Water Change Process Help!?

Okay, so I did a 40% water change last night...

I have a 10 gal tank, although it was suggested that I mix the tap water with Prime in a bucket first, I ended up just adding the tap water for to the tank and dosed it with 1mL of Prime (I have no way to measure how much water is in the bucket, so it was easier for me to just add tap and dose it for the whole tank). Later, I dosed with 5ML of Tetra SS Plus. In addition, I also changed the filter cartridge - I've got a Top Fin Silenstream filter for 10 gal tank. As far as fish, I have 2 black mollies and a fry. Waited until today to do a water test using the API Master Test Kit:

PH: 7.2
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.50 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm.

This is the first time that I've gotten a reading for Nitrite - typically, it's only Ammonia that comes up past 0. Now I'm at a loss and I'm not sure what else to do.. The mollies are moving around just fine but they are spending a little more time at the top of the tank then usual, otherwise they are still swimming, playing and eating as normal. Just a quick note: I do have a water heater, set at 75 degrees and thermometer.

Should I add more SS? Suggestions? Also, I'm pretty new at this and have had the tank now for about 3-4 weeks. I need basic, basic explanations otherwise I get lost. Thanks in advance!

 

Next time id do a larger water change, at least 70% but ideally around 80%. That should (in theory) lower 1ppm ammonia to around 0.2ppm ammonia.

 

Hi! It sounds like your tank is not cycled yet. I would do 1 large water change. Then I would do a daily 25% water change for the next week.

You want the readings to be 0,0,5-15. Until it happens, I would continue to do water changes.

Monitor your fishes behavior, to make sure they aren’t showing signs of ammonia and nitrite burns. Some symptoms would be...

Red Gills
Fin Rot
Spending a lot of time at the surface
Black fins
Clamped Fins

If you see any of those symptoms, it means, time for a water change!

 

Next time id do a larger water change, at least 70% but ideally around 80%. That should (in theory) lower 1ppm ammonia to around 0.2ppm ammonia.

Makes sense! Thank you!

 

Hi! It sounds like your tank is not cycled yet. I would do 1 large water change. Then I would do a daily 25% water change for the next week.

You want the readings to be 0,0,5-15. Until it happens, I would continue to do water changes.

Monitor your fishes behavior, to make sure they aren’t showing signs of ammonia and nitrite burns. Some symptoms would be...

Red Gills
Fin Rot
Spending a lot of time at the surface
Black fins
Clamped Fins

If you see any of those symptoms, it means, time for a water change!

For large water changes, I can leave my fish in the tank, correct? I panic a little at the thought because I worry there won't be enough water for them, but that does make sense. If I add water like I did last time, for a larger amount, will it harm my fish? (Tap water in the tank first, then dose with Prime?) I'm assuming all I have to do with these water changes is just dose with Prime, followed by TSS?

 

I would do a 70% water change. You can leave your fish in the tank. I would recommend adding in the fresh water slower than you would. So maybe a few cups a minute. Just don’t dump a all of the fresh water in at once. I would add the recommended amount of prime to your tank, before adding in the new water.

 

For a 10 gal tank, it looks like the dose would just be 1mL... I would never have thought to add Prime first, then the tap water. I'll give that a try and see what happens. Should I unplug my filter while I'm doing the water change?

 

I don't think you are supposed to do water changes when you are using tss. I also think it messes up your readings when. You test the water..

 

For a 10 gal tank, it looks like the dose would just be 1mL... I would never have thought to add Prime first, then the tap water. I'll give that a try and see what happens. Should I unplug my filter while I'm doing the water change?

Yes, you should unplug your filter and heater when doing a large water change.