ammonia,nitrites

cant seem to lower these level's...ammonia,1.0...nitrite's 0.50...47 gal cube tank..reg water changes(8gal per week) filter fluval 305 filter.two black tetras,3 danio's,two cory's,two molly's...feed 1-2 times a day..what fish can eat in 1 min. filter does blow quite a lot of food to bottom...one more question..can you have too much gravel?..I have about 4 in...I also have been using Amquel+..and have tested my well water...no ammonia present...thank's for your input....Gary

 

Try bumping your water changes up to 15-20 gallons for the size tank you have. That will get your changes up to 30-40%, though some would say to even go as high as 50% changes given your ammonia levels. Until the ammonia comes down, you probably need to consider more frequent changes than once per week as well...possibly as much as daily until the level comes down a bit. The gravel is mostly a matter of personal preference I believe, though perhaps someone more knowledgeable will be able to speak to that better.

Sean

 

Change the water every other day, too.  Your fish seem hardy, I know Danios definitely are.

For gravel, the rule is 1-1.5 pounds for every gallon, therefore you need at least 50 pounds worth of gravel in the tank. Do you know how much you have in there? Four inches sounds good to me...

A product like Cycle by Nutrafin may speed up the cycling product. I am trying it now, but have not tried it long enough to guarantee that it works well. It will also protect the fish and make them happier.  Welcome aboard!  Happy fishing 8)

 

Just something to be aware of with Cycle...the reviews are mixed. I have used it and not had any problems, but others have posted that it either did not seem to do much for their tank, or that they saw ammonia spikes after they quit using it once their tank was finished cycling. I know that muddies the water a bit on trying to decide whether or not to use it, but better to have all the facts up front! Only way to be absolutely sure is to try it and decide for yourself if you are getting a benefit from it.

Sean

 

thank all of you for your advice...I will use the info......G

 

thank all of you for your advice...I will use the info..........one more thing should I be doing a gravel vac on every water chg.?.....heard before that I might be getting rid of too much good bacteria......