Balanced Aquarium.

[cynic]

Hi everybody, got to ask this as.

Can a tank balance? I know we get the questions about all sorts of horrors with water quality but i'm at the opposite end. Thanks to a little luck and the info from the forum if i'm honest.

My ammonia and nitrite are constantly 0 and i'm down to testing once a week now. I have been especially concious of the nitrate level as the plecs are happiest at or below 40ppm as i understand it. The point of the question is my Nitrate levels, they are consistantly 20-40ppm. If anything i'd say they were dropping slightly.

I know i have a big tank with little fish but the numbers are high enough i would have thought to corrupt the tank soon enough.

I have been doing waterchanges but only in the sense of what water i lose from sucking up the poo from the sand once a week, that must only be 10%. If the numbers are good there seems little point stressing the fish with big changes, especially as the Columbians don't appreciate the experience.

The tank is planted, not to the excesses of some but enough for the fish to feel at home for certain and the plants are growing nicely. Can they be using the nitrate?

 

[Louiseness]

Yes, the plants can use the nitrate, as some people with heavily planted tanks say they change water only every few months. Also your 10% water changes and light stocking for the size of the tank will be helping to keep the nitrate down

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Light stocking, with light planting, with light water changes sounds like balance to me.


Heavy stocking, with heavy planting, with heavy water changes would also be a balance.


As fishkeepers we need to find the proper BALANCE. We don't want water changes to dramatically change the chemistry of the water. So, we do a continual process of water changes, as necessary, to keep the water chemistry as close to the tap water as possible. Ultimately, that is why we do the water changes. It may take a little while for a novice to figure out how frequent and how big the water changes need to be to find that balance, but balance is what I think we are all striving for.


I think most tank problems come about as a result of imbalance - primarily, too many fish coupled with not enough water changes. Then there are those special few who keep bala sharks in a goldfish bowl (not that they are suitable for goldfish either!).

 

[cynic]

, i'm still most definitely learning but its good to know its about right.

 

[minnnt]

Obviously down to you having a very well cycled filter...

 

[Akasha72]

okay, as a fairly new fish keeper I'm now a little confused after reading this.

I've now got a cycling tank at last (PH 7-7.2, Ammonia and Nitrite 0 and Nitrate around 10) and my plan was to just take out enough water to vac the gravel (probably a couple of buckets which would be about 20%) and a general tidy up once a week. With a 2ft tank with 16 small fish and lots of live plants does that mean doing that could actually be detremental?

Would it be better to do the regular maintenance less often to keep those levels balanced ?

It would be good to know now I've got the ideal water levels - the last thing I want to do is go and upset that balance

 

[soybean]

okay, as a fairly new fish keeper I'm now a little confused after reading this.

I've now got a cycling tank at last (PH 7-7.2, Ammonia and Nitrite 0 and Nitrate around 10) and my plan was to just take out enough water to vac the gravel (probably a couple of buckets which would be about 20%) and a general tidy up once a week. With a 2ft tank with 16 small fish and lots of live plants does that mean doing that could actually be detremental?

Would it be better to do the regular maintenance less often to keep those levels balanced ?

It would be good to know now I've got the ideal water levels - the last thing I want to do is go and upset that balance

Given your tank is still fairly newly cycled and some of your fish went through that cycle, I think it will benefit from the weekly 20% ish for now until it is more well established.

 

[minnnt]

Yes. Not all tanks need the same schedule. Jason will be able to get away with doing less due to him having plants and a relatively low stock level for the size and volume of his tank.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Akasha,

What are your tap water parameters?

Chances are that you don't need to worry as much as you are. A weekly 20% water change should be just fine. The goal is to have your tank water as close as possible to your tap water as possible, so that water changes aren't big changes to the chemistry.

