New aquarium and ammonia/nitrite levels

Question
Hi Chris.  You answered my question yesterday about fish in a new tank.  I lost one of my fish and I feel awful today. The other one is still okay but he does have a small red streak under his mouth.  I have two questions:

If I find any ammonia at all (like .25 ppm) should I change enough water to get it to 0 or only 25% at a time.  I noticed that even changing 25% did not bring it completely to 0. Also, I am dreading the nitrites which I expect will follow.  Should I change a whole lot of water (like 50%) to make sure nitrites go to zero as soon as I find any, or just do 25% changes.

My second question is related to the aquarium size.  I would like to ultimately keep two goldfish (comets).  Should I move my goldfish from my current 10 gallon aquarium to a bigger one? If I do that will I have to start over again with the break through period, or is there a way to move a fish from a smaller to bigger aquarium without going through all the problems again?  Thanks again for all your help.  I wish I had come to know about you earlier!  

Answer
Hi Bela;

You want a little ammonia in there during the break-in so the beneficial bacteria have something to feed on. A level of .25 to .50 is okay and only slightly stresses the fish. Your goal during this time is not to get it to "zero", just low. The idea of partial water changes of 25% is to get toxins to a tolerable level for the fish without shocking them. Changing more than 25% at a time isn't safe.

You could get a new tank that is larger. You just have to follow the "new-tank stocking rule" of one inch of fish for every ten gallons. "New Tank Syndrome" doesn't have to be a nightmare. You just got off on the wrong foot with your 10 gallon. These things happen to all of us when we first start out. Chalk it up to experience. Been there, done that!

I am renewing interest in my blog about expert fish advice, so you can visit there if you like. The only thing up right now is about new tanks, but I hope to have more in the next couple of weeks. Here is the link;

http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Expert_Fish_Help

Feel free to post, but keep in mind I may not check it very often for awhile.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins