Water change

[jbonez_]

I currently have a 20g IM AIO fully cycled for about a month now, total water volume is 14.5g. I've been currently been doing four gallon water changes weekly because my Nitrates were tad high. Last Sunday I did my normal water change and tested today and I am showing zero nitrates now. Would be be a good idea to start feeding more? I currently only have two juvenile clowns that I feed Mysis shrimp and pellets occasionally.

Should I start doing about a two gallon water change per week now? I feel like four was too much and I wasn't thinking properly. Also, should I vacuum my gravel every week or should I go to bi weekly for now?

I'm new to Saltwater tanks and just trying to understand what the best solution for me is right now. I want to add corals but not for another 3-4 months at minimum.

 

[ryanjohn1]

You could feed a bit more but can also bi-weekly wc

 

[jda]

Do you have coarse gravel, or a type of reef sand. If you have sand, I would wait years in between vacuuming it - you want bacteria and microfauna to populate the sand.

10% a week is fine - so 2 gallons is cool.

You are not done cycling. You are never done - hence a cycle. You are past the first part where the tank has enough bacteria to process your fish waste, but the tank has an ecosystem to develop and this is cyclical that adjusts. Next, you will get film algaes and maybe some coralline - this is a change to the ecosystem. These things will use fish waste directly and the bacteria that you once used for this will get smaller in population - more changes. You can add clean up crew when this happens. You can usually start to add corals too. As the corals grow, they will use fish waste directy too and the rest of the ecosystem will adjust as needed.

 

[jbonez_]

Do you have coarse gravel, or a type of reef sand. If you have sand, I would wait years in between vacuuming it - you want bacteria and microfauna to populate the sand.

10% a week is fine - so 2 gallons is cool.

You are not done cycling. You are never done - hence a cycle. You are past the first part where the tank has enough bacteria to process your fish waste, but the tank has an ecosystem to develop and this is cyclical that adjusts. Next, you will get film algaes and maybe some coralline - this is a change to the ecosystem. These things will use fish waste directly and the bacteria that you once used for this will get smaller in population - more changes. You can add clean up crew when this happens. You can usually start to add corals too. As the corals grow, they will use fish waste directy too and the rest of the ecosystem will adjust as needed.

Thanks for the detailed response.

I have argonite reef sand 1.0-2.0mm. I currently have some filter floss in my media basket and a filter sock, should I still be swapping them out for fresh ones when they turn brown?

 

[Reef.]

I would definitely feed more, young fish deserve to be fed regularly not just occasionally, your nutrients will go up don't worry about that, I wouldn’t get to carried away with trying to raise them, they will do that all by themselves.

 

[jbonez_]

I would definitely feed more, young fish deserve to be fed regularly not just occasionally, your nutrients will go up don't worry about that, I wouldn’t get to carried away with trying to raise them, they will do that all by themselves.

I've just been feeding once a day and twice on the weekends, think I should feed twice a day regardless?

 

[tzabor10]

I've just been feeding once a day and twice on the weekends, think I should feed twice a day regardless?

Get a Plank auto feeder. They are the BOMB

 

[Reef.]

I've just been feeding once a day and twice on the weekends, think I should feed twice a day regardless?

Yeah, I feed frozen, lower in nutrients so doesn’t add too many nutrients to the tank…two times at least, I feed 3-4 times.