Water Chemistry

[tyberiusj12]

My Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc) , temp = 78 degrees [KH=40, GH=180, NO3=80-160, NO2=0, PH 6.5-7], temp = 78 degrees [KH=40, GH=180, NO3=80-160, NO2=0, PH 6.5-7]
I just did a 50% water change focusing on cleaning the neglected gravel. 10gals worth of crap. i put about 15gals back into the 30gal tank.
New Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc) , temp = 75-78 degrees [KH=0, GH=0-30, NO3=0, NO2=0, PH 6-6.5]
Using 5-1 test strips by API... if there's a better one please let me know
I dont know ammonia levels i dont know how to test that.
Are these good levels? i didnt know weather or not the post water change parameters were good or bad however thats a pretty big jump.
i also cleaned the filter and ammonia reducer pad using clean conditioned water.
ill definitely have to take a water sample to a LFS.
What tank mates are in the tank. ({2pink, 2purple, 1blue, 1yellow glofish tetras} , 1upside down catfish, 1Longfin serape tetra, 1white skirt tetra, 1red cap orando goldfish, 1goldfish, 1pleco, and a sick pictus catfish)

 

[connorlindeman]

Using 5-1 test strips by API... if there's a better one please let me know

API Master Test Kit is great. Much more precise and reliable.

 

[tyberiusj12]

API Master Test Kit is great. Much more precise and reliable.

thank you sir ill be ordering it now

 

[connorlindeman]

thank you sir ill be ordering it now

Awesome!

 

[tyberiusj12]

thank you sir ill be ordering it now

Awesome!

should i be getting additional tubes? i feel like ill be testing everything once a week since ill start doing waters every Sunday.

 

[connorlindeman]

should i be getting additional tubes? i feel like ill be testing everything once a week since ill start doing waters every Sunday.

It comes with 4 which is enough for me.

 

[tyberiusj12]

It comes with 4 which is enough for me.

sounds good greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[connorlindeman]

sounds good greatly appreciated!!!!

Anytime!

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

If your tank is fully cycled you shouldn't need an ammonia reducer pad, that's what your beneficial bacteria are for. Your master test kit will have an ammonia test.

Since the tank is incredibly overstocked I would recommend 2-3 WCs per week to keep those nitrates from spiking back up to the danger zone of 80 - 160 ppm. Since you did a 50% WC you removed half of your nitrates so they will now be 40 ppm - 80 ppm. Still pretty high imo, I would do another 50% WC tomorrow.

 

[tyberiusj12]

If your tank is fully cycled you shouldn't need an ammonia reducer pad, that's what your beneficial bacteria are for. Your master test kit will have an ammonia test.

Since the tank is incredibly overstocked I would recommend 2-3 WCs per week to keep those nitrates from spiking back up to the danger zone of 80 - 160 ppm.

2-3 is possible however am i doing 50% changes including a full cleaning of the gravel or 20% a quick drain and replace?

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

2-3 is possible however am i doing 50% changes including a full cleaning of the gravel or 20% a quick drain and replace?

It depends on how much left over food/waste there is. You might be able to get away with cleaning the gravel once per week if you're mindful of not overfeeding. The other 1-2 50% WCs can just be the water. If you test your water and see that your nitrates are quite low with that routine you could reduce % so that your other 2 WCs are quicker.

There's no perfect answer to the # of WCs one should do, it's very much dependent on the tank, bioload and parameters. Once you get your master test kit you'll have some more accurate information to use to figure out what your WC and maintenance schedule should look like. Imo though you'll need at least 2 large 50%+ WCs per week with a tank like that to keep nitrates low.

 

[tyberiusj12]

It depends on how much left over food/waste there is. You might be able to get away with cleaning the gravel once per week if you're mindful of not overfeeding. The other 1-2 50% WCs can just be the water. If you test your water and see that your nitrates are quite low with that routine you could reduce % so that your other 2 WCs are quicker.

