First water change

[ffgottke]

Hello! Brand new here.
I have started another nano reef system after my first failure( a year later). My question is when would I need to do my first water change? Some info on tank include:
Started: July 17th, 2018
Seems as though I have cycled the tank.
About 20lbs of dry rock
2-damsels
No cuc
Water test as of 8/15/2018
Ammonia:0ppm was 2ppm
Nitrite:0ppm was 1ppm
Nitrate:10 ppm was as high at 80 ppm
Kh: 5
Ph: 8
Phosphate: 0.015
Fish are very healthy and plan to return to lfs for a pair of clowns.
I’m running a hob filter:
Stage 1: filter floss
Stage 2: bioballs
Stage 3: carbon
So I guess my question is should I do a water change and when should I change my filter floss and carbon?

Thanks!

 

[Nick Gianakos]

I find it strange that your nitrates were at 80ppm and they dropped to 10ppm with out a water change.
Either way, I'd swap filter floss out for a filter sponge for your mechanical filtration. Floss clogs way to fast. Rinse the sponge out in your dirty tank water after a water change a put it back in the filter.
Carbon wants a monthly changes, Id tell you spend a bit extra up front and get some chemipure blue, more expensive but lasts longer, 2-4 times longer, and is very high grade with organic waste removing resins.
10 ppm are not to high but Id tell you to try a water change before you get the clowns, mainly because damsels are cheap and if something goes wrong with your first attempt with it your not out the clown cash. No need to do anything more then 10%.

 

[PDR]

Welcome to R2R! If your KH is truly 5, you will want to do a decent WC to get that to a more reasonable level. IMO carbon should be changed at least once a week but once a month will work. I would go ahead and do a decent water change (30%), change floss and carbon and retest all your numbers.

 

[BedrockIOMC]

I find it strange that your nitrates were at 80ppm and they dropped to 10ppm with out a water change.
Either way, I'd swap filter floss out for a filter sponge for your mechanical filtration. Floss clogs way to fast. Rinse the sponge out in your dirty tank water after a water change a put it back in the filter.
Carbon wants a monthly changes, Id tell you spend a bit extra up front and get some chemipure blue, more expensive but lasts longer, 2-4 times longer, and is very high grade with organic waste removing resins.
10 ppm are not to high but Id tell you to try a water change before you get the clowns, mainly because damsels are cheap and if something goes wrong with your first attempt with it your not out the clown cash. No need to do anything more then 10%.

I am not seeing where you see 10PPM for the nitrates? He did say his Nitrites are 1PPM and his nitrates are as high as 80PPM? Im confused about what your saying. Did I read something wrong?

 

[LMDAVE]

The Nitrite cycle was probably falsely elevating the nitrate reading. You shouldn't test nitrates until nitrites are 0. That's probably why the reading dropped from 80 to 10.