100% water change after about 4½ months??

JB wrote:
I have had a 10 gallon tank with 3 adult sword tail fish 2" in length
for about 4½ months.. the water is really dirty because when I did my
50% change as recommended by Tetra, my plastic bucket had some
dirt/debree in it that I didn't spot until after I added the 50%
remaining water..

My test kit shows medium water hardness, borderline Nitrate/Nitrate,
and border line unsafe PH.. I was told at my recent visit to Petco,
that I should completely drain my tank, clean all decor with water and
replace all water with filtered water and let sit for a few hours
before re-adding my fish.. Also they recommended a bubble stone to
introduce more Oxygen into my tank...

Has anyone done this before, and any tips, etc to help along the way??

PS.. My fish have had about 17 fry in the past few weeks that I have in
a breeding net...

I recommend efficient small more frequent water changes using a gravel
vacuum in careful patterns in your substrate, generally around 20-30%.
As for debris, you should have debris in your cleaning bucket after a
cleaning.

What is borderline pH? I recommend a pH over 7.5 for swords, but often
too much emphasis is given to pH and not enough to other water
parameters. Your ammonia and nitrites should be 0, your nitrates should
be under 40 ppm, and your kH should be 160 or higher, and your Redox
-300 mV.
Often kH is forgotten for many fish, but I have through my work and
research that the kH is more important than many realize. The calcium
supplied via proper kH management (not the old baking soda method) is
essential for ALL fish.
For more about this subject:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html

As for the added bubble stone, that is a good idea.
But it sounds like your aquarium is under filtered. What are your
filter(s)?
Not all filters are equal and some are better than others in one area
and worse in others (example: a HOB is generally a better mechanical
filter than a sponge filter, but a quality sponge filter is generally
superior to an HOB filter for bio filtration).

Carl
http://www.americanaquariumproducts....formation.html