I checked my water with my new API master test kit!
My ph is high 7.6
I have 2 fish in my 10g. 1 rainbow and 1 neon tetra should I go about and lower the ph with more chemical?
Ammonia- in between 0.25 & 0.50
Nitrate no2- 0.25
Nitrate no3- good
Should I go about doing weekly water changes with these results? Add some more ammonia detox?
I'd like to add another fish when safe.
Stop right there.....
Ph of 7.6 isn't bad, as long as it's stable. NEVER use chemicals to try to lower the PH..... they don't work. The Ph is driven by the buffers that exist in your water, and any attempt to chemically lower it might drop your Ph temporarily, but the Ph
will bounce right back to it's natural balance within a day or two.
Next, if you have ammonia of 0.25 to 0.5, you should be doing water changes every to every other day while your tank is cycling (about 20% to 25% per change). The water changes helps keep the ammonia diluted enough to where it is less stressful on your fish while your beneficial bacteria are growing..... Again, NO CHEMICALS. Don't forget the dechlorinator in the water before it goes into the tank.
Keep testing & water changing regularly until you see readings of:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - These accumulate from the final stage of the natural nitrification process, and regular weekly water changes will keep these at a comfortable level for your fish (depending on your bioload). The max amount for a community tank vary on opinion, but I like to keep mine around 10ppm.
I don't know how long your tank has been set up, but cycling with fish
can take upwards of 6 to 8 weeks, so keep at it, and do a LOT of reading around here while you're in the process.
Good Luck...
