5g planted tank with a bio-wheel filter. Just doing a fishless cycle now. The cycle is going well, Ammonia is 0, NitrItes are at 1.6ppm and dropping after being off the chart...
Here's the funny part. The pH, kH and CO2 numbers make NO sense...
There is a large piece of driftwood in the tank, and a Hagen CO2 system on the lowest setting.
Here is the log of water parameters:
Date Ammonia GH KH PH Nitrites CO2
12-Apr 6 ppm 80 60 7 0 18.579 ppm
13-Apr 4 ppm 0.2 ppm
14-Apr 3.5 ppm 45 7.5 0.2 ppm 2.372 ppm
15-Apr 4 ppm 50 40 7.5 0.4 ppm 2.087 ppm
16-Apr 3.5 ppm 30 1.5 ppm
17-Apr 1.5 ppm 35 7 1.7 ppm 6.0 ppm
18-Apr 1 ppm 30 2.5 ppm
19-Apr 0.1 ppm 60 20 6 3 ppm 33.6 ppm
20-Apr 0 ppm OTC
21-Apr 0 ppm 25 6.5 OTC 13.3 ppm
22-Apr 0 ppm 1.6 ppm
23-Apr 0 ppm 10 5 1.6 ppm 168 ppm
As the pH is plunging, as is the kH. My pH is testing at 5.0 right now!
Is this the CO2 messing up the numbers? Is this just an issue with low hardness in the water and the buffering capacity being shot to heck without water changes? Are my test kits all bad? (they are Nutrafin kits, not sure where the expiry date is, but I bought them 2 weeks ago)
Am I just obsessing?
Here's the funny part. The pH, kH and CO2 numbers make NO sense...
There is a large piece of driftwood in the tank, and a Hagen CO2 system on the lowest setting.
Here is the log of water parameters:
Date Ammonia GH KH PH Nitrites CO2
12-Apr 6 ppm 80 60 7 0 18.579 ppm
13-Apr 4 ppm 0.2 ppm
14-Apr 3.5 ppm 45 7.5 0.2 ppm 2.372 ppm
15-Apr 4 ppm 50 40 7.5 0.4 ppm 2.087 ppm
16-Apr 3.5 ppm 30 1.5 ppm
17-Apr 1.5 ppm 35 7 1.7 ppm 6.0 ppm
18-Apr 1 ppm 30 2.5 ppm
19-Apr 0.1 ppm 60 20 6 3 ppm 33.6 ppm
20-Apr 0 ppm OTC
21-Apr 0 ppm 25 6.5 OTC 13.3 ppm
22-Apr 0 ppm 1.6 ppm
23-Apr 0 ppm 10 5 1.6 ppm 168 ppm
As the pH is plunging, as is the kH. My pH is testing at 5.0 right now!
Is this the CO2 messing up the numbers? Is this just an issue with low hardness in the water and the buffering capacity being shot to heck without water changes? Are my test kits all bad? (they are Nutrafin kits, not sure where the expiry date is, but I bought them 2 weeks ago)
Am I just obsessing?
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