General maintainance questions

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3Corsameal

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
58
Location
Essex UK
have brought a test kit to test my water, and it does

PH
KH/TAC
GH/TH
NO2
NO3

doesn't mean an awful lot to me, but i asked for something that tested ammonia and was sold this thing, called "eSHa Aqua Quick Test"

changed 20% of my water lastnight as the NO2 and NO3 were higher than it recommended.

any help with this? i need to know what each thing means.
 
hello corsa,
pheew.... where to start.... i don't know what fish you have, so recommendations are difficult. the measures are important for your fish as every fish has certain ph/gh/kh levels where it feels ok. the bad news is that the test you have (a small stripe you hold into the water, right?) is not at all precise. and it doesn't measure ammonia itself at all :(

no2 should always, always be 0, it is toxic in the smallest concentrations.
no3 can be up to 10, some say 20. it's a nutricient for plants, so that "always 0" might cause plant growth problems. but it won't cause problems for the fish as long as it stays, (to be on the safe side) lower than 40.

PH measures acidity of the water. in freshwater tanks, you generally have levels of about 6-8. lower levels means more acid water, 8 is rather basic (is that the word?).

evidently, if you want to keep fish that are not comfortable with your tap water values, you have to treat your water.

most aquarists would get information about the fish they want keep in advance - kh/gh/ph levels they like, what's the extreme etc. also, it is interesting for breeding purposes since the ranges of values tolerated might become smaller.

no2 and no3 levels are important to understand if your biological cycle works correctly. that is: fish and plant waste produce ammonia (nh3/nh4). then, one kind of bacteria eats away the nh3/4 and produces no2 from it. another bacteria, building up its population only after the no2 is PRESENT in the tank will eat away the no2 and make no3 out of it (that means, in that stage the fish, if present, will get problems, until the bacteria population is big enough to deal with all the no2!!). so no3 after a while accumulates, since not all of it will be taken up by plants. so no3 is kind of the end of the circle.

what also matters.... how long has your tank been running? you might be in the initial phase where the bacteria population starts to grow. no2 is toxic=DEADLY to your fish. if your levels are too high, you can only try to get in extra (bought) bacteria, or filter mud from another aquarist, AND do lots of water changes to keep it down.

so.... more info, betters answers:
tank runs how long?
what fish in it? (latin names are easier for me - as english is not my first language)
what tap water do you have?

kind regards,
silvia
 
uuups -
i forgot kh and gh.

these two values measure the hardness of your water. they're also important for washing clothes, more hardness needs more soap :idea:

hardness means the concentration of salts and minerals that are in the water. for example, calcium-rich water leaves a lot of white stains in kitchen and bathroom sinks. calcium and other, similar stuff determine the hardness.
KH and GH are closely related. KH is most of times a bit lower than GH. that's because it measures only a part of the mineral/salty stuff that is in the water. GH measures the totality. in freshwater tanks, you might find anything from gh/kh = 0 or close to it, to gh/kh =20-25, although these are the extremes that only a limited number of species need/want.

to give you examples:
the ever-present guppy can live with almost any hardness, as it is found in nature in environments that represent any hardness. i know people keeping them with gh 6 kh 4, i myself have them at gh 15 kh 12. both are doing absolutely fine.

neons, especially red neons, are more demanding. they should be kept at a maximum of gh 10, rather lower.

most fish have a hard time dealing with extreme water values as their whole metabolism works with a "default" mineral concentration, and it's not possible for them to simply "adjust" to other hardness values. if they're able to deal with different hardnesses, it's because they have been present in nature in those kind of water for a longer time.
many dealers would say - yeah those were bred in this and that water (e.g. neons in hard water), they're accustomed to it. but if you think about it, a fish evolved over so and so many thousand years to get used to its natural environment. just because you breed it in another water for, say, a year, doesn't mean it will feel ok (metabolism).

gh and kh are also closely related to ph. with lower gh and kh, you normally have a lower ph as well (water is rather acidic), vice versa the same: high gh/kh means ph rises too.

as I don't know which of this stuff you already know, I'll stop here....

hope this helped you already.

silvia
 
Awesome post silvia! Have a few kudos for working so hard :)

Just a coupla clarifiers for you 3Corsa:

NH3 = Ammonia
NO2 = Nitrite
NO3 = Nitrate

Ammonia is toxic to fish. Burns them, especially the gills and the fish can't breathe. Nitrites are toxic to fish. Competes with oxygen (kinda like carbon monoxide and humans) and the fish suffocate. Both stress the fish as well, which makes them more susceptible to disease. You don't want either in the tank water if you can avoid it, hence why we are always recommending water changes. Nitrates aren't deadly, but aren't healthy either once levels get over 40ppm or so. Again, water changes, especially cause nitrifying bacteria don't eat it and you'll need to dilute it/get it out of the tank.

You may want to look into getting the Aquarium Pharmaceutical liquid/vial ammonia tests; liquid tests are more accurate then the dipstick ones (if yours is a dipstick).
 
Alivymar,

Might I suggest a place to get the AP test for 11.99? My lfs wanted 34.99. bigalsonline.com has it for 11.99.

Just a thought
 
Oh thats some price diff justmy2cents! Well worth it IMHO. (btw, Alivymar is me....its my old alt nick and one that usually shows up first thing in the morning when I misstype my nick LOL)
 
Yes, I just received 2 of them. They are the freshwater "master" kit. 6 tests and 4 test tubes. it was only 5.95 for shipping to Tennessee
 
Hiya 3corsameal.

Firstly what part of Essex are you in.

Right here goes...... The ph scale measures the strength of acidity or alkalinity on a range of 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline) and is logarithmic; that is, a ph of 8 is ten times and a ph of 9 a hundred times more alkaline than a ph of 7 (the neutral point). Water supplies vary from region to region, in your region Essex the water is very hard.

Then you have the hardness which is due to dissolved salt, usually of calcium and magnesium, and is one of two types -- general hardness GH and temporary/carbonate KH.

Why test your water

NH3/NH4. Ammonium/Ammonia.

Ammonium/Ammonia Organic nitrogen containing material such as fish waste, uneaten food and decomposing plants are broken down in differant phases by specialized microorganisms. Total ammonia is degraded to nitrite, the most harmful nitrogen containing material in your aquarium is ammonia NH3. At a ph value above 7, increasing amounts of toxic ammonia NH3 will appear. At a ph value below 7 ammonia is present as the non-toxic ammonium NH4. Total ammonia NH3/NH4 in concentrations greater than 0.25mg/l and if present for extended periods, is harmful to your fish.

NO2. Nitrites.

You ammonia will be broken down and that will turn into nitrites NO2,high nitrite levels are very toxic to fish. Ideally, the nitrite levels should be between 0 and 0.3mg/l. A nitrite reading of 0.8mg/l should not be exceeded. Nitrite in concentrations greater than 1.6mg/l and if present for extended periods is harmful to your fish. Weekly checks should of the aquarium water are necessary so that a safe nitrite level is not exceeded.

NO3. Nitrates.

The measured level of nitrate indicates when and how much water needs to be changed. Organic nitrogen containing material such as fish waste, uneaten food and decomposing plants are broken down in differant stages.
Total ammonia is degraded to nitrite and then finally to nitrate, Nitrate is used as a nutrient by plants, however in concentrations greater than 50mg/l, it is increasingly harmful to your fish and it also promotes unsightly algae growth.

Your Esha quick test is what it says, just a quick test. To get a more accurate test i would go for the liquid tests which you can get for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, gh,kh. or you can get a multi test kit.

If you need any more help just ask.
HTH
 
Thanks for all the help people.

So basically my test doesn't include ammonia, which is the only thing i asked for :(

Terry - I am in Thaxted, which is near GT dunmow, Saffron Walden, about 30mins from Harlow.

When i just checked my water i got:
(not too accurate due to quick test crap)


NO3 = about 15mg/l
NO2 = 3mg/l (confused about this one) kit doesn't show any 0.3 etc
PH = about 7

i've got a water treatment addictive and a bio booster, both recommended by fs.

Where do u go Terry, to get fish and supplies etc?

i been going to a place called T&T aquarium in duddenhoe end, they have a website too.
 
*giggles*

I think Terry goes to work 3Corsa; he owns a lfs. Good dude to hook up with, especially since you're not too far away! (is T&T aquarium your place Terry? Would be too funny if it was).

Also, I'd suggest a water change (20-30%) to dilute the nitrite (NO2) levels. A little salt (if your fish can handle salt) will also be a good thing as its THE treatment for nitrite poisoning; the chloride ions compete with the nitrite and prevent the nitrite from getting into the bloodstream. I noticed one of my neon tetras that I have in QT was hiding yesterday. Tested the water, and found small levels of nitrites. I did a 20% water change, added some salt and the lil guy is swiming with his buddies again today :)
 
Allivymars right,
I eat ,sleep, and work Tropical fish. T&T aquariums is not my place, i have a little place in Harlow.
It is quite small with about 53 aquariums of fish. i know Thaxted i have only been throu it though.
I use to drive a bus that went from Harlow to saffron walden and back.
 
hiya 3corsameal.
Would be nice to see you, don't expect to much i am only a tiny shop that i run with my dad. yes it is the place on my profile. it is a bit of a nightmare to find, you only have to ask LondonGman and he will tell you hahahaha.
There is a map on my website, but the arrow is pointing to the wrong place. But if you get in that area you won't be far away. I am in the yellow pages so if you like give me a bell and i can give you directions.
 
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