new2fish

I am coming up with about 5" over... is that really, really bad??

Are there things to do to help make it OK, later when they are bigger?

I don't know what happend. except the shrimp & 2 fish (Guppies) were not planned & I got carried away.....

Will live plants & more frequent water changes be the way to go?

Any input on what to do is greatly appreciated.

COBettaCouple

it's not too bad and i think if you just do water changes & cleaning a little more often plus keep up on the water chemistry readings, the tank should do alright. live plants would be good, just watch for any dead/dying plant material and remove it asap.

new2fish

Thanks FLBettaCouple,
Does a dying plant cause problems?

COBettaCouple

yea, the decaying organic material releases nitrites and/or ammonia into the water and can cause a spike.

new2fish

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yea, the decaying organic material releases nitrites and/or ammonia into the water and can cause a spike.
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Oh Wow... OK, that's good to know, I had a few tips that were brown & I nipped those off just now.

Aslo,
I did check the levels today & everything looks really good...
Last water change was Sunday, when I added the 2 live plants.

pH 7.2
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10 (or a little less)

Should I then keep doing weekly 25 % water changes... I was told once that when a tank gets established you should not have to do weekly water changes, & that you could change every 2 weeks or even once a month...however, this is in a tank that is not overstocked. I have no idea

I was thinking more plants would be better too.. to help with the levels & keep more oxygen in the tank?? Would that be a good assumption?

Thanks for the advice so far.

sgould

You can use your nitrate level as a guide for how often you need to change your water. When it rises, do a change. Having said that, an overstocked tank does require more frequent changes. How large is your tank?

Kevin

he has a 20 gal. tank

i would do water changes once every 4 days...just to be safe

vin

Since your fish aren't full grown, you could stay with once a week. It's a good habit to be in....As the fish get larger, increase your testing and you may find that changing water 2x /week will be a big plus. Fish love water changes...It's like us jumping into a swimming pool on a hot, humid day....Very refreshing.