Is the cycle over after ammonia and nirites are at 0 ppm and nitrates are high or do they need to lower some. Or is the only way to lower nirate is a water change. Next Q how much water do I need to change after the cycle I have a 175 gallon system. I am not ready yet I just need to start making rodi water and was wonder how much I need to make
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- Thread starter tpate77
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you should wait till the nitrates come down some. you'll almost never see them at zero but you want them to be as low as possible. preferably below 5. as far as water changes go it really depends on how often you are going to do them. the more often you do them the less water you need to change per water change and vice versa. for your tank id say 20 gallons every other week should be a good starting point and then adjust from there depending on your parameters
The first question is what defines "high" with the nitrate at the last part of the cycle?
As Pico said - close as possible to 0 is desirable.
To expand on the water change question, every tank is different. The bottom line is 'enough' water must be changed regularly to maintain good parameters. Much depends on biological load and feeding habits. Lots of inhabitants, heavy feeding = more water to change.
I usually suggest starting with 10% per week OR 20% every other week and monitor parameters to see if that works. Weekly is better than bi-weekly, a smaller volume changed more often keeps parameters more stable and changes more net water over time. If you find that with 10% a week, nitrate and/or phosphate climbs over time, then more water should be changed - OR it's time to revisit feeding etc., and make sure filtration is working at its best, sponges/pads/socks are cleaned often enough and skimmer is performing at its best.
Jenn
As Pico said - close as possible to 0 is desirable.
To expand on the water change question, every tank is different. The bottom line is 'enough' water must be changed regularly to maintain good parameters. Much depends on biological load and feeding habits. Lots of inhabitants, heavy feeding = more water to change.
I usually suggest starting with 10% per week OR 20% every other week and monitor parameters to see if that works. Weekly is better than bi-weekly, a smaller volume changed more often keeps parameters more stable and changes more net water over time. If you find that with 10% a week, nitrate and/or phosphate climbs over time, then more water should be changed - OR it's time to revisit feeding etc., and make sure filtration is working at its best, sponges/pads/socks are cleaned often enough and skimmer is performing at its best.
Jenn
