broke. But it also came with a box filter as well. There are some stones that are stuck between the glass and the UG filter grates. So pulling them out is kinda of difficult. I will have my husband give it a go in a couple of days. 

My fish do seem happier. They are swimming around a lot more and don't seem so bogged down. My Gourami hasn't stopped yet. Every time I look at him he is swimming some where. 

I just tested my water a little bit ago, the ammonia was at 2.0. The other day when I tested everything the numbers were... PH 7.6 High PH 8.2 Nitrite 5.0 Nitrate 10.0 Ammonia 8.0. I am going to test it again tonight before I go to bed just to make sure everything is still going down.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Ammonium over 3ppm is really dangerous. 8 should be fatal. You probably just saved their lives with that water change. I would give it another day and do another water change. You want those ammonium levels to drop below 1ppm. Ideally you want 0 ammonium, 0 nitrite and less than 30 nitrate. Sounds like your tank still needs to finish its nitrogen cycle.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

The next water change, do I do another 50% or go back down to 25? I would rather do the 50, so I can try to get the grates out again or atleast have my husband give it a go.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

You can do 50% if needed, but it will just take a bit longer for the cycle to complete.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

Thank you for all your help. So I just tested the water again.. I am not really sure if this is normal or not, maybe you can help me figure this out. My numbers are as follows, PH 7.6, High PH 8.2, Ammonia 4.0, Nitrite 5.0, and Nitrate 160. Why such a huge jump? Should I retest to make sure it is correct? My Nitrate has been staying around 10 or lower. I am so confused by this right now. I am going to go retest.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

After doing water changes readings are never correct. give it a day before you test. all readings will be false.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

Okay, thank you very much! Everyone is so helpful here! It is much appreciated.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Don't test the high pH unless the regular pH reaches near the top of the scale. High pH is only in your test kit because the pH scale can't go that high.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

Oh, I didn't know that. Alright I will stop testing it then.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

ammonia should be kept under 0.5 and nitrite under 0.25. It does not matter how much water you needto change to maintain these levels. Large Water changes are not going to harm anything. Also there is no reason why tests after a water change would not be accurate.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

What are your nitrogen levels looking like today?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

here is something about testing your water....
no matter what....the water that you are testing will give you the readings of "THAT" water...be it before or after a water change.....and the test results should be accurate if done properly....
i haven't tested my tanks in decades ; but ; if i were to test i would do it prior to a water change...that would tell me where i am at and what i need to do...regular water changes are just that...regular water changes..they get done even if readings are perfect..and i always prefer to do at least 30-40% changes...depending on what you are doing with a particular tank it would be 1 , 2 , or even 7 times a week..


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

Tonight the readings were... Ph 7.6, Ammonia .25, Nitrite 5.0, and Nitrate 160. So my Nitrate has jumped up. I assume that means it is almost done cycling?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

It could be close to the finish, or there was an exceptional amount of nitrate in your tap water, or its just a wrong reading on your nitrate once. 

Your tank will not be done cycling until the ammonia/ammonium and nitrite are both 0 and your nitrate continues to rise. Test it every few days to check how its going. Cycling is a slow and dangerous process. It is the number 1 killer of pet fish.

Also, loha doesn't test his water because he tastes it for problems. You should keep testing it as a new fishkeeper. Just don't add things to the water to balance it (like ammonia/nitrite removers, or pH balancers). Those kinds of things are hard on a fish and they don't usually solve the problem.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

So the ammonia and nitrIte should be at 0, but what should the nitrAte be at for a good tank or doesn't that really matter as long as ammonia and nitrIte are at 0? Sorry, I am not trying to sound stupid here, just trying to figure all this out.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Ammonia/Ammonium should be 0 ppm
Nitrite should be 0 ppm
Nitrate should be kept below 50 ppm

Nitrate rising is the sign that your tank is cycled, however it is still not good for the fish.

Nitrates are not directly harmful to the fish, but can have adverse effects after long exposure to it. Try to keep them low by adding live plants and doing regular water changes. By monitoring how long it takes nitrate to rise above 50, you can figure out how often you need to do water changes. For most people 15% to 25% water change every week is good (I usually do mine every Saturday). You don't need to wait until it reaches 50 ppm to change it though. The lower it is kept the better.


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## ksikes02 (Aug 23, 2011)

Okay! That makes sense. I am hoping for just a couple more weeks of this cycling stuff to be over. It is very hard for me to get my fish and then see them die because of the tank. 

Live and learn I guess. I do plan on picking up a 10 gal tank this weekend, and get that one started with the cycling process. So I can have a real hospital tank.


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