Help with water test.

[WetChicken]

I need some help with getting my water under control. I am about to do a water change in a few hours, so I can update this tomorrow.

6.4 pH
240 Alkalinity
120 Total Hardness
0 Nitrite
80 Nitrate
I use the Mardel 5-in-1 test strips. I am shooting for abouy 7.0, or should I change that with what I have in the tank?


Thank You!


Jason

 

[Lotus]

It's best if you don't mess with your pH. You should, however, check the pH of your tapwater. It should be roughly the same as the pH in the tank. This will help rule out anything in your tank that may be affecting pH.

Your nitrates are very high. They should be at no more than 40, and less than 20 is even better. They do rise as time goes on, and are solved by doing water changes in a tank without live plants.

By the way, your umbrella plants aren't true aquatic plants, so you should probably take them out of the tank.

 

[bala_aquarium]

test strips first of all half of the time are innacurate.You dont need to test for Alkalinity.You are trying to get your p at 7.0?What are changing with what you have in the tank?

 

[WetChicken]

It's best if you don't mess with your pH. You should, however, check the pH of your tapwater. It should be roughly the same as the pH in the tank. This will help rule out anything in your tank that may be affecting pH.

Your nitrates are very high. They should be at no more than 40, and less than 20 is even better. They do rise as time goes on, and are solved by doing water changes in a tank without live plants.

By the way, your umbrella plants aren't true aquatic plants, so you should probably take them out of the tank.

I will test it shortly, I am in the middle of deep frying a turkey. =] I do remember that it's around 7.0 normally.
I will do water changes more often. I and also wondering if there is such a thing as too many plants in relation to the nitrates.
So why the hell do the market that plant as an aquatic plant???

test strips first of all half of the time are innacurate.You dont need to test for Alkalinity.You are trying to get your p at 7.0?What are changing with what you have in the tank?

So, what do I need to test accurately?
I was hoping to, but not sure now that Lotus has recommended not to.
I don't understand the last line, sorry.

Jason

 

[Mahamotorworks]

I think that they both meant to say that test strips are most of the time inacurate. 80ppm of nitrAte is really high. They should be kept under 20ppm if you do not have a planted tank. Plants will use the NitrAte as food so in a planted tank they should be kept higher then normal. The Freshwater Master Kit by API is a good test kit to start with. The most important thing is to keep your NitrAte down. A good test kit will help you know how often you should change your water. Some time it may need to be more frequently then once a week. When you test your tap water and it is more the 1ph of differance you may need to let it sit overnight before chaing the water in the tank so they are closer to the same PH.

If you have any more Questions just ask.

Welcome to the tank!!

MAHA

 

[WetChicken]

I think that they both meant to say that test strips are most of the time inacurate.

Doh, I meant to say, what test kit should I use, and you covered that. I was using drops for ph and went with the strips for convenience. Damn!

80ppm of nitrAte is really high. They should be kept under 20ppm if you do not have a planted tank. Plants will use the NitrAte as food so in a planted tank they should be kept higher then normal.

Is there some kind of plant/fish/tank ratio that will control nitrates, at least somewhat? Is there such a tank configuration that will operate on its own with minimal intervention (and good monitoring, of course)

When you test your tap water and it is more the 1ph of differance you may need to let it sit overnight before chaing the water in the tank so they are closer to the same PH.

We have well water, so no chlorine here. What does the water sitting out for a day have to do with the ph?

 

[JWright]

Water can contain dissolved Carbon, in the form of Carbonic Acid. This can cause an artificially decreased pH. Often that will gas out over 6-8 hours and the pH will rise somewhat.

~JW

 

[WetChicken]

These are my water tests:
Straight out of the tap

80 total hardness
80 alkaline
6.8 ph

four hours after a water change:
60 nitrate
0 nitrite
80 total hardness
180 total alkalinity
6.8 ph

I think I won't have to let the water sit out.

Otherwise, what are recommendations to get the nitrates down (other than weekly water changes)? What other levels need to be adjusted?


Jason

 

[Mahamotorworks]

No you wont have to let you water sit out for PH reasons. Adding Plants will use some of the nitrAtes that your tank produces. I havent found the Majic formula that keeps the tank running by it self. I think that water changes are good for a tank. They are the main way to reduce nitrAtes. They also add other stuff that we the tank uses.

MAHA

 

[TheFighterFish]

Hi WetChicken,

I had this problem too when I first started and neglected the nitrates. Try doing a small water change every day until the readings for nitrates drop down to 20 ppm. Since you decided not let the water sit, do you have some conditioner to use the water right away?

Don't worry too bad about getting the testing strips. I have them too and I don't think they're half as bad as some people say they are. But I am planning to switch over to API testing kits in the future.

Every aquarist wishes that they can just keep their tank sitting and have to do very little to nothing. But that is not the case and water changes must be vigilant. The only solution I can see if if you have a really well planted LARGE tank and fish that produce very low waste. But then that wouldn't be fun, now would it?

Have fun with your tank.

 

[WetChicken]

Thanks, Maha. So other than the nitrates, I am in good shape. What is the best way to reduce them other than water changes?


Thanks!


Jason

 

[Mahamotorworks]

Plants is the only other way to reduce them. Not enough plants and your NitrAtes still rise. The problem is if you add too many plants then they use all you nitrAtes and the plants starve for lack of better words. Then you have to dose nitrAte to help the plants grow.

MAHA

 

[WetChicken]

Hi WetChicken,

I had this problem too when I first started and neglected the nitrates. Try doing a small water change every day until the readings for nitrates drop down to 20 ppm. Since you decided not let the water sit, do you have some conditioner to use the water right away?

Yes, I use API's Stress Coat.

Don't worry too bad about getting the testing strips. I have them too and I don't think they're half as bad as some people say they are. But I am planning to switch over to API testing kits in the future.

I was thinking as long as they are close, this isn't a chemistry set that will explode in your face heh. Pet Smart uses these same strips, so they can't be too far off.

Every aquarist wishes that they can just keep their tank sitting and have to do very little to nothing. But that is not the case and water changes must be vigilant. The only solution I can see if if you have a really well planted LARGE tank and fish that produce very low waste. But then that wouldn't be fun, now would it?

Have fun with your tank.

Well, it's not that I wanted to be THAT lazy. I was just thinking why can't an aquarium be self sustaining with the right combination?
Ponds and such have their own ecosystem, so why couldn't an aquarium? Yeah, I know that it rains, and evaporates, etc, but there is still waste in these ponds. I guess that gets back to a small fish to water ratio like you said. That wouldn't be any fun at all.

I will do small changes every day to get them down.

 

[WetChicken]

Plants is the only other way to reduce them. Not enough plants and your NitrAtes still rise. The problem is if you add too many plants then they use all you nitrAtes and the plants starve for lack of better words. Then you have to dose nitrAte to help the plants grow.

MAHA

I don't plan on getting a terrarium quantitiy of plants at a time, so I should be ok. I did see supapoopa's 10g tank with hemianthus callitrichoides that looked nice. I don't know if it will have enough contrast against the light colored rock we have.


I think I am on the right track with my water now. Again, thank you for the help, guys/gals.


Jason

 

[WetChicken]

The Freshwater Master Kit by API is a good test kit to start with.

I found this on sale at Petco. It's normally $32, on sale for $20 I think until the 14th.