Could someone please verify my levels

[Goose3080]

Could someone please verify my levels in a planted freshwater aquarium, as im still fairly new to this hobby (5 or 6 months in), I think they are OK, but just double checking.

Ammonia (NH3) = 0
Nitrite (NO2) = 0
Nitrate (NO3) = 10 or 20 (its hard to decipher between the 2 colours as they look the same)
PH = 7.5
KH = 4 (I thought about using a bit of crushed coral to get this up a bit, but it will also raise PH levels which I dont want, so used some Tetra Easy Balance this morning)
GH = 8
Oxygen (sample taken from the bottom of the tank) = colour is between 5 and 8mg/l

Thanks

 

[Naughts]

Those results are ok. Don't use additives, they are rarely needed. Lots of fresh clean water is best for fish.
What fish are you keeping? This matters as pH and GH requirements differ.

 

[Goose3080]

Those results are ok. Don't use additives on a whim, they are rarely needed. Lots of fresh clean water is best for fish.
What fish are you keeping? This matters as pH and GH requirements differ.

Thanks, ive got:

5 Neon tetra's
5 Glowlight Tetra's
5 Guppies
4 what look like tiger barbs, but are smaller and friendly, can never remember what they are called.
1 Bristlenose catfish, (still a baby)
2 Hill stream loaches (still babies)
2 Dwarf Gourami's
1 weather loach
1 African Black Dwarf Frog.

The water is very slightly acidic, I can feel it when I put my hand in the tank if I have a small wound on my hand, I work in the printing industry and paper cuts are very common lol.

 

[Naughts]

Thank you. All levels are fine but monitor nitrate.

Obviously 0 is required for ammonia and nitrite so good news there.

If the nitrate reads 20, you need to increase water changes and/or reduce feeding as 20 should be the maximum, the lower you can get it, the better. If you have nitrate in the tap water this is a different scenario.

KH 4 is enough to buffer levels without any need for adding coral.

PH 7.5 and GH 8 are fine for a lot of fish. Avoid fish that need very soft water and fish that need hard water. The guppies (somewhat depending on type) are hard water fish so if you notice they don't live as long as they should, avoid these in future.

Oxygen levels are approaching the ideal of 8mg/l, but be aware that loaches need a lot as they come from fast flowing rivers - however increasing the flow would not suit the gourami and long finned guppies so this is a dilemma with the current stocking.

Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with frog requirements, I've never had them.

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

Guppies are a hard water fish. They ideally shouldn't be with the rest.

 

[Goose3080]

Thank you. All levels are fine but monitor nitrate.

Obviously 0 is required for ammonia and nitrite so good news there.

If the nitrate reads 20, you need to increase water changes and/or reduce feeding as 20 should be the maximum, the lower you can get it, the better. If you have nitrate in the tap water this is a different scenario.

KH 4 is enough to buffer levels without any need for adding coral.

PH 7.5 and GH 8 are fine for a lot of fish. Avoid fish that need very soft water and fish that need hard water. The guppies (somewhat depending on type) are hard water fish so if you notice they don't live as long as they should, avoid these in future.

Oxygen levels are approaching the ideal of 8mg/l, but be aware that loaches need a lot as they come from fast flowing rivers - however increasing the flow would not suit the gourami and long finned guppies so this is a dilemma with the current stocking.

Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with frog requirements, I've never had them.

Thank you, I tested my tap water a couple of days ago, after treating with API Water Conditioner, the Nitrates are at 7.5ppm, so keeping it at 10 or below is quite hard, the fish only get fed every 3 days, however the frog gets fed on pellets every 2 days, he's a very slow eater and unfortunately the other fish normally get to the food before him, so what ive started doing is floating a small clear plastic pot in the tank with some of the tank water, catch him in it and then feed him, 10 mins or so he's eaten all of it and then just pour him back into the main tank, he seems to of got used to doing this and knows when its feeding time.

As for the loach with fast flow, My external filter has a spray bar return, I have this pointed upwards but about 1 inch below the water surface so it is creating small waves on the surface, its not very powerful, along with 4 small air stones at the back of the tank creating a bit of an air curtain, I often see the weather loach swimming through all of this, but he's quite hyper anyway and often swims around the tank having the zoomies.

