thartley
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I just tested the pH, ammonia, nitrite and gH levels of two tanks. One is a 20 gallon planted tank with only four small guppies. The other is a 10 gallon with a few floating plants with about a dozen guppies or so. Here are the readings:
20 gal:
0.025 or less ammonia
0.0 nitrite
7.6 pH
3 gH
10 gal:
0.0 ammonia
0.0 nitrite
7.6 pH
1 or less gH
The question is, why would the 10 gal. tank have zero gH (it changed to yellow on the first drop,) when the other has three gH if they both are using the same tap water?
There are no additional products being added to either tank to increase the hardness. No additional CO2 either. The 20 gal. tank may not be fully cycled yet. (I think I'll pick up a nitrate test kit today.) The 10 gal. is running an undergravel filter and a bio-wheel because we want to remove the UGF to convert to rooted plants.
Another question has to do with the pH. When I first started testing the pH a few weeks ago on the 20 gal., I was at 7.0. The last week it jumped up to 7.6. What would cause the jump? I have been doing a 20% partial water change about once a week. The last change was on Thursday.
Thanks,
20 gal:
0.025 or less ammonia
0.0 nitrite
7.6 pH
3 gH
10 gal:
0.0 ammonia
0.0 nitrite
7.6 pH
1 or less gH
The question is, why would the 10 gal. tank have zero gH (it changed to yellow on the first drop,) when the other has three gH if they both are using the same tap water?
There are no additional products being added to either tank to increase the hardness. No additional CO2 either. The 20 gal. tank may not be fully cycled yet. (I think I'll pick up a nitrate test kit today.) The 10 gal. is running an undergravel filter and a bio-wheel because we want to remove the UGF to convert to rooted plants.
Another question has to do with the pH. When I first started testing the pH a few weeks ago on the 20 gal., I was at 7.0. The last week it jumped up to 7.6. What would cause the jump? I have been doing a 20% partial water change about once a week. The last change was on Thursday.
Thanks,