water change after cycle?

my chris are:

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate .1

so my question is I have read that you cane do a water change at this point to lower the nitrate to 0. is this true? will it hurt to do this?

 

i don't think it will hurt, just don't do too much. Try something around a 10% change, then go from there. Remember, this is only my opinion

 

Pretty much what Guitar Man said, but after ammonia, nitrite, you got nitrate bloom also
im going thru it right now and is almost over, so it might be 20ppm and after your water change it go up again and probably higher

 

The nitrate alreasy did spike but it has just not gone down to zero. It seems like it is just hanging out at .1

 

After 4 weeks of cycling i had a huge bacterial bloom that clouded up my water. I cycled a little faster cause i used live sand 10 gallons of old water and about 30-35 lbs of live rock from old setup. So after around 6 weeks my nitrate tested around 10ppm on nitrates so i did a 25% water change back to back so roughly about 50 % of my water in the last 2 weeks and im testing after work today but water got even clearer after the first change. I also used some rock from the lfs that may have had a little die off that caused some of the nitrates and bacterial bloom which i think the water change helped alot at that volume. I think ill stick with 10% a week from now on now that the mayhem is over.

 

No problem with nitrate at that level...may never be less then that for very long.

But is good time to start regular water changes...

You can keep eye on water params to tell you when, or just do at regular times.

I have done at all kinds of intervals...but now just do every Sunday AM. (must be my substitute for going to a church...)

And may sound weird...but I actually look forward and enjoy doing it...(I know, I know, ...trust me I am not coming over to do yours also...:)

I am convinced many benefits from doing so.


;D

 

having a detectable level of nitrates isn't necessarily bad. Nitrates aren't harmful like ammonia or nitrites, as Omard said, you may never get to stay at 0

 

agreed. nitrates would be the least of your worries. the biggest concern will be ammonia, and nitrite levels along with other stuff.
my nitrate sits at 10ppms right now so thats about average. anything over that time for a water change. just make sure ammonia and nitrite sit at 0 all the time

 

thank you for all the replies. I did a 15% water change today. I will test the peramiters tonight to see how it is doing. I have a friend who has fraged a few zoas. I think I will wait a bit to put them in.

 

You also need to watch Ca, Mg, and ALK as important parameter too!