Testing tank parameters?

[Kari]

I was getting ready to test both 10 gal. tanks and both 5 gal. tanks, but was wondering if recent pwc's will affect the reading. Should I go ahead and test now, even though they've all had pwc's (except for the newest tank) in the last 24 hours? And if so, should I test again soon?

 

[SteveM]

I'd wait at least a half hour to an hour after a pwc before testing, but that is just to make sure the new water is fully mixed with the old. In general you should test the water whenever you want/need to know what is in there.

The pwc will only affect your readings by the percentage of the water change. In other words if you had 10ppm nitrate before a 20% water change, then you will have 8ppm after, assuming that your replacement water has 0ppm. For the most part a normal 10-20% water change will not affect the readings enough to make a measurable difference in your test result.

I will often test my water before and after a water change just so I have a baseline for comparing the next test. That way for example, in a week when I measure 20ppm nitrate I know that I only had 10ppm after the last water change. This can be helpful when you are learning a new tank or if you have changed setups.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Should I go ahead and test now, even though they've all had pwc's (except for the newest tank) in the last 24 hours? And if so, should I test again soon?

You should be fine. In general, like Steve mentioned, you only really need to wait an hour or so after a PWC. When you test your water, your only taking a very, very small amount, so you want it to incorporate your entire tank, and not different water chemistries still coming together after that pwc. If you want to play with it...test your water right after a pwc, then wait a few min, test again...you will see the levels of a lot of things flucuate.

 

[Kari]

Okay, I did the testing. Let me start by saying I'm not positive about these readings. I have the mardel 5-in-1 test, and it's pretty difficult for me to read the color codes...some of them vary in between one color and another, some don't seem to match any of the colors, really, but I matched it to the closest color for that particular category.
If anyone else out there knows about test kits (that aren't real expensive) that are NOT color coded, I would love to hear about them. Anywho...I'm going to post the readings, and whatever advice, suggestions, etc. you might have, please let me know!

I tested one of the prepared jugs of tank water first. It's just tap water with about 10 drops of AquaSafe added, and it's been sitting for about a day and a half.
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
ppm Total Hardness = 250
ppm Total Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity = 240
pH = 8.4

10 gal. goldfish tank
Nitrate = 80
Nitrite = 0
ppm Total Hardness = 250
ppm Total Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity = 240
pH = 8.4

5 gal. goldfish qt tank
Nitrate = 40
Nitrite = 0
ppm Total Hardness = 250
ppm Total Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity = 240
pH = 8.4

10 gal. fw tank
Nitrate = 40
Nitrite = 0
ppm Total Hardness = 250
ppm Total Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity = 240
pH = 8.4

5 gal. fw qt tank
Nitrate = 40
Nitrite = 5
ppm Total Hardness = 250
ppm Total Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity = 240
pH = 8.4

 

[FMJnaX]

Looks like all of your tanks have cycled or are in the late stages. Hard to be 100% positive without the Ammonia results. Your last 5 gal QT tank seems to be on the mid-to-last stages of a [mini?]cycle. If that's 5 ppm of nitrite, then I'm not sure if I would use it as a QT just yet. You may end up stressing the fish more by exposing them to a level that high. I'm not sure how the Mardel tests display though so "5" may be ok. Overall, all levels looks alright and not a major cause for concern.

 

[Kari]

I went ahead and set that 5 gal. tank up as a qt tank (for tropicals) because it was either that, or try to take care of him in a bowl. I figured an uncycled 5 gal. tank would be the lesser of the two evils.

Something I've been wondering...could KanaPlex cause the nitrite raise? I used that in the tropical qt tank. Also, the test kit said that a 5 for nitrite is in the toxic zone. Should I just do water changes, or use something to lower it?

 

[SteveM]

5ppm nitrite is pretty bad - if the fish doesn't seem stressed I wouldn't panic, but 25 to 50% water changes would probably be a good idea for a few days to see if you can get that level down. I think I've seen one or two of the ammo-lock type chemicals that claim to handle nitrite also, but I've never used anything like that so I can't really give a suggestion.

All your other measurements look pretty normal - the 80ppm nitrate is a bit on the high side, so you probably want to increase your water change frequency on that tank. 40ppm nitrate is marginal IME, but your fish will tell you if they have a problem with it.

Now that I look at your sig I see you have 8 goldfish and 4 plecos in that 10G tank - you have a problem on your hands there. You will need a much bigger tank or way fewer fish to keep that situation healthy. Most people who keep goldfish (myself included) recommend at least 10G per goldfish, and some will tell you that 20G per goldfish is really best. I think your other tanks are a bit on the overstocked side as well, so you might want to consider some bigger tanks or giving away a few of your fish. In the long run I think you and the fish will be happier with lower stocking levels.

 

[Kari]

My goal is to set up a pond for all the goldfish and the plecos once we get moved this summer. Right now, most of the fish are still pretty small.