help with water test results

[granny50]

I purchased a api water master water test kit and I need help with the results that I am getting. I have a 46 gallon bowfront that I used the seeding method with and added five fish- 4 platties and a catfish, I had been using test strips to test the water and this is what I was getting with that nitrates 20, 0 nitrites and amonia 3.0 , So now with the master kit this is what the readings are Nitrates 20 , nitrates 0 but amonia (is it is hard to tell) but it looks to be between 4.0 and 8.0. I have to tell you that when I went to the fish store I also bought 6 glowlight tetras and 4 mollies. I am scared that the amonia is to high and I do not know how to interpret the nitrates and nitrite numbers. Please help.

Granny

 

[missileman]

Nitrate is fine, amonia is dangerously high by either test method.
Partial water change is in order to get the amonia below 1ppm at the most.
You can also use Kordon's Amquel Plus or Seachem Prime as a dechlorinator along with the water change to help reduce the amonia even more than the water change alone will do. (this will also lower your nitrate as well which is a good thing)
PS: Nitrate 20ppm shows that your seed material is working, it just has to multiply to handle the full load. that is why you are seeing the amonia. You should start seeing nitrite within the next week or so. That is a good time to add a little more seed material if you can.
There is a chance that you will never see nitrite as the bacteria that comsumes nitrite will multiply as your amonia consuming bacteria does.

 

[An t-iasg]

How long ago did you seed the tank? How long has it been established? It looks like it hasn't finished cycling. Usually you don't get nitrates when the ammonia is high. The ammonia spikes first, followed by the nitrite spike, and then you will see nitrates. You could have nitrate in your tap water. Do a nitrate test on only some tap water. I agree with missileman to do some water changes.

 

[granny50]

I seeded it three weeks ago. I checked to see if my tap water had nitrates in it and it does not. I am going to do a PWC and see if I can get that amonia down. I guess I do not understand why there is not nitrites at this point. Any thoughts on that?
Oh, another thing do I have to wait after the PWC to test the water again and how long should that be?

Thanks

 

[missileman]

You have two different bacteria at work, forget the names, one consumes amonia and produces nitrite, the second one consumes nitrite and produces nitrate.
My theory is:
The seed material was live bacteria, the second bacteria should have been equal to the first and any amonia the first transformed into nitrite the second bacteria was able to keep up with what the first produced. The first is not large enough yet to take care of all the amonia, hence the readings your getting.

 

[Pacei]

Sounds like you already had some bacteria growing and were converting your ammonia but you added too much fish too fast and you are going through not-so-mini-cycle. Not a whole lot you can do other than what has been suggested already - treat ammonia and big water changes until bacteria catches up. If you already have some bacteria (both types) in there, it should not take too long to catch up.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I seeded it three weeks ago. I checked to see if my tap water had nitrates in it and it does not. I am going to do a PWC and see if I can get that amonia down. I guess I do not understand why there is not nitrites at this point. Any thoughts on that?
Oh, another thing do I have to wait after the PWC to test the water again and how long should that be?

Thanks

What did you use to seed the tank?

You can test right away after a PWC, but could let the water mix for a bit before doing it.

Here's the big question, what is your pH? The ammonia test kit tests for the presence of both ammonia (harmful) and ammonium (harmless). The higher the pH, the more free harmful ammonia is present. See this chart for help:

Aquaworld Aquarium - The Ammonia and pH Relationship

Also, Prime (which is all I use for water changes) converts free ammonia to ammonium so is still shows up on the test kit, but it won't harm your fish, and the bacteria can still use it for the cycle.

Also check tap water for Ammonia. Mine has about 0.5 ppm at 8.8+ pH right out of the tap (bad city water)