Stabilizing nitrates & nitrites

Question
I have a 55 gal tank.  I just got through a bad ick epidemic that killed the majority of my fish.  I am trying to start over, and I wanted to know how can i keep the nitrates & nitrites stabilized in my tank?

Answer
Hi Zo;

Water changes and observing safe tank population limits are the best ways to keep your tank stable. There is just no better remedy for good water chemistry than keeping your tank clean and 'understocked'. Replace 25% of the tank water and vacuum the gravel weekly. Here are some pages about population that will help you with that part;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/capacity.php
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/fishcalc.htm

If your tank was recently set up (less than 8 weeks) your fish can suffer from the effects of "New Tank Syndrome" and easily develop a case of ich due to the stress. Here is a link to my article about that;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins