Need Help Immediately - worried about pH and nitrates!!!!!

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Help!! My water levels are out of whack! My Ph is 8.4 My Hardness is 300 and My Nitrates are at 30!! Does anybody know what to do????????????????



Beginner Fish Lover=

 

[mfdrookie516]

ph of 8.4 and nitrates at 30ppm do not sound bad at all. what are they usually? My only concern would be if they dramatically changed. Have you done anything differently recently?

 

[Lowryder]

What fish are you keeping?

Like MFD said, if the are constant the no worries, unless your fish need Acidic water.

IMO your nitrates are alitle high, I like to keep mine at >20ppm

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Ph is usually 7.6 and I try to keep it there.
Nitrate is usually 0 that is why I am worried.

I am keeping:
4 tiger barbs
2 scissor tail rasboras
2 different colored Glofish
1 Rosy Barb
and 2 snails

Sorry, I freaked out. I am a newb and I am not used to this.

Thanks!
Beginner Fish Lover

 

[Lowryder]

you say your nitAtes are normaly 0, is your tank planted?

 

[Jason7894561230]

how big is the tank?

 

[mattrox]

Just do a pH test of your tap water out of the tap. Then do a pH of your tap water after letting it sit overnight. Dissolved carbon dioxide can reduce the pH of water and when it equlibrates with the atmosphere, the pH rises as CO2 is off-gassed.

This will give a starting point.

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

No my tank is not planted, but it will be on Fri.
I have a 26 gallon tank.

Thanks For all the help so far,
Beginner Fish Lover

 

[brimac41]

0 nitrates on a tank that is not planted ? How do you keep it at 0 ? My tank is not planted and my nitrates stay around 20 ppm , that is with a weekly 40 to 50% partial water change . What kind of test kit are you using ? If you have been using API liguid test kit and not shaking the second bottle of the nitrate test long enough , you could have been getting a false reading all along . I used to follow the instructions and shake the bottle for 30 seconds and my readings for nitrates were always at zero , then I started shaking it for close to two minutes and started getting proper readings of 20 ppm .

 

[Sonomakid]

Heres a question i havent seen yet ? how long has you tank been up and running ? Did you cycle you tank ?

 

[lionheart]

on the api freshwater liquid testkit , 3 minutes is the correct time on shaking bottle number 2 nitrate for a accurate reading that info came straight from API themselves
and you must leave test tube 5 mins for true accuracy
no less time and no more time as that will give a false reading

 

[jessibell]

I think my hand would die after shaking that stupid thing for 3 mins straight!

 

[harmy4993]

if you have 0nitrates you either have a bad test equipment, or you have ammonia or nitrites because nitrates is basically what ammonia and nitrite is converted to so you will never have 0 unless you have a heavely planted tank which then you are dosing it.

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

I have had my tank for about 3 months, and I did cycle it for at least 24 hours!!!

Thanks,
B.F.L. (Beginner Fish Lover)

 

[Beginner Fish Lover]

Well I use a test strip so it is not the same as the liquid stuff.

Beginner Fish Lover!!!

 

[TCool]

I have had my tank for about 3 months, and I did cycle it for at least 24 hours!!!

Thanks,
B.F.L. (Beginner Fish Lover)

You might want to read these:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/23/1/Tips-and-tricks-for-your-fastest-fishless-cycle/Page1.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ady-have-fish-what-now-116287.html#post983258