test readings

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georgetheplec

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
Messages
52
Location
Central New Jersey (ex BRit)
just tested the water, using the api master test kit...this is what i got...
ph - 6.8-7
ammonia - 1.0ppm
nitrite - 2.0ppm
nitrate - 40ppm verging towards 80

dont know what to expect...good or bad...?
 
I assume your cycling the tank? If so are you doing a fish in or fishless cycling? If your doing a fish in cycling those are bad numbers.
 
I assume your cycling the tank? If so are you doing a fish in or fishless cycling? If your doing a fish in cycling those are bad numbers.

ive had my fish tank since may, i have fish in it, i have been doing 50%water change every week to 10 days, i have one large plec, 2 silver dollars, the rest are 1inch long tetras, of different kinds, 12 of them, ive already been told the tank is overstocked.
i got a different filter just over a week ago, as the last one broke.
this is the first time i have tested the water, and it is really difficult to get an accurate colour reading, which is why, in another post, i was asking about electronic testers, but as they are WAY out of my price league, ill pass on one of them and go by my not so good eyesight...purple is purple, orange is orange...put it in the shade and its a whole different colour!

cycle...no...fishless cycle...no.
i read the instructions on the kit and yep, all is well and good them telling you what to do and what it should be...but they dont say how to fix it if it is wrong...
i am completely new to fish keeping, which is why im posting this.
can you tell me how the readings are bad...or at least how to fix...instead of just saying them numbers are bad.
 
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If you tank is that old it should be cycled which would mean ammonia and nitrites at 0 and some readable nitrates but preferably not above 20ppm.

Ammonia and nitrites should never be allowed to go above .25ppm so right now with the levels you have you need to do a 50-60% WC, wait a couple hours and retest water, then repeat, and repeat again if needed to drop levels down to the .25ppm or less.

Have you tested your tap water for ammonia and nitrites? If not do that also to see if your adding them into your tank.

Normally once levels are correct you should be doing 50% WC weekly to keep levels low and water pristine but right now you have to treat your tank as cycling and if you read this article it will help you understand what you need to be doing.... I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice.

Also watch your ph as a ph of 6.5 or below will slow biological activity and a ph of 6 or below will stop biological activity and BB will begin to die off.

So right now get to WC's for the health of your fish.

EDIT: I almost always ask someone else in the house to look at test results to be sure the color I'm seeing is what they see. Those color charts are not always to easy to use.
 
i did 50% waterchange on sunday, the new filter has a Zorb bag along with a carbon bag, stars and filter sponges. im reading the api book...well, trying to, lol
there was no one home to double check the results at the time.
i added gravel also on sunday.
one reason why i bought the canister filter was because i was told it would cut down on the water changes, taking out 20+ gal a week is heavy work.
our water is well water, ive not tested it yet but am on the case, do i test with everything?
 
i did 50% waterchange on sunday, the new filter has a Zorb bag along with a carbon bag, stars and filter sponges. im reading the api book...well, trying to, lol
there was no one home to double check the results at the time.
i added gravel also on sunday.
one reason why i bought the canister filter was because i was told it would cut down on the water changes, taking out 20+ gal a week is heavy work.
our water is well water, ive not tested it yet but am on the case, do i test with everything?

A canister filter won't cut down on WC's. Also they need to be cleaned about every 4 weeks except for the bio-media in them or they can accumulate a lot of detris which can cause a rise nitrates.

I have used an Aqueon Water Changer for years and couldn't live without it. It makes WC's a breeze, no more buckets! I do a 50% weekly WC in all my tanks including my 220g. So I understand about it being heavy work.

I would test the tap water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, ph, along with phosphates, gh and kh if you have tests for them since well water is often quite soft. If the kh is too low (below 4) there aren't enough buffers in the water to keep ph stable, which can cause a whole new set of problems.
 
If you changed your filter, assumedly using brand new media (??), then it will take a while for the nitrifying bacteria to colonise the new media, which would explain the rises in ammonia. The fact that you have nitrite and nitrate readings suggest that the filter is in the process of cycling, so you are on the right roads. As suggested, keep up regular small water changes to keep the pollutants to the minimum, allowing the bacteria to multiply.

When cleaning media in the filter, always wash through with water from the tank. Even the biomedia will need rinsing occasionally as a build up of dead layers of nitrifying bacteria in a static (non-fluidised) filter will reduce the surface area and create anaerobic spots.
 
Water Chemistry

just tested the water, using the api master test kit...this is what i got...
ph - 6.8-7
ammonia - 1.0ppm
nitrite - 2.0ppm
nitrate - 40ppm verging towards 80

dont know what to expect...good or bad...?

Hello Geo...

You need to perform a water change. I change roughly half the water every week or so in my tanks. Hopefully, you don't have fish in this tank. Even a trace of ammonia or nitrite in the water is enough to do severe damage to the fishes' sensitive gill tissues.

Ideally, in an established tank, you want "0" ammonia and nitrite and nitrates in 20 to 30 ppm range.

B
 
hi,
i was real close to quitting yesterday, almost put it all back on craigslist, but i know i can get this sorted now...so no more panicking!!
but ive just got back from sharkeys and want to share what i learned.
i retested the water, took out about 40% water, as i broke the bucket and thats all i managed to take out before dropping it...topped the tank back up and left it a few hours before i tested it again...everything had dropped considerably.
i took the test tubes with me.
head full of questions i told mr 'sharkey' my concerns and all about my tank, filter and fish...
the guy was a godsend! truely! very informative and knows his stuff!
he told me what to do and told me to slow up on the feeding...im putting in way too much zucchini and sprinkling too many flakes, which is contributing to the chemical build up...admittedly i am guilty! i am also guilty of doing too much to try and fix this, every tank is different.
the filter is new and needs time to establish, im to do nothing with the tank other than a weekly 10% change, slow down on feeding and in about 6 weeks the tank should be ok.
his shop is awesome and he has some amazing fish, he has stolen my custom from petsmart.
 
Well I don't agree on the only change 10% of the water weekly. The reason being is you have fish in the tank and ammonia and nitrite reading above .25ppm of either is poisonous to the fish. Since your tank is cycling you have to do a WC anytime the ammonia or nitrite go above .25ppm. This isn't an option or your fish will suffer!

Once the tank is fully cycled then you should do a 50% weekly WC to keep nutrient levels low and water pristine. I actually add 3 big strips of blanched zucchini to my 220g daily due to the amount of various types of herbivorous fish in that tank. I do a 50% WC weekly, the tank is very heavily planted (100% of the substrate is planted), and my nitrates run at about 10ppm weekly. I also over feed this tank due to the sheer number of fish in it and making sure they all have enough to eat. I am not saying overfeeding is good and it can indeed cause a rise in nutrients in the tank but by my doing 50% WC's weekly my water parameters are always great. I'm not saying the guy doesn't know his stuff but read the article I posted a link to above which explains your tank cycling with fish in it. I hope you follow the advice given for the health and well being of your fish. I've been in the hobby since the 70's so have a lot of experience.
 
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