What's my next move with these results?

[Teacake]

Hi guys I'm not sure exactly where to go from these results. I began cycling my 30 gallon tank back at the end of august, by October I thought it was close to done but unfortunately family matters meant I have not had access to the tank since then. Every time I've been around I've added a little ammonia to keep it going but had no chance to test.

Anyway family matters are sorted and I have full access to the tank again, I did a 50% water change this morning as its nearly 6 months old and restested.

These are my results:

Ammonia: 0.5ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 160+ ppm, its maxed on ati scale even after 50% change.
pH: 6.4-6.6

The pH looks a little low especially for fancy goldfish; was advised last time I posted about coral and i bought some of this but haven't used it yet:

Coral Sand Marine Aquarium Substrate 4k

1: How should I next go about fully cycling this tank?
2: How should I used the coral sand for raising pH?

 

[Fishperson]

I don't really know about the coral, although I'm pretty sure it'll raise the pH to around 8. Your tank is probably cycled. Just make sure it can go through 4 ppm of ammonia into 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite in 24 hours.

 

[ScotJudd]

I think your tank looks cycled but the Nitrate has just built up due to lack of water changes. I would do 50% WC daily until nitrate is less than 40 then check cycling as Fishperson has said - ensure 4ppm ammonia reads 0 within 24 hrs, nitrites 0 and then water change to bring down the inevitable rise in nitrates.
As for your Ph, have you checked your Kh, a reading of 3 or below will mean your Ph will be unstable. I add bicarb of soda to raise Kh which also rises Ph. Kh of 6 gives me about Ph 7.2, although there are other variable that affect Ph.
Can't comment on coral sand as I don't use it, wary of Gh going too high for my tetras. I use a very small amount of Equilibrium to raise Gh to 6.
Ph, Kh & Gh very stable with this regime.
Let us know which way you decide to go and the results. That would be interesting. S.

 

[librarygirl]

What's your tap PH? If you haven't touched the tank since October, it's possible the PH just fell because the buffers were used up so it might not be an accurate reading of the actual tank's PH. Also dosing ammonia intermittently may have done something, but there's no real way to tell if the tank is cycled yet. I would do a full water change to restore buffers, etc, then start dosing ammonia regularly (go by this guide): I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice Only then will you really know where the tank stands in terms of the cycle.

 

[Caliban07]

What's your tap PH? If you haven't touched the tank since October, it's possible the PH just fell because the buffers were used up so it might not be an accurate reading of the actual tank's PH. Also dosing ammonia intermittently may have done something, but there's no real way to tell if the tank is cycled yet. I would do a full water change to restore buffers, etc, then start dosing ammonia regularly (go by this guide): I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice Only then will you really know where the tank stands in terms of the cycle.

+1 don't do anything with your ph till you have tested a tube of tap water that has been left on the side for 24hrs

 

[tnfinfan]

+2

No fish in the tank so no need to go slowly. Change the water and dose with ammonia. Then you'll know. I do think checking your water hardness is also a good idea since your water deteriorated a lot for an unstocked tank sitting for six months.

 

[Teacake]

Okay thanks everyone - I'll test KH and tap pH tomorrow and we'll see how it goes.

 

[Teacake]

Hi again

Tested tap KH, GH and pH today. Tetra test strips are showing KH at 0, GH at 0 and pH is at 6.4.

Are those 0's for KH and GH normal? Seems kind of odd even though I retested several times and always got the same.

 

[librarygirl]

Hi again

Tested tap KH, GH and pH today. Tetra test strips are showing KH at 0, GH at 0 and pH is at 6.4.

Are those 0's for KH and GH normal? Seems kind of odd even though I retested several times and always got the same.

It's possible, but since strips aren't that accurate I would double-check with a better test kit. API has liquid GH/KH tests available.

I would also leave a glass of tap water out for 24 hours, stir it occasionally. Then test PH again. This is your true PH and what your tank's PH would be. Sometimes PH can change from what it is immediately out of the tap after it gasses off.

If it truly is that low, your PH is very low too and you're likely to have issues with stabilizing the PH and getting the tank to cycle (the bacteria you're trying to grow needs a certain PH level and 6.4 is borderline).

If GH/KH is that low and your PH is 6.4, you'll need to buffer the water. The easiest way is to just get some crushed coral or argonite (sold at most fish stores in the saltwater section), put some in a mesh media bag or clean (never washed with detergent) nylon stocking and put it in your filter. You may need to fiddle a bit with the amount until you can get the tank to stabilize the PH; I would aim for a PH of around 7. You can leave this in indefinitely and it won't harm fish (I've used this method as well). After a while it will deplete itself so every few months or if you notice PH start to drop again just replace it with new shells.

There's a past thread on this that has some good info too: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/test-readings-gh-kh-157866.html

 

[tnfinfan]

Hi again

Tested tap KH, GH and pH today. Tetra test strips are showing KH at 0, GH at 0 and pH is at 6.4.

Are those 0's for KH and GH normal? Seems kind of odd even though I retested several times and always got the same.

Normal for rain or distilled water. You have extremely soft water. I'd get a pH buffering solution to bring it up and help it stay put..

 

[Teacake]

Okay, The tap water I tested was left out for over 24 hours so that is definitely the pH. I do live in Northern Ireland in a very soft water area. I bought some of this which I was advised last time I was here:

Coral Sand Marine Aquarium Substrate 4k

Is this okay to use to buffer?

 

[Caliban07]

Normal for rain or distilled water. You have extremely soft water. I'd get a pH buffering solution to bring it up and help it stay put..

I would use bicarbonate of soda with every water change. Just experiment with amounts. I'm not sure on exact amounts but just research a little or create a new thread with the question.

 

[Teacake]

Okay so you think just full water change, add coral and dose ammonia as normal until 4>0ppm in 24 hrs.

 

[tnfinfan]

Coral isn't instant. It needs time to dissolve into the water. So yes, maybe add some to help long-term in case you go too long between testing/dosing. But since your water is close to zero carbonates, I'd also add something that will dissolve instantly. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and it will dissolve straight away. It's going to raise the pH as well as hardness, though, and it might end up too high. Seachem Equilibrium is what is favored with RO water users because it's a balanced mineral supplement and it won't jack your pH too much.

 

[Teacake]

Okay how much bicarbonate would you advise to add to begin with? Its 30 gallon tank and 8.2 pH is the about max for fancies I think.

 

[tnfinfan]

Modifying Water Chemistry

Here is an article about making your own buffer solution. It does a better job of explaining the whys and whats for the armchair water chemist than I could.

Read the article, at least, and use a blend if you want to make your own. Epsom salts are sold at every store with a pharmacy and calcium chloride is available by the pound at a number of sites online that sell aquarium fertilizers. Baking soda alone isn't enough if you want stable water.