# New 38 gallon tank



## RedLoach (Apr 6, 2011)

Hey, I've got my first tank up and running. Its a 38 gallon, I've got a few inchs of florite covered with decorative gravel as a substrate. Two small plants, one's a java fern and the other is a crypt-something, lit with a 36" florescent canopy/hood. It has a heater keeping it steady a 24, and an emperor 280 and 400 biowheel filters, combined, rated for about 140 gallons. I treated the water for chlorine, and also used a bio-support and a bio-clean treatment that came with my tank, and ran it for 3 days without fish. I picked up 10 small tiger barbs and they have been doing really well for the last 4 days. I tested the water today, and my ammonia is at 0.25 ppm, nitrite and nitrate both at zero. When should i do a partial water change, and how much? I've heard as much as 20% changed twice a week. That seems like a lot. I have excellent filtration, a couple plants, and I'm using bio support and bio clean (from Big Als). Should I just keep an eye on ammonia/nitrate and act once thay reach a certain level. Can't wait to get through this cycling and add a few yoyo loach. Only a week in and already hooked, tiger barbs are awesome little fish.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

You'll need to keep your eye on the parameters. When you start to see ammonia build above 1-2ppm, then things are underway. If they get higher than that, do a water change.. 25% per day. You'll start to see nitrites build up and if they get above 5 or 10 i think do another water change if you havent already. When they get back down to zero, you're pretty much there. I'd wait another week before getting any other fish after that point just to make sure things are good. 
For knowing how often you should change your water, keep watch on your nitrates for the first week or two without a water change. If they start to rise up and get around 40, then you should do a 50% water change at that point. Watch them again up to that point and do another. Figure out how long it takes to get there. At that point, you should cut that time by 1/4 and do 25% water changes to keep things at or below 10-20ppm.


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## RedLoach (Apr 6, 2011)

thanks for the info, I'll keep my eye on ammonia and nitrate levels. My emperor bio wheels are rated for 90 and 50 gallons respectively. Would the one with two bio-wheels rated for 90 gallons be sufficient for my 38 gallon tank with 10 tiger barb and, say, 5 yoyo loach if I added a powerhead and some bubbly things. I plan to put the other one on a 20 or 25 gallon tank. I want some shrimp but I don't think they'd appreciate being put in with loach.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

First off, don't buy anymore fish until the cycle has completed. Perform your water changes weekly or whenever your ammonia or nitrites get above 1. If you succeed in keeping the ammonia to fairly low levels there is a good chance that you'll either see very little or no nitrites. Last tank I cycled with fish nitirites never made it to .25. 

How much water you change depends on how high the level has gotten. Ammonia at 1-2ppm, 25-30% may be fine. Levels at 2-4 may require as high as 50%. Same things for nitrite levels if you see them get that high.

For your cycle, you'll normally see an ammonia spike, followed by a corresponding nitrite spike, followed by some reading for nitrates. It is finished when ammonia and nitrite read 0 and you have some value for nitrates.

For water changes beyond your cycle it will depend on your values as mentioned. Don't think that 25% every 2wks is a lot. I would recommend you do weekly changes. I change 50% weekly on all my tanks.


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## RedLoach (Apr 6, 2011)

Thank you, that seems reasonable. 25% every two weeks is fine, getting into 20% changes twice a week is a bit much though. I would do it gladly if there was a problem or sickness though. I would rather spend a bit more on filters than have to change water multiple times a week all the time. I plan to wait a few more weeks before I add any yoyo loachs, make sure the environment is safe and healthy for them. Would a dual bio-wheel emperor filter, rated for 80-90 gallons,be sufficient to keep a 38 gallon tank with 10 tiger barbs and 5 yoyo loach and a few plants clean enough to go a week or two between 20% water changes? Thanks for any info, this place is good for getting valuable info quickly. Whenever I search the web for answers, everything is so contradictory, I end up more confused than when I started.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

How long you can go between water changes, and even the % you need to change, will depend on how your nitrate levels are doing. As long as you are tracking them and they are not getting too high, you can get away with longer periods. A heavy bio-load, over-feeding, etc will affect that. Nitrates generally should be kept lower than 40ppm. Water change on that size tank is super easy.


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## RedLoach (Apr 6, 2011)

Yeah, it shouldn't be too difficult with a pitcher and bucket, and I've got a hose that attaches to the sink with a gravel cleaning attachment. I'm thinking every two weeks for gravel cleaning should be good.


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