There's no perfect answer to the # of WCs one should do, it's very much dependent on the tank, bioload and parameters. Once you get your master test kit you'll have some more accurate information to use to figure out what your WC and maintenance schedule should look like. Imo though you'll need at least 2 large 50%+ WCs per week with a tank like that to keep nitrates low.

so the actual problem is the over populated tank. now i understand NO3 is high because the ammonia levels are high so too make up for that i must do constant water changes or get enough live plants to combat the NO3, but im glad to know that there is sufficient amount of good bacteria to turn the ammonia into no2 then into NO3 its just that final step im neglecting.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

so the actual problem is the over populated tank. now i understand NO3 is high because the ammonia levels are high so too make up for that i must do constant water changes or get enough live plants to combat the NO3, but im glad to know that there is sufficient amount of good bacteria to turn the ammonia into no2 then into NO3 its just that final step im neglecting.

Yes, that's correct, the tank is overpopulated. Goldfish and plecos are notorious for having a high bioload because they produce a ton of waste, get big, and are messy eaters. The fancy goldfish alone should be in a 40 gallon for just the 2 of them. Larger if the second goldfish is a comet since they can get up to a foot long. Not to mention the other stock. If it's a common pleco you have they can get 15- 24 inches long so I would recommend rehoming it unless you want to upgrade your tank.

Spot on again about your ammonia levels and how that translates to your nitrate. The issue with that is that goldfish tend to eat a lot of plants so they would have to be rather hardy, thick leaved plants. Anubias comes to mind, but they are very slow growing and they won't use up much nitrate. I wouldn't say that you're neglecting it, you're learning and trying figuring out how to maintain a difficult tank due to it's sheer bioload.

 

[tyberiusj12]

Yes, that's correct, the tank is overpopulated. Goldfish and plecos are notorious for having a high bioload because they produce a ton of waste, get big, and are messy eaters. The fancy goldfish alone should be in a 40 gallon for just the 2 of them. Larger if the second goldfish is a comet since they can get up to a foot long. Not to mention the other stock. If it's a common pleco you have they can get 15- 24 inches long so I would recommend rehoming it unless you want to upgrade your tank.

Spot on again about your ammonia levels and how that translates to your nitrate. The issue with that is that goldfish tend to eat a lot of plants so they would have to be rather hardy, thick leaved plants. Anubias comes to mind, but they are very slow growing and they won't use up much nitrate. I wouldn't say that you're neglecting it, you're learning and trying figuring out how to maintain a difficult tank due to it's sheer bioload.

i highly appreciate your very knowledgeable feed back!!! when i first bought my fish i was aware that they grow however i was informed they only grow to the size their habitat allows. at the time and up to just a few days ago (1yr-8months) i didn't have the mindset nor the time to really learn about them because i wasn't even acknowledging this as a hobby.
I've given away 2 plecos already due to them growing more then 6inchs.
i bought my fish solely on looks alone.
i bought 2 Oscars still unaware that fish just don't vibe with all fish lol until one decided to eat both my beautiful black moor goldfish so i ran and bought them their separate 5gal tank which they've been thriving in but now I'm realizing they definitely need an upgrade.
i also bought a black molly who seemed to be a bully towards the other fish so i wanted to get rid of him but my LFS wouldn't accept him so instead of wasting him i thought he be a good food source for my Oscars, but 3 months later they're all buddies -.-

 

[Colin_T]

My Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc) , temp = 78 degrees [KH=40, GH=180, NO3=80-160, NO2=0, PH 6.5-7], temp = 78 degrees [KH=40, GH=180, NO3=80-160, NO2=0, PH 6.5-7] .
I just did a 50% water change focusing on cleaning the neglected gravel. 10gals worth of crap. i put about 15gals back into the 30gal tank.
New Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc) , temp = 75-78 degrees [KH=0, GH=0-30, NO3=0, NO2=0, PH 6-6.5]

Something isn't right. If you did a 50% water change, it should only have reduced the nitrate by half, not removed it completely. The test strips might be dodgy and not reading correctly.

Do you have shells, limestone or dead coral rubble in the tank?
I ask because the first test has 40KH and 180GH, while the second test has 0KH and 30GH.

It's possible your water company has changed the water source and you are now getting softer water (low or no GH and KH), or the test kit is giving funny readings.

----------------------
A liquid test (as mentioned above) should give more accurate results. You can also contact your water supply company by phone or website, and get the water quality from them. It should have GH, KH and pH, along with a number of other items they test for. If you call them, ask them what the test results are measured in (ppm, dGH, or something else).

Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

You have fish that come from soft water and medium hard water.