Really struggling with water parameters

[PaulVerrall]

Please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong or should do something else.
600litre tank 2 fx4 filters not overstocked

7th April added esha ndx

8th April 50% water change removed some decor as lots of waste poo/food amongst it, siphoned out. Added purigen to filter and changed fine floss.

11th April fish acting odd, tested water and ammonia was at 0.6 so did a big water change, added prime and stability. Nitrite was 0 Nitrate was 20-30 which is standard here.

13th April Ammonia was down to 0.3 but nitrites up to 0.1. Did big water change with prime and stability.

15th April Ammonia now 0 nitrites at 1.0 nitrates still 20-30 big water change with prime and stability

17th April Ammonia 0 nitrites 0.6 nitrates 20-30. Big water change with prime and stability

19th April same as 17

21st April same as 17,19

23rd April Ammonia 0, nitrites right up again at 0.8, nitrates 20-30

Why has nitrites gone up again?? Thought I was winning

[Martinspuddle]

Have you tested your water supply @PaulVerrall?

[PaulVerrall]

Have you tested your water supply @PaulVerrall?

Yes mate, all normal.

[Martinspuddle]

When did you last do a filter clean and have you added any fresh bio media to the old media lately?

[Martinspuddle]

Another point I'll make knowing what you keep, have you tried reducing feeding and therefore reducing waste in the water column?

[PaulVerrall]

Another point I'll make knowing what you keep, have you tried reducing feeding and therefore reducing waste in the water column?

I added purigen and changed the filter floss in both filters a few days before the spike. Filters were cleaned about 3 weeks before that, same routine rinse in tank water etc.
Feeding I reduced to once a day and make sure its all consumed in a timely fashion. I'm fairly sure I'm not over feeding, but they are always hungry!

[Martinspuddle]

I only feed my fish 3 or 4 days a week and Cichlids are always greedy fish. Waste causes pollutants in the water column and your fish are probably producing more by feeding daily. I suggest you try reducing your feeding to every other day and see how your water parameters progress. I would venture to suggest as I found in the past keeping larger fish, after a few weeks the levels will come down.

It won't harm them and I usually find water parameters will bounce back to healthier levels.

[PaulVerrall]

I only feed my fish 3 or 4 days a week and Cichlids are always greedy fish. Waste causes pollutants in the water column and your fish are probably producing more by feeding daily. I suggest you try reducing your feeding to every other day and see how your water parameters progress. I would venture to suggest as I found in the past keeping larger fish, after a few weeks the levels will come down.

It won't harm them and I usually find water parameters will bounce back to healthier levels.

Cheers, I will try that. Although I'd be surprised if the oscars don't climb out the tank to the food cupboard themselves lol.
Do I keep doing water changes every couple days until the levels are good? Or is it sufficient to just add prime to neutralise every other day?

[black ghost]

You really need to get the issue addressed rather than just masking it with Prime. Is Esha ndx safe for filters? That’s the obvious thing to look at for me. It’s as if it killed or partly killed your filter.

[black ghost]

However, filter bacteria will double their population in a day so they should have bounced back by now. What’s in the filters? Did you forget to dechlorinate?