what quality tests, what is good and isnt good, and how can i fix it?

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butterflylove

fishie fishie fishie
Dec 17, 2004
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maryland
ok, when i first started my tank, i didnt realize how immportant it was to test my tank regulary. so i got the dropper test kits, but i didnt like those because whenever i would have my water tested at the LFS it said completely different things. so i bought the kit they use. here are my readings:
Nitrate-30ppm
Nitrite- about .3 ppm
total hardness-(the problem)-150-200ppm
total alkalinity(what is this?)-180ppm
and my ph is high at 7.6
what can i do to make my water less hard and any other problems i have??
 
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butterflylove

fishie fishie fishie
Dec 17, 2004
118
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maryland
the LFS also told me that i should do water changes about every other day for my nitrate. that has been going on for about a week and a half
 
OrionGirl

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
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Poconos
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Sheila
Why is the hardness a problem? What kind of test kit are you using? I've found that the liquid kits are fairly accurate, more so than strips, anyway.

The nitrites are also a problem--it should always be 0 in a cycled tank. Total alkalnity is the measure of how well the water resists change to the pH. But, otherwise, the readings are not alarming, and not worth trying to alter (especially trying to lower pH) unless you are dealing with wild-caught fish or want to breed a soft water fish.
 
Mako

Mako

EET MOR KATFISH
Nov 19, 2001
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Wake Forest, NC
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pH of 7.6 is great for some fish, aweful for others. What kind to you have?

Orion was dead-on about the quality of the "test strip" things. I never use them, never will.

If you've been doing water changes that ofter and nitrates are still a problem, then your tap water likely has about 20-30 ppm nitrates IN it already. Test your tap. 30 ppm isn't a big deal for most fish but it isn't perfect, either. Amquel Plus will remove some of it (at least knock it in half).
 
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