Reading liquid test values

[bmoraski]

Thank you for calling Thyra!

You guys are cracking me up.

oh and i hope your son enjoys the tank. lol
my son started my fish adventures as well, funny how that works.
what are you getting for your next tank ? lol its gonna happen, resistance is futile ! lol

 

[OrangeCones]

With the nitrate test it is so difficult between 40 & 80ppm but it does help to go outside with it - the natural light is better and there are less shadows.

I agree that 20, 40 & 80 are very close and hard to tell.

If it looks 20 or worse, I do a water change, and retest 24 hrs later. That hasn't happened in a long time, but it does if I've uprooted and replanted a tank. Otherwise, I do water changes every two weeks regardless of readings and more often than not, have to ADD a source of nitrogen.

Gotta love plants! I have too many! Most tanks look like jungles!

 

[fisherjean]

oh and i hope your son enjoys the tank. lol
my son started my fish adventures as well, funny how that works.
what are you getting for your next tank ? lol its gonna happen, resistance is futile ! lol

No kidding! I started talking about it like two weeks into cycling this first one.
And then I made the mistake of looking at Aquarium Design Group.
And now I'm pretty much ruined I think.

I think next up is a 75 or 90 of malawis. We have crazy hard water here, so I figure I should travel the path of least resistance. Some day I'd really like a big ol discus tank, but I'd hate to screw that up from inexperience, so that's my longer term goal I guess.

My son's tank is not planted, and I'd like to cross over that threshold for sure. Hopefully he'll be open to that sooner than later, because I know I'm not planting a cichlid tank! Right now it's pirate ships and skulls... he's only 5 once, right?


Thanks to everyone for all the input here. It definitely helped my testing confidence. *thumbsups

 

[Popplefish]

I talked with a chemistry teacher once who was into fish too - like all chemicals, the liquid bottles go bad eventually. If you don't use a full bottle in about 2 years he said, it might be worth it to toss and get a new one.

Just food for thought!

 

[aakaakaak]

In reference to planting your tank fisherjean...I have word from my mollies. They tell me anacharis is deelishus, and grows faster than they can eat it. I need to trim it back my glofish tank and I've only had it a week or two.