30% Water Change??

[drew1092]

Hello everyone! I have a 29 gallon with 35lbs of LR and am at the 5 week point. Cycle completed, readings stable for 4 weeks now. Ive noticed that my nitrates are consistently at 5-10 using API. I would like to lower that, I've read the forums about water changes being the quickest way. Usually I do 5 gallon changes (due to ease of a 5 gallon bucket) weekly. Was thinking about upping it to 10 gallons weekly. Is that a little too much for a young tank? I will be adding fish soon and don't want it to keep climbing. Ive done 3 water changes since I started and have not noticed a drop in nitrates. Oh, forgot to mention I added a clean up crew at 4 weeks.

[biowheel]

I would give your tank a bit more time. Is the tank 5 week old or 9 weeks ? If 9 I would do a 20% or 5 G . How is the ammonia in the tank ? Does it read O ?

[Loverotties]

+1,more info.

[drew1092]

Sure, more info. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, PH 8.1. Been stable at those numbers for 3 weeks. Water looks great, soft hitch hikers are doing great. I do have some brownish color to the sand, I just started stirring the bed though with the last water change. I have a nice amount of coraline that looks good, and have only had minimal cyano which I clean up. Tank is now 5 weeks old. Have not started measuring the other levels like Ca and KH. BTW, this is a 29 gallon tank. Hopefully tomorrow the baffles on my 10 gallon sump will have sealed and I can get that running. Any thing I missed?

[biowheel]

Originally Posted by drew1092

Sure, more info. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, PH 8.1. Been stable at those numbers for 3 weeks. Water looks great, soft hitch hikers are doing great. I do have some brownish color to the sand, I just started stirring the bed though with the last water change. I have a nice amount of coraline that looks good, and have only had minimal cyano which I clean up. Tank is now 5 weeks old. Have not started measuring the other levels like Ca and KH. BTW, this is a 29 gallon tank. Hopefully tomorrow the baffles on my 10 gallon sump will have sealed and I can get that running. Any thing I missed?

Nope . Just time . Take your time . It's the down fall of the hobbyists . They rush and crash .Seems like your doing things right . Keep us posted and don't forget the pics