Nitrates...what should the reading be?

[BIGMAC]

Hi again,i got a couple of questions if someone could help me please.I just been reading some of the posts and untill then i thaught i had this cycling thing sussed.It said that when your tank has cycled you should always have a reading of Nitrates in the water,i think im just coming towards the end of a cycle my ammonia is 0,my nitrites are 0.25,nitrates 10,ph 7.So when my nitrite is down to 0,what is the acceptable level of nitrates ?and should they always show up even when the tank has done cycling?By the way i used fish to cycle the tank.Also when the cycle has done how long till you can add more fish?
Secondly this is gonna sound really dumb but when you use a gravel hose to clean up the fish poop do you take out all the ornaments and decor to do it or just go around it.....i feel very stupid asking that but i dont want to mess up so please dont laugh at me too much.
Thanx again Sue

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Hey BigMac.

I think nitrAtes of 40 and under are good. I personally would be worried if there were none showing up at all TBH. It would mean to me that the amonia and nitrIte were not being converted properly.

I dunno though, this could be way off...

 

[BIGMAC]

Cool so my nitrates seem ok.when the nitrite is at 0 how long till new fish can be added.
Sue

 

[Perky]

It depends on the fish you are getting. A Royal Plec is sensitive to Nitrates and should only have .20 at the most. Anything over .40 is lethal to all fish. Post what fish you are getting and we can help more.
Back to the slast question, when Nitrites are 0 and Nitrates ar rising you can get fish. Only add a few evry week or two to allow for the extra ammonia input to settle again and do water changes every week or two.

 

[BIGMAC]

I wanted to get a couple of Dwarf gourami, and some more neon tetra i thik, would like a male Betta in there but dont know if it would be a good mixture.

 

[heresmike]

what is the acceptable level of nitrates ?and should they always show up even when the tank has done cycling?

In some cases, like with my tank, you might not see nitrates after cycling. Most people will say this is not possible, but trust me, it is! During cycling, I was seeing plenty of nitrates. But have not seen any since. It's possible that they're there, but at such a low level that they don't register on the test.

 

[heresmike]

when you use a gravel hose to clean up the fish poop do you take out all the ornaments and decor to do it or just go around it

I'd say that depends on whether or not the poo could get underneath the ornament. Example, if you have something like driftwood that forms an arch, you might want to move it to vac under it. You certainly wouldn't need to do it everytime IMO, seein' as how you should only vac a portion of the gravel each time. HTH!

 

[BIGMAC]

I wanted to get a couple of Dwarf gourami, and some more neon tetra i thik, would like a male Betta in there but dont know if it would be a good mixture.

So would i be able to put in the above fish together along with the 2 albino corys and 5 neon tetra that i already have?

 

[Bol]

Chances are fair that you'd be ok adding them all, but to minimize danger, you might consider adding them in two bunches. Either the gouramis or the neons first, then watch your parameters for 4 days or so, then if things are stable, add the other group.

 

[BIGMAC]

Would a male Betta be ok with these fish or not?

 

[crazie.eddie]

I would wait for awhile to add the neons. The Neon tetras are sensitive to water conditions, such as ammonia/nitrites. It's best to add them after your tank has been well established for about 2 months or so.

If your nitrATES are high, the only way to reduce them is to perform more water changes.

Bettas would be fine with the fish.

Just keep in mind the normal stocking guide is to keep 1" of fish for each gallon of water. This applies to fish under 3". Larger fish should be stocked at 1" of fish for each (at the most) 5 gallons of water.

When stocking after a cycle, add about 10% of fish of what your tank will support each week. Feed them very lightly so there's no major increase in ammonia. Keep adding 10% more fish each week, until your tank is fully stocked. Just take your time when stocking. No need to rush on this.

 

[BIGMAC]

Thanx for all the advice guys i will take note of what has been said.Think maybe i will go for the male betta next then wait a while make sure all goes well before i add anything else.

 

[BIGMAC]

Hi again,not sure if i got a problem but can you tell me .I have tested the water thismorning my nitrite level has gone op again it was 0.25 yesterday but today it is 0.50,i still have nitrates and ammonia is 0.Also the water is a bit murkey today,is this a bacteria bloom?if so is this a good or a bad thing when my tank is cycling?What should i do,i was gonna do a 15%water change or should i be doing some thing else?
Thanx Sue

 

[Cheese Specialist]

IME a water change is always a good thing.

I am not sure what that could be Sue, but I am sure someone will help soon.

 

[BIGMAC]

Thanx anyway miss Cheese ,i am gonna do a water change .
Anyone else have any ideas whats going on please ?
Sue