opinion plz!

[missie]

New to reading these tests... not sure what is ideal.. although my ph is reading 8.4 (is that bad?)

nitrate 5.0 ppm
nitrite 0
ammonia 0.25

Please let me know what is ideal.. thx!

 

[Bettababe1011]

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=35673"/>

New to reading these tests... not sure what is ideal.. although my ph is reading 8.4 (is that bad?)

nitrate 5.0 ppm
nitrite 0
ammonia 0.25

Please let me know what is ideal.. thx!

Your ph is okay. Most fish will adjust to almost an ph, changing it is what'll make them sick. A stable ph is much more important.

The ideal reading would be this:

0 ammonia
0 nitrIte
<20 nitrAte

Nitrate can go up to forty without being a huge cause of concern, but I prefer to keep it around ten.

 

[missie]

thanks betta_ anyone else have an opinon??

 

[Bud]

I agree with everything Betta just said, based on what I've read and been told.

 

[missie]

are those readings good enough to add 2 more ghost cats?

 

[Bettababe1011]

How did you cycle the tank? The ammonia has to be .25 or under. Ideal is zero, but anything above .25 is extremely toxic.

 

[Feelthereefer]

Get your ammonia to zero maybe do a water change how new is your tank would not add any other fish till water is stable with zero ammonia and nitrite

 

[eco23]

How long ago did you set up the tank? If it was recently you are just beginning the cycle and the ammo is still building up. You're gonna want to keep on top of the pwc's to keep the ammo below .25.

If the tank has been set up for a while, you should be entering the final stages of your cycle.

Either way, it's a bad idea to add any more fish until your readings are 0 ammonia and 0 nitrItes.

 

[missie]

tank is 2 months old.. i may be going through i mini cycle... how do i get the ammonia down?

 

[Bettababe1011]

Water changes.

What did you do recently that may have caused a mini cycle?

 

[eco23]

I think I remember one of your other threads...new fish, new filters and recent cleaning, right? You've just got to do daily 50% pwc's to keep the ammo below .25 at all times until the tank recovers.

 

[missie]

thanks eco.. you are correct~ it has gone down a little bit since i tested on sunday. eco- what do you think of the ph?

 

[eco23]

thanks eco.. you are correct~ it has gone down a little bit since i tested on sunday. eco- what do you think of the ph?

I assume that's the high range test? Personally, I'm against using chemicals to modify the pH in 99% of situations. There are some natural ways to move it which are a better solution (driftwood, crushed coral, etc...) but I still strongly suggest selecting fish that are compatible with your water instead of the other way around. Most fish can adapt to pH levels, as bettababe said, they prefer stable as opposed to what is considered their ideal range. Still, I wouldn't even consider rams or other fish that are delicate and require lower pH.

Even though natural objects like CC and tannis are a better route, it is still a shock to the fish during pwc's because the new water being added is dramatically different from what is currently in the tank.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

View attachment 35673



New to reading these tests... not sure what is ideal.. although my ph is reading 8.4 (is that bad?)

nitrate 5.0 ppm
nitrite 0
ammonia 0.25

Please let me know what is ideal.. thx!

NitrAte (no3) is fine if it's less than 40ppm
NitrIte (n02) should be 0ppm at anytime (more harmful than ammo IMO)
ammo up to .25ppm is tolerable, but 0ppm is best

no3 and ammo can be lowered with PWC and regular maintenance will keep them in check.

pH is a little on the high side, but if it's consistent and your fish don't require lower pH ranges, I'd leave it alone myself.

If you want to try to lower it, peat moss is an good option to consider IME, DW (drift wood) works for a short time, but once the tannins are leeched from it, it will no longer be effective. Crushed coral, shells and the like will actually raise your pH, so I wouldn't recommend them.

 

[eco23]

True, when I read my post back, I should have mentioned that CC raises it, not lowers it. I was giving examples of natural products.

Mr. Limpet has a good point with the peat moss, its a good option to lower it, but personally I'd find fish that suit the water, not water that suites the fish.

For easy math, if the pH in the tank was 6, and out of the tap was 8...if you did a 50% pwc it'd be an instant 1 point swing before the peat moss has a chance to alter it. That sudden fluctuation can be stressful.

You can make it work one way or the other, I actually run a tiny bit of CC because my water is ridiculously soft and has no alkalinity, it's less stressful and more balanced to go the easier route.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

True, when I read my post back, I should have mentioned that CC raises it, not lowers it. I was giving examples of natural products.

Mr. Limpet has a good point with the peat moss, its a good option to lower it, but personally I'd find fish that suit the water, not water that suites the fish.

For easy math, if the pH in the tank was 6, and out of the tap was 8...if you did a 50% pwc it'd be an instant 1 point swing before the peat moss has a chance to alter it. That sudden fluctuation can be stressful.

You can make it work one way or the other, I actually run a tiny bit of CC because my water is ridiculously soft and has no alkalinity, is just go the easier route.

Correct, extreme fluctuations in pH is hard on fish and anytime you're trying to adjust it, it's best to keep changes at .02 max over a 24-48hr period.

One thing I do to keep my ph at 7.8 from the 8.0-8.2 it reads out of the tap, is to let the cured bucket of water for a PWC to sit (open topped, 5g HD bucket) for 24hrs and it settles down to 7.8 every time.

 

[Rosenweiss]

I agree with much of the above advice. I would keep your pH as is and do a long, long acclimation (2 hours plus) for your new glass catfish. Just add a little tank water every 10 minutes, then net them out and put them in.

When your ammonia gets to 0, or so close to zero you have trouble reading it, it's safe for new fishies.

Edit: to me though, your ammonia looks like .5. Water changes! =D

 

[siva]

I would make sure you can maintain zero ammonia before adding any, personally. I wouldn't run out to the store the minute you see zero. With mollies in that tank, and one about to drop a load of babies, you might need to do extra pwc's to keep the tank stable.

 

[Rosenweiss]

Ah, yeah, I agree--when 0 is stable. ^^

 

[missie]

thanks for the great advice as always!