Water parameters help?

HI guys.. It's me again. I promise, I'll get the hang of this eventually. I have to admit I'm developing an obsession with fishes.. My daily mantra is 'bigger tank, bigger tank, bigger tank!!"

I have a question about water parameters. Right now, Ammonia=0, Nitrites=0.5, Nitrate=5. Is that nitrite reading enough to warrant a water change? I've read enough on these boards to know that the answer will be a resounding yes. Which brings me to the next question. I'm under the impression that every time I do a partial water change, I also do a gravel vac. But if ammonia is at 0, would I be destroying the bacteria bed if I vacuum the gravel? I guess my question is.. are there circumstances in which I wouldn't and shouldn't vacuum the gravel when I change the water?

Also - with all the water restrictions around here lately, does anyone here have tips on how to save water with a tank in tow? I'm already getting a lot of flack from my sister about all the water I'm using when I change the water. Are any of you in water restricted areas?

Apparently, my little algae eater isn't a loach. It's a dwarf sucking catfish? I could have sworn the label on the tank said loach. I'm a little confused.

 

Good morning AggieYen.
Your dwarf sucker catfish is most likely a otocinclus Affinis. Which is a oto catfish. do you have any photos to post of it?
As far as your water readings go, in my opinion with the nitrite at 0.05 it shows that your tank is not quite cycled yet. How long have you had the tank running? If it is a new tank I would hold off the vacuuming every time you do a water change. maybe every other wc you can vacuum half the tank and then do the other half the next time. This will not disturb your beneficial bacteria that is growing in the substrate while it is still cycling. You have fish in the tank so I would do the water changes, as that is the most important thing you can do right now and will help to lower your nitrite readings. But since it is still going through a cycle you will get the nitrite readings til it is completed.
I do not know what size tank you have, but it is a big consideration when you are in a water restricted area. Other than pumping your water from somewhere else or even buying bottled water, which can get pretty expensive there is not much else I can think of for you to do to save on the water usage.

~ kate

 

I've had the tank up for just about a month now... and yeah, it's not properly cycled yet. The person at the LPS (grr) said 'Oh you have to run the tank for a week before you put the fish in if their tropical, but for goldfish, no worries, just dump em in'. I have half a mind to ask for a weekend job at that store just so they can have someone there who won't dish like that out.

Thanks for that advice... I'll do the change but I'll be careful not to vac the gravel. I still have to learn to stop the siphoning at the right time.. I keep siphoning too much water out, so that a 25% becomes a 30-35% change. :/

Spike doing his adolescent 'I'm in my room, noone disturb me' thing. He hides in the hole of the sunken ship i've got in there, so I can't take a picture for now. But i've googled pictures of the species you mentioned and I think that's him. Is that what I hear being mentioned a lot around here? He's an oto?

 

I hear that a lot at the lfs about running a tank for a week and fish are ok. Its a shame that they do that, wish there was something to be done about that wrong information going around.
yes, your Oto is the fish that is talked about a lot here. You can go to the species specific ( I believe under catfish) and click on the oto photos to see more there to compare to your lil guy.
Since your tank is new I would be doing a 50% water change twice a week til it cycles to make sure the nitrites do not affect your fish. The Oto fish are very sensitive and are not usually introduced to a tank til the tank is established and cycled for awhile. Do you have the oto in by itself? They do so much better with others in the tank, but since the situation is the way it is, probably not a good idea to introduce anymore til its cycled. But once your tank is.. it would be a good idea to keep at a minimum 3 otos, more the better tho. What other fish do you have in the tank?

~ kate

 

I have a 5.5G... so.. adding fish is kinda out of the question. I'm looking out for bigger tanks.. I have two goldfish in there so... I'm trying to make the best out of a difficult situation. I kinda feel like they're on borrowed time now, but I'll do my best to make them comfortable until I can get a bigger tank. Again, a result of my trusty (not!) LFS.

All the other threads that talk about PWC say that 50% changes should only be a drastic measure, for disease control or something? Isn't a 50% change a little too drastic? Particularly in a 5.5G?

 

Also... I just read up a bit on Otos.. aren't they tropical fish??? Why would anyone in their right mind sell me an oto to go with goldfish when they know full well they're going in the same tank?!?!!!

ARGH!!!!

Update: Oh.. just read the oto board apparently they prefer coolish water? So.. they are compatible with goldfish? I'm confuzzled.

 

the 'fish expert' at the petco where we lived when we got our 1st tank at the start of the year said "run the tank 2 days & it's ok".

well, Otos are happiest in 70-78F and Goldies can go from 40-80F, depending on what kind. Technically they might be ok in the same tank in the lower 70s, but it would still be pretty warm water to most, if not all, Goldies and I would view them as not for the same tank.