Slightly Unusual Reading.....

[tiguardo]

I've had a slightly unusual reading in my tank tonight & wondered if anyone has any ideas?

My tank finished cycling on the 24th May and my readings have been consistent at 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrite, ph 6.0 & between 10-20 nitrate. Tonight I have tested and my readings are Ammonia not quite 0, but not 0.6 either (a tiny hint of colour), 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate, but my ph has risen to 7.0. My ph has always been at 6.0 (my other tank is reading 6.0 tonight) & both had PWC's on the same night.

I know it's probably not a bad thing, the ph rising a little, but I'm just a little perplexed. I added a piece of Rainbow rock about a week ago, could this be making the difference?

 

[eco23]

I've had a slightly unusual reading in my tank tonight & wondered if anyone has any ideas?

My tank finished cycling on the 24th May and my readings have been consistent at 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrite, ph 6.0 & between 10-20 nitrate. Tonight I have tested and my readings are Ammonia not quite 0, but not 0.6 either (a tiny hint of colour), 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate, but my ph has risen to 7.0. My ph has always been at 6.0 (my other tank is reading 6.0 tonight) & both had PWC's on the same night.

I know it's probably not a bad thing, the ph rising a little, but I'm just a little perplexed. I added a piece of Rainbow rock about a week ago, could this be making the difference?

The pH can fluctuate from occasionally in the tap water, more-so if you were on a well. So the pwc could be the reason. The rock could also be responsible, but I couldn't tell you with any certainty. There's the potential that if it is leeching minerals it could buffer the water slightly and raise the pH. My only concern with the normal pH and ammo is that the beneficial bacteria tends to slow dramatically in conversion below 6.5 (still works...just slower). if it goes significantly below 6.0, it's possible for the bacteria to stop converting entirely. I'd just keep a close eye on it and do pwc's as necessary.

 

[tiguardo]

The pH can fluctuate from occasionally in the tap water, more-so if you were on a well. So the pwc could be the reason. The rock could also be responsible, but I couldn't tell you with any certainty. There's the potential that if it is leeching minerals it could buffer the water slightly and raise the pH. My only concern with the normal pH and ammo is that the beneficial bacteria tends to slow dramatically in conversion below 6.5 (still works...just slower). if it goes significantly below 6.0, it's possible for the bacteria to stop converting entirely. I'd just keep a close eye on it and do pwc's as necessary.

Thanks. I did the PWC's on Monday, so 3 days ago. My other tank is still showing 6.0, and both PWC's were done within an hour of each other. I'll keep an eye on it, as the tank has shown no ammonia since it finished cycling & my the fish were added. In which time I've probably tested 6 times.

 

[eco23]

Thanks. I did the PWC's on Monday, so 3 days ago. My other tank is still showing 6.0, and both PWC's were done within an hour of each other. I'll keep an eye on it, as the tank has shown no ammonia since it finished cycling & my the fish were added. In which time I've probably tested 6 times.

Yeah sorry, I missed the part about pwc's in both tanks. I guess by process of elimination that leaves the rock as the cause. Unless there's something organic on the rock, I couldn't blame it for the ammo reading though. Unless you made changes like removing other decorations, switching media or heavy cleaning...let's hope the ammo reading is just an anomaly and not something to worry about. With those API kits it's almost impossible to tell the difference between 0 and .25 anyway, lol.

 

[tiguardo]

Yeah sorry, I missed the part about pwc's in both tanks. I guess by process of elimination that leaves the rock as the cause. Unless there's something organic on the rock, I couldn't blame it for the ammo reading though. Unless you made changes like removing other decorations, switching media or heavy cleaning...let's hope the ammo reading is just an anomaly and not something to worry about. With those API kits it's almost impossible to tell the difference between 0 and .25 anyway, lol.

I know what you mean, lol! I use the Nutrafin test kit & You end up holding it at different angles in different lights to get a reading it just had a hint of colour. Maybe all my fish had gone for an after dinner poo together, hence the small amount of ammonia, before the bacteria kicked in!!!