Water Parameters in new tank? UPDATE with API Master Kit

[Slaphppy7]

I like simple, too

Your first link is the kit I have on order. Should be here Tues.
Your second link doesn't do anything that the pool kit didn't.
My GH is 100ppm
My alkalinity (also known as KH, right?) is 40ppm. That works out to 2.236, which is low. I'm hoping the plants raise that.

The Fish Keeper’s Guide to pH, GH, and KH | Water Chemistry 101

This practical guide for beginners explains what these water chemistry terms mean, when you should test for them, and how to raise or lower them if needed.

www.aquariumcoop.com

 

[Essjay]

The only amendment I would make to that table is that I would call 8 to 12 dH 'middling' as it's between soft and hard Moderately hard is a bit misleading as there are soft water fish which would be quite happy at 10 dH.

 

[PADogman]

The Fish Keeper’s Guide to pH, GH, and KH | Water Chemistry 101

This practical guide for beginners explains what these water chemistry terms mean, when you should test for them, and how to raise or lower them if needed.

www.aquariumcoop.com

Great link.
That is where I got the chart I posted above from.

 

[PADogman]

I just finished testing the water with my new Master Kit.
This tank only has the substrate, driftwood and dragon stone in it so far.
Ammonia--- 0
pH--- 7.6, so I tested it with the hi pH bottle and got 7.4
Nitrite---2.0 I think. I included a pic. It might be a shade or two darker leaning towards 5.0 ppm
Nitrate---40

So what is this telling me?
I know one thing. I know I don't know if my nitrites are going up or coming back down. I read they should eventually be at 0.0ppm. I imagine with my tank just starting its cycle, they are on the rise.

Can I plant plants in there yet? I read plants help with the cycle. Right now they are in the other tank.
What a mess, but that's a story for another thread...

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I just finished testing the water with my new Master Kit.
This tank only has the substrate, driftwood and dragon stone in it so far.
Ammonia--- 0
pH--- 7.6, so I tested it with the hi pH bottle and got 7.4
Nitrite---2.0 I think. I included a pic. It might be a shade or two darker leaning towards 5.0 ppm
Nitrate---40

View attachment 140921

So what is this telling me?
I know one thing. I know I don't know if my nitrites are going up or coming back down. I read they should eventually be at 0.0ppm. I imagine with my tank just starting its cycle, they are on the rise.

Can I plant plants in there yet? I read plants help with the cycle. Right now they are in the other tank.
What a mess, but that's a story for another thread...

I'd say always yes to plants.
Usually, as the ammonia goes down, the nitrites go up, as the bacteria chomp on the ammonia.
Then, when the other bacteria start to chomp on the nitrites, the nitrates go up...to apoint.
I say 'to a point', because, hopefully, the plants that you've put in and all of the bacteria will then be doing their thing.

(Whilst all this is going on, your pH may fluctuate a little. Don't worry about this for now. This is where patience comes in.
Another reason for recommending you plant the plants is that it gives something nicer for you to look at. Another boredom buster would be to get into the habit of testing and tyesting and testing! (I played amateur chemist almost every day I was cycling. It gave me something tank-orientated to do and gave me solid evidence that the cycling was actually happening).

 

[PADogman]

Truth be told, without anything in the tank to cause ammonia, no fish anyway, I was surprised I got any reading at all on Nitrites and Nitrates. Let alone a high one.

I suppose a test of my tapwater is in order?

 

[Byron]

Truth be told, without anything in the tank to cause ammonia, no fish anyway, I was surprised I got any reading at all on Nitrites and Nitrates. Let alone a high one.

I suppose a test of my tapwater is in order?

Yes, always test your tap (source) water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate so you know what to expect,if anything.

But I suspect there is something else here you may not realize...the soil substrate. This will produce a lot of ammonia for about six months, as the organics decompose. Also CO2. This is why people use soil. It is frankly not safe to put fish in a soil-substrate tank for five or six months. So this soil is your source of ammonia. If you had the plants planted, nitrite should be zero (and never would have appeared, normally). And nitrate the same. Aquatic plants use ammonia/ammonium as their preferred source of nitrogen, and they can use a lot of it, depending upon their rate of growth (species) and numbers.

