Testing Water

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Just purchased a test kit, done all the tests, my tank is 2 weeks old now, fish seem healthy tank appears clean and clear

Just wondering about advice on geting matches on test correct, i found it extremely difficult to match to the charts and am a little unsure if i'm correct on my interpretation, any adive would be helpful, my main questions are:

Am i matching colour or shade/darkness or a bit of both?
The nitrates and nitrites i found most difficult they were an illuminous pink which didnt seem to match any thing

My results as best i can tell were as follows:

Ammonia = 0
PH = 8.0 (but maybe 7.5)
Nitrate = 50 or 110
Nitrite = 1.6

If those results were correct, should i do a partial water change tommorrow (seeing as the tank is just 2 wekks new )or should i just leave it, i currently have 6x Platy's who seem happy enough, maybe should i just hold off feeding for a few days?

Thanks

Paul R

 

[Clairel]

You should have 0 Nitrites too, so i would do small water changes per day, till you get this down to 0, your NitrAte should also come down too, as it appears very high Mine is around the 10-20 mark....

Is it a test-tube kit you have? Liquid drops etc???

If so, i find these the best ones I dont like the Paper Strips, there not accurate at all....

What size tank have you got??

Good luck

C x

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Its a 70ltr, and yep its a test tube kit, i just have problems seeing which it falls between, i am usually indecisive between 2 or 3 colours, but the purple tests i find esp hard, therefore i dont know if my results are accurate for nitrate/nirite, the colour charts appear to get darker, but i'm just not sure if i am getting the comparison right

Thanks

Paul

 

[dwarfgourami]

Like Claire says you need to be doing small partial water changes (just don't forget to dechlorinate!). Nitrite levels of 1.6 are potential lethal, and even if your platys look healthy at the moment, it may make them more prone to all sorts of illnesses.

You also need to read the pinned topic on cycling so that you know what is going on in your tank at the moment. Your readings suggest that 6 platys is actually a little on the heavy side to be cycling a 70 ltr tank, 3 or 4 would have been better.

Unfortunately, your tank looking clear has nothing to do with its being safe; a crystal clear tank can still contain deadly levels of chemicals, and many healthy tanks are slightly clouded by bacterial blooms. If you find the readings difficult to distinguish, could you get someone like a family member to help you?

 

[SkiFletch]

I agree with the posters here, do some water changes to try and get that nitrite level down. Your tank is still building up the beneficial bacteria required to keep the toxins down. Over time they will build up and your nitrites will drop on their own, but until then you need to keep on top of the levels via water changes. As far as the testkits go, I find it easiest to read mine with some light behind me. I too have some difficulty with my nitrate one cause the different shades of red on mine are very close together. good luck

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Ok do you think a 25% change is ok or should i do less?

And how soon should i test to see if my measures have been successful?

Do you recomend those bio addatives that are suppoosed to help increase friendly bacteria?


Sorry for all the questions, but i do appreciate all your suggestions


Paul

 

[Clairel]

I would do 25% water changes every day, for the next few days, you can check your water after around 30mins of putting new water in, dont forget the dechlorinator Make sure you remove, any poo you can see, and rotting plants or food, as this can add to your ammonia and nitrite etc....

You can put the good bacteria stuff in, but i dont think its necessary, as most de-chorinators offer slime coat, and aloe vera etc... (mine does anyway)


Good Luck

C x

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Thanks for advice, and now i have another question that i will start a new topic for

Paul

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Ok Yesterday i did approx 18lr water change approx 25%, tested today 24hrs later results are as follows

Saturday

Ammonia = 0
PH = 7.5-8.0
Nitrate = 50-110
Nitrite = 1.6

Today

Ammonia = 0
PH = 7.5-8.0
Nitrate = 10-20
Nitrite = 0.3

Which is a huge improvement, due to time i'm gonna sit it out till sunday to do another clean and water change, do you think that will be ok? also the PH seems a little high, will my fish be ok at that level?

Thanks for all the advice

Paul

 

[kimbowee]

Personally, I wouldn't wait until Sunday to do another water change. Your tank is still cycling. The NitrIte should be at 0, while nitrAtes are ok at 10-20. Nitrites can potentially be more poisonous to your fish then ammonia. You want to keep your nitrIte levels as low as possible, preferably 0. You can try doing smaller daily water changes of about 10%. If its a time issue try, to at least change 25% every other day while the Nitrites are present in your tank.

Your fish should be fine with your pH. They were probably kept in a similar pH at the LFS. If you would like to bring the pH level down, you can add a peice of bogwood or mopani wood that will slowly decrease the pH over time. You can also try adding peat in the filter but this will turn your water a reddish brown color, the fish love it though. If your are not going to be keeping fish that require a certain pH for breeding purposes, I wouldn't bother trying to lower it. Don't waste your money on pH lowering products. These almost always do more harm than good.

Hope that helps!

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Thanks for advice

I will try my best to change as much water as possible, i guess it took so long last time cause i used a vac and moved all plants out to get to all the gravel, but if i just syphon off it will be much faster

Btw water changes reduce Nitrate levels aswell, does this slow bacteria growth? and hence will it take longer for the system to be able to cope with the current burdon?

Paul

 

[Bryan1957]

Water changes won't hurt your cycle. The nitrates are a byproduct of the bacteria colonies changing harmful nitrites to nitrates. The bacteria live in the filter not the water. Keep doing water changes and vacuum the substrate to remove the excess food and fish poo. If you are short on time vacuum only the areas that are easily accessable, at least you will be getting some of the gunk out of the tank.
Water changes will benefit your fish since it will keep the posions lower.
HTH
Bryan