[cocolodecorazon]

I have a 10g QT tank with a aqueon HOB filter, canopy light, heater, power head and couple of hiding places for the fish. Have two clown fish and a purple dotiback waiting to be placed in my display tank. I've had them in observations for two weeks. I check the parameters in it at least every other day and when necessary do a water wchange. Thing is today when I check the numbers they are off the chart. Amonia = .50, nitrite = well over 5.0, nitrate = 20 and this is after a 25% water change. My question is how often can I do water changes and how much can I change without putting the fish in danger of shock. Thanks for your response.

 

[Reefing Madness]

50% water change will knock half off those numbers, you need to get that Ammonia out now, or your just stressing out the fish, and there would be no reason to have them in there. With those numbers, I'd do a 75% WC tomorrow, and 50% every day until those numbers are gone. How long has the QT been up and running? Is it cycled? Or are we talking about just adding to many fish at one time to a tank?

 

[cocolodecorazon]

50% water change will knock half off those numbers, you need to get that Ammonia out now, or your just stressing out the fish, and there would be no reason to have them in there. With those numbers, I'd do a 75% WC tomorrow, and 50% every day until those numbers are gone. How long has the QT been up and running? Is it cycled? Or are we talking about just adding to many fish at one time to a tank?

I had put the filter bag in the display tank for 2 weeks and then ran it in the QT with water from the display tank for another week. Figured it would be good to go. Guess it just now cycling and I am getting those spikes as in a new tank. As I said, I did a 25% water change this morning and will follow on your advise a 50% change when I get back home from work tonight. I did prepared some water because I knew I had to do a major water change on that little tank. You think two clowns and 1 purple dotty is too much for a 10 gal? Maybe I should step it up to a 20 cause my plan calls for a blue hippo or a yellow tang next.

 

[Reefing Madness]

You know that tanks take up to 6 weeks to cycle. Water from an established tank will not do anything, its not got enough bacteria in it to do anything for a new tank, but this is where we are. Just for future reference. You'll need to throw Ammo Lok in there or something, because your going to be changing alot of water in that thing on a daily basis in order to keep those numbers down. I'd just put the fish in the DT if its already cycled.

 

[cocolodecorazon]

Ok, so I did a 50% water change last night after getting home from work. This morning when I checked the numbers they had change dramatically. My biggest concern was the ammonia and nitrite and they had gone down quite a bit. Ammonia is now down to between .25 and 0 and nitrite is down to1. I am doing another water change but dont know if I should wait until tonight or can I do it now in the morning. By the way, the purple dotty back committed suicide. i found him this morning on the floor of my livingroom dry as an old sponge. I do have a glass cover on my QT tank which goes all the way back. The only thing I can think is that he jump through the space between the cover and the filter. Now I know both ammonia and nitrites are poisonous to fish but is there one that is worse than the other? I am guessing that the ammonia is the worse of them. As far as my display tank goes, I don't think I should put anymore fish in there yet. As you may remember I had added some 70 lbs of what I though was live rock in it last week, but it turns out that only 20 lbs were actually live. The display tank is going through a new cycle and I already have some fish in there. I don't want to add to the load already in it. I will just have to get on those water changes. I don't really mind anyway, is good therapy.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Wow, yiu do have a few things going on there. Sorry bout the jumper, you just never know what theynare gonna do. You should be ok with the water changes, and yes, the Ammonia is the worst for them.

 

[cocolodecorazon]

Just a quick update on my tanks. The QT tank is getting much better as I am doing water changes often. The numbers climbed down quite a lot after the initial scare. My display tank that had already cycled and then I decided to change the rock in it and add 70 lbs of new rock which I though was all cured live rock and it wasn't, is definitely going through a nitrogen cycle all over again. The test done today shows like this: Ammonia = .50, Nitrite = 2.0 and Nitrate = 10. Now if I am understanding the cycling process correctly, once nitrates show up like that, the cycle is in its final stage, correct? Which means that the hole thing is working the way it should be working. I have to say the protein skimmer is wroking great. Is amazing to see how much stuff is coming out of the water, and I though my water was clean before. Once again I wanna thank all who have given me their advise.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Well, just because Nitrates show up doesn't necessarily mean your cycle is almost over, it could still run another 2 weeks or so. You just never know, every tank and every cycle is going to be different. But all the numbers sound like your miving in the right direction.