Water Quality

[Swindes]

Hi, I'm hoping for some advice on my water quality. My readings are:
NO3 - 10
NO2 - 0.1
PH -7.5
NH3 - 0

I've had a death and 2 of my fish are looking very ill, sticking to the filter and not moving at all. They've been fine for the last 5 months!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[gmanova]

pH and ammonia look good! Nitrate reading of 10ppm is also fine. You want to maintain Nitrates from 0 - 40ppm, no higher. The Nitrites should be 0ppm.. Your biological filter converts ammomia into Nitrites. Nitrites are toxic! Nitrites in the aquarium will prevent fish from carring on normal respiration. Even trace amounts of nitrites stress fish by suppressing their immune system and increasing likelihood of disease and/or fish dying. Do pwc to reduce the nitrate level. You can also use Nitra-Zorb, Stress Zyme and or some aquarium salt, but you need to get your filter up to speed to remove the nitrites.

 

[Talvari]

I would do a water change, regardless of the readings. Though, you shouldn't have any no2 in a fully cycled tank.

Out of curiosity, have you changed your filter pad recently?

 

[Swindes]

Yep - last week. My NO2 was 0.1 then - hence the filter change. Thank you so much for your advice. I'll water change again and test again in a couple of days. Thank you so much!

 

[LyndaB]

Don't ever change out your filter media unless it's literally falling apart. Even then, try to maintain some filter med, like bio media, while perhaps changing out the filter cartridge.

What test kit are you using?

 

[Talvari]

Don't ever change out your filter media unless it's literally falling apart. Even then, try to maintain some filter med, like bio media, while perhaps changing out the filter cartridge.

What test kit are you using?

+1... Usually I put a new filter cartridge in front of the old one for a while before I throw out the old one.

 

[calfishguy]

Try to keep your nitrates under 20ppm 40ppm is too high for fish