Water Test

[steve620]

I just added fish to a new tank a week ago. I have African Cichlids could someone out there tell me if my results are ok.
PH 7.6
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrate 20ppm
Nitrite 0

I'm new to the hobby

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Have you cycled your tank? .5 ammonia is very high.

 

[Colin_T]

You want ammonia and nitrite on 0ppm at all times, and nitrates under 20ppm.

If you have an any reading above these figures, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until the levels are back to 0ppm.

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If you have problems with ammonia going up, reduce feeding to a couple of times a week and tell us how often and how you go about cleaning the filter.

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What African cichlids do you have?
Post pictures if you aren't sure of their names.

 

[itiwhetu]

Not that great. Listen to @Colin_T . His advice is pretty good.

 

[steve620]

Just did more tests and it looks like that my tap water and RO water are the same. The test kit I have expired in 2009 and 2010. Getting new kit today.

 

[Essjay]

If the cichlids are Rift Lake cichlids, they need hard water and high pH. At high pH, a lot of the total ammonia (as measured by our testers) is in the toxic form. When the pH is over 7.0 you do need to keep ammonia at zero.
See what the new test kit makes of the ammonia level. And if possible read the test in daylight or under an old incandescent bulb. Fluorescent lights in particular make the water in the test tube look greener than it really is.

 

[steve620]

Thank You

 

[steve620]

You want ammonia and nitrite on 0ppm at all times, and nitrates under 20ppm.

If you have an any reading above these figures, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until the levels are back to 0ppm.

-------------------
If you have problems with ammonia going up, reduce feeding to a couple of times a week and tell us how often and how you go about cleaning the filter.

-------------------
What African cichlids do you have?
Post pictures if you aren't sure of their names.

I walked in the aquarium and told them I'm new to all this but I would like African Cichlids and I would like fish that get along with each other. The following are the fish he recommended. Golden Mbuna
Red Zebra
Venustus
Yellow Lab
Demasoni
Pindani white
Bronze Cory
Pleco
I'm pretty sure this is what I have if you need pictures let me know.

 

[Colin_T]

Cories and plecos shouldn't be kept in Rift Lake tanks because they come from soft acid water (pH below 7.0 and GH below 100ppm), and Rift Lake tanks have hard water with a high pH.

Lake Malawi where lots of Mbunas come from has a pH around 7.6 and a GH around 300ppm.