 

[PADogman]

the soil substrate. This will produce a lot of ammonia for about six months,

But the ammonia was zero.
I know you need ammonia to get Nitrite, but wouldn't there be a level of ammonia showing in the test?

 

[Byron]

But the ammonia was zero.
I know you need ammonia to get Nitrite, but wouldn't there be a level of ammonia showing in the test?

I cannot comment on the ammonia test. But I do know that you will have ammonia produced by soil. Somehow the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria may have been present and thus the nitrite. Or the nitrite is from the source (tap) water. Or from the soil perhaps, I've no idea if this is likely but with soil it certainly might be--there is ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in garden soil along with the bacteria (different bacteria species from the aquatic ones here).

 

[PADogman]

I cannot comment on the ammonia test. But I do know that you will have ammonia produced by soil. Somehow the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria may have been present and thus the nitrite. Or the nitrite is from the source (tap) water. Or from the soil perhaps, I've no idea if this is likely but with soil it certainly might be--there is ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in garden soil along with the bacteria (different bacteria species from the aquatic ones here).

OK. Thank you.
Maybe I'll lay off the potting soil next tank. There was a youtuber saying he did it to his tanks because it was good for the plants.

My tapwater (from a shallow well):

Am--- 0.0
trite---0.0
trate--- 5.0 to maybe 6.0. Certainly not close to the next color, 10.

 

[Byron]

OK. Thank you.
Maybe I'll lay off the potting soil next tank. There was a youtuber saying he did it to his tanks because it was good for the plants.

My tapwater (from a shallow well):

Am--- 0.0
trite---0.0
trate--- 5.0 to maybe 6.0. Certainly not close to the next color, 10.

It is debatable just how good soil is for plants. To be honest, the only benefit of soil is the initial release of ammonia and CO2, which gets the plants growing faster (maybe). But beyond that, I find the negatives not worth the risk. And it is a fact that even Diana Walstad (who pioneered the soil substrate idea) admits, that within about one year, the nutrient benefit of soil is no greater than any inert substrate such as sand would be by that point. Either needs regular nutrient supplementation.

I have never had issues with my plants getting started in tanks with inert play sand, or the fine gravel I used before changing to play sand; and I have had tanks running for several years, with plants thriving. Liquid fertilizer may be needed (depending upon the plant species and numbers, and the fish load and GH of the source water), and/or substrate fertilizer tabs for larger plants.

 

[PADogman]

Good info.
I appreciate it.

It's early in my tank's life, but from reading another thread I might try that Seachem Nitrate reducer in my filter box if it's going to remain high.

 

[Naughts]

This link will clear up some misconceptions from the Spruce Pets article, Spruce Pets is not a source I would rely on:

Understanding water hardness

Water hardness — not the most exciting of subjects to try and fully understand. The extensive amount of terminology makes the subject seem endless and confusing in equal measure.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

And this will give you some accurate parameter ranges for fish, The GH of 100ppm converts to 5.6 degrees hardness which is also used:

Seriously Fish — Feeling fishy?

seriouslyfish.com

Note that a Silent (planted) cycle does not assist the nitrogen cycle as much as bypasses it because where the plants are utilising all the ammonia produced by the fish, the nitrogen cycle cannot occur.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Note that a Silent (planted) cycle does not assist the nitrogen cycle as much as bypasses it because where the plants are utilising all the ammonia produced by the fish, the nitrogen cycle cannot occur.

I'd always assumed that a 'planted cycle' was just that...plants. No fish.

 

[Naughts]

I'd always assumed that a 'planted cycle' was just that...plants. No fish.

Once the plants are growing well (after about 2 weeks), it is safe to add fish. The plants should then process the fish waste.
In Padogman's tank the ammonia is present without fish due to it leaching from the soil substrate.