GH, KH, PH, N02, N03 results

[dunbarr]

Hi All,

I am pretty new the aquarium scene and I have no real knowledge about the GH, KH, PH, N02, N03 levels. I have bought the API 5 in 1 strips and the results I have are: Gh 180 (Max), KH 40, PH 7, N02 0 (lowest), N03 40.

I am trying to work out what are good and what is not so good. From reading stuff on the net I think my GH and PH levels are good. I am having a problem finding out are the other levels ok and that is why I am on here? Also Im not sure the GH and PH are ok?

I have a 36 gallon (140 litres) freshwater tank with some plants, bala sharks, angel fish, pleco, synodontis, catfish, kissing gouramis.

Any help would be appreciated. I will probably be told its a miricle they are still alive.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Welcome to AA

To be honest, your readings are not going to be very accurate with test strips. Strips are notoriously inaccurate, you'll need a liquid test to get accurate results. The readings you want are:
ph- steady somewhere between 6.5 and 9
ammonia- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- less than 60ppm (<20ppm preferred)

That being said, your bala sharks will certainly outgrow your tank very quickly. They're super messy eaters and will eventually (if not already) cause you issues with ammonia. As adults, balas are measured in feet, not inches.

 

[dunbarr]

Hi Thank you for that. I am delighted I found this forum.If I am having problems with ammonia (I will check again with a liquid test) what can I do to get it down or manage it?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Depends on the cause really. If its because the bioload is too large, there's not much you can do other than rehome some of the fish. Ammonia issues can also be caused by over feeding or not cycling the tank.

Water changes are the best way to deal with ammonia. If your tank is not cycled, daily water changes are almost always necessary. If its just a high bioload, monitoring ammonia levels and changing water as necessary is the way to go. IMO, its best to check your ammonia and nitrite levels at least once a week, especially when the tank is fairly new.

 

[dunbarr]

Ahh some of these terms are new to me such as bioload (thank god for wiki). That could be it. The tank is 6 months running. So I am thinking I could be over feeding them. If the strip is accurate and the nitrate is 40ppm, then how would you rate that in a bad, average etc. way?

 

[FishEggs]

40 ppm is not too bad for your tank since you have plants in it. it is getting towards the too high side though. 30 ppm is acceptable for plant growth. what filter are you running? your filter maybe insufficient for the bioload of your tank even tho it says it is good for your tank size. you can add another filter if that is the case. you could also add more fast growing plants to use up those nitrates and help with water quality.

 

[mfdrookie516]

In addition to what fisheggs asked, what is your pwc routine? How often and how much? How often are you cleaning your filter? What kind of filter is it?

 

[dunbarr]

40 ppm is not too bad for your tank since you have plants in it. it is getting towards the too high side though. 30 ppm is acceptable for plant growth. what filter are you running? your filter maybe insufficient for the bioload of your tank even tho it says it is good for your tank size. you can add another filter if that is the case. you could also add more fast growing plants to use up those nitrates and help with water quality.

Thats not too bad then. I will get the liquid test to get a more accurate reading and hopefully the result is not worse. I actually have two filters that are for a tank of my size. I will have to get more plants and I will start testing on a regular basis. This is the first test I have done. I only got the tank 6 months ago and have slowley added fish. I have really gotten into it and saw the tests so I thought Id check, its not that I have major problems and the fish are dying, I have only lost a couple of fish since I started. Cheers for the info!

 

[taylorodw]

Hey Dunbarr. Welcome, great to see a member from Ireland (I'm fourth generation Irish American).

In addition to NO2 (nitrite) and NO3 (nitrate) you also need to test for NH3 (ammonia). When your tank is healthy, ammonia and nitrite will always be 0, and nitrate will be at a low value (manageable by water changes).

KH, GH, and PH are all basically fine as long as they're stable.

Other than that, enjoy the fish