PDA

View Full Version : Chemical Levels - Modification necessities



phpKerouac
06-24-2003, 11:00 PM
I have a 20 gallon aquarium with some fish I have had for over a year. I recently moved them up from a 10 gallon to the 20 gallon, with a considerable amount of their original water.

I checked the levels today (Ph, hardness, nitrate, nitrite) and the Ph was around 6.6 and the nitrates were between 80 and 200 (stress level high as indicated on the teset kit). The fish all appear to be doing very well, are eating well, chasing each other as always. The guppies swim up to me when I walk by, and the pleco has preserved the same entertaining temperament.

The question I have is this. Should I supplement the Ph to get it to more acceptable levels for a community tank? What kind of time frame do live plants reduce nitrate levels? Should I do a partial water change and substrate cleaning, then try and boost Ph?

Any ideas / suggestions would be appreciated!

JSchmidt
06-25-2003, 8:15 AM
Your pH is fine, perfect. Don't mess with it. You'll have more headaches than you know...

You should do regular water changes to get nitrates down. If your nitrates are really in the 80-200 range, you need to reevaluate your maintenance procedures and increase water changes/gravel vacuuming at least 100%. You should strive to keep nitrates at or below 40 ppm.

HTH,
Jim