I would say that you would be better off doing MORE water changes than less. Water changes are almost never detrimental. The key is to keep testing your water for a while. Test it daily or every two days to keep track of the tank's water parameters. When you see the nitrates go up by 20-40ppm, you need to do a water change. Once you do the water change, keep track of how big the water change was, and what the new tank parameters are afterward. This will help you figure out how much and how often you need to change your water. The way I see it, it is better to change the water too often than not often enough. Water changes won't hurt the filter bacteria. Just be sure to turn the filter off while you are completing the filter - be sure to use dechlorinator, of course - and turn the filter back on once the water change is completed. Unless the process takes more than a few hours, there is no concern for your bacteria. Your fish will be fine as well.


As far as the plants go, are you using high light or low light? Are you fertilizing?


The OP has less fish for the volume of his tank than you, so you are going to want to do larger water changes than him.

 

[Akasha72]

Hi, to answer those questions eagles

My tap water is very good. It's PH is 7 and zero for ammonia,nitrite and nitrate ... guessing that makes me very lucky!

Plants .. I've no idea regarding the lighting. The tank and it's lid (complete with it's strip light bulb) was a gift. I've been reading on here about lighting but it seems a little confusing and I've put it to one side for now. Perhaps look into changing it at a later day if the plants start to suffer. I'm not using any plant fertilizer either at the moment.

I'm still on that learning curve regarding most things ... one thing at a time or I'm gonna end up more confused lol

@Soybean

I'll keep aiming to do the 20% water change on a weekly basis as you suggest.

Thanks for clearing that up guys - Akasha

 

[eaglesaquarium]

With your tap water being so close to your tank's pH, don't worry about doing do many water changes... Just change it as you have been. Log all your test results and you will see that it is right where it should be and will remain. If the nitrates start to increase a bit, do slightly larger water changes, or do them a little more frequent. (Or you can do what I do, which is a 50-75% water change every 6-8 weeks.)

 

[cynic]

(Or you can do what I do, which is a 50-75% water change every 6-8 weeks.)

Yikes that would freak the living daylights out of the Columbians, they jump at the slightest thing. Even just a small waterchange with the gravel vac has them hiding in the plants as deep as they can get.

I'm still surprised that my stocking is classed as light, the tank is alive with movement. I might still increace the HR numbers. But i will def be increacing the panda's to double figures.

I'm going to have a quaranteen tank set up first though. Just too many fish at risk, and the hassle of meds in a 65gallon tank is not nice.

 

[minnnt]

You may have to look into sorting another filter at some point just to be on the safe side mate, even if it's something smaller.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

(Or you can do what I do, which is a 50-75% water change every 6-8 weeks.)

Yikes that would freak the living daylights out of the Columbians, they jump at the slightest thing. Even just a small waterchange with the gravel vac has them hiding in the plants as deep as they can get.

I'm still surprised that my stocking is classed as light, the tank is alive with movement. I might still increace the HR numbers. But i will def be increacing the panda's to double figures.

I'm going to have a quaranteen tank set up first though. Just too many fish at risk, and the hassle of meds in a 65gallon tank is not nice.

I wish I had that problem. My fish couldn't care less that I am in the tank! Heck, I have to be extra careful to make sure I don't suck any of them up accidentally. (Been there, done that...) My cories generally try to stay away from that, and I generally don't vac up much in the corner of the tank that they have claimed. My neons stay on the opposite end of the tank while my arm is in there, but the rest are more curious than they are scared.



Your stocking isn't very high for a 70 US gallon tank. Harlequins only grow to about 1.5 inches. So, that's 36 inches. Same for the pandas. another 8 inches. Columbian only grow to 2 inches, so that's another 14 inches. And the BN pleco maxes out at about 5 inches. So, that's about 65 inches of fish total... You are under the inch of fish standard, and your tank has a huge foot print, which means more surface area for oxygen exchange. I wouldn't say it is super light stocking, but the truth is there is still plenty of room. Besides, the nitrates will always tell the story. The lower your nitrates, the lower your stocking.