Water parameters mean??

Chickieepooh2u

Chickieepooh2u

Ooo, Ooo! Pick me pick me!!
Jan 12, 2006
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Norfolk, NE
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OK, Just tested my water and got this

Ammonia = 0 - I know thats good
Nitrite = 0 - again good
Nitrate = 40 - NOT so good, how do I bring this down??
PH = 8.4 = Not sure about this? Have guppies, they like it at 7.5, do I need to worry here?

I lost a preg guppy last night. She was ready to drop. The last few days she'd been hiding around the bottom not eating. The water param an issue? Everyone else seems fine. I believe she was pretty old though.
 
Ammonia Cycle

In simple terms it works like this: Ammonia is eaten by a beneficial bacteria creating a by-product of Nitrites. Nitrites are eaten by another beneficial bacteria creating a by-product of Nitrates. Of the three, Nitrates are least toxic and harmful to fish and are normally removed only by water changes (that I know of). If your Nitrate levels are out of range I would recommend a 33% water change this week, followed by 20-25% water change once a week for the next 3 weeks. If you still have Nitrate levels too high after that, then something funky is going on. The High PH level is interesting too... some fish are more hardy than others and even though they prefer a neutral, they can sustain life in the higher PH. However, I would recommend dropping the PH naturally if possible (I try to never use chemicals). Test your tap water first before putting in the tank. Does it have a PH over 8 or is it closer to 7? Or maybe you have limestone or Agrogonite (sp) gravel which naturally increases PH?
 
just did a 25% water change and got this.

Brought down the Ph to 8.2
brought the nitrate to 20

I do a 20-25% water change in all my tanks every friday. I do not miss. I think I'll up that to twice a week. I'll go test my tap ph.....oh for petes sake! My tap ph is 8.0

Well... I have the little colored epoxy coated gravel. Some live plants...snails... ghost shrimp... Thanks to the snails I don't even have an algae problem.

How do you get the PH lower naturally? Nitrates I should be able to control with water changes.
 
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