 

[Naughts]

Discontinue the Easy Balance - it isn't necessary so is a waste of money; it could harm the fish (all additives are absorbed into their bodies by osmosis so only essential chemicals should be used); and it may be stinging your hand!

 

[Goose3080]

Discontinue the Easy Balance - it isn't necessary so is a waste of money; it could harm the fish (all additives are absorbed into their bodies by osmosis so only essential chemicals should be used); and it may be stinging your hand!

OK no probs, the KH had dropped to 3 when I added it (panic set in), I didnt really want it dropping to 2, so added that to balance it back out again, and hour after adding it.....it was back upto 4, it maybe a bit higher now, if it gets too low then dont your PH levels start going a bit wild ?

 

[Naughts]

OK no probs, the KH had dropped to 3 when I added it (panic set in), I didnt really want it dropping to 2, so added that to balance it back out again, and hour after adding it.....it was back upto 4, it maybe a bit higher now, if it gets too low then dont your PH levels start going a bit wild ?

I know @Byron ran tanks with low/no KH water without issue. I suspect people who have problems do not do sufficient water changes (50-75% weekly).
I have similar water parameters to you. With sufficient water changes and no pH products the pH doesn't fluctuate.

 

[Goose3080]

I know @Byron ran tanks with low/no KH water without issue. I suspect people who have problems do not do sufficient water changes (50-75% weekly).
I have similar water parameters to you. With sufficient water changes and no pH products the pH doesn't fluctuate.

Thanks, im doing 2 x 30% water changes a week.

 

[Naughts]

Consider 60% once a week instead, not for the pH as that should be stable either way, but to reduce more of the bad stuff.

 

[Goose3080]

Consider 60% once a week instead, not for the pH as that should be stable either way, but to reduce more of the bad stuff.

This is my Nitrate levels as per my API master test kit, as I said its hard to tell the difference between 10 and 20, (picture 1), I did a water change yesterday of 30%.

My other test kits shows this though (picture 2)

So it could be a 10ppm between both of them.

 

[Byron]

What is the tank size...volume and dimensions as these are two different things.

Have you tested the tap water on its own for nitrate, and what is the result? Nitrate coming in with water changes is one issue, and nitrate occurring solely within the aquarium is another.

Do you have any live plants?

 

[Goose3080]

What is the tank size...volume and dimensions as these are two different things.

Have you tested the tap water on its own for nitrate, and what is the result? Nitrate coming in with water changes is one issue, and nitrate occurring solely within the aquarium is another.

Do you have any live plants?

It's a 105 litre tank, 75cm x 35cm deep, 55cm high, 6 live plants and yes tap water after conditioner nitrate is 7.5ppm

 

[Byron]

OK, knowing this data, there are some important issues here that you should resolve. I am going to explain the issues, the resolution is your task.

First on the nitrate...you will obviously not get nitrate below what is in the tap water so that is a given, but 7.5 (presumably ppm) is workable. But you need to do everything to keep nitrate from increasing. All fish are negatively impacted by nitrate, though it is slower acting. It now appears to most biologists that nitrate slowly weakens fish, making them less resilient and thus more susceptible to other issues (health) they would otherwise be able to easily handle. Ways to minimize nitrate occurring in the aquarium include live plants, especially fast growers and floating plants are best here, not overstocking, not overfeeding, substantial water changes regularly, keeping the filter clean, vacuum the substrate at each water change.

Second issue is the stocking. You have fish requiring very different environmental aspects, including temperature and water current. The weather loach is a real problem, this fish will get huge and needs at minimum a 4-foot/120 cm long tank. It will eat smaller fish. You would be best to find a new home for this fish ASAP, as it will continue becoming more problematic.

Frogs and fish should not be in the same tank. You have already seen the frogs eating habits, and this can suddenly worsen to the point they starve. As you need to reduce the amount of food entering the tank, significantly reduce, this is only going to get worse.

The hillstream loaches should have a small group. They need flowing cool water, and lots of algae.

The guppies are a problem, being harder water requiring. They will struggle to survive, and may do so for quite a time.