Water Quality

M

MVandenberk

AC Members
Dec 11, 2006
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Ontario, Canada
I tested my water over lunch today. Here are the results:

Ammonia 0.5ppm
NitrATE 7.5ppm
NitrITE 0.5ppm
pH 7.8

On Sunday, NitrATE and NitrITE were at 0ppm. Ammonia was at about 0.5ppm.

I'm assuming my cycle is kicking into gear, as my water is cloudy and i'm also getting quite a bit of brown algae (diatom).


Water change tonight? 50%?
 
If there's no livestock in the tank, don't bother w/ a change (you'd be depriving the bacteria you're trying to grow their food).
 
Since there is stock, I would do water changes often enough to keep nitrites down to <0.5ppm (0-0.25ppm range would be better still) - eg - whenever a test gets up to 0.5, do a ~30% PWC.
 
Is it usually fairly quick before they come back down to 0, by quick I mean like a few days, or is it more in the range of a week or 2?

I realize it will vary, just looking for an estimate. They spiked quickly, so one could only assume they would fall fairly quickly.


Thanks,
Mark
 
I've heard of it falling off pretty quick once the bacteria reach "critical mass" - and you're using biospira, right? If so, it may well be time to 1) buy fish if you're confident in the numbers or 2) add a little ammonia and test in 24 hours. If all that happens is your nitrates go up a bit adn NH3 & NO2 are still at 0, you're ready for at leaast light stocking.
 
you should do the warer change and retest.
try to maintain water at <.25 if possible..thos may mean doing more than 1 water change.

by showing nitrites you should have bacteria to consiume ammonia..but not enough. the bacteria should catch up but at .5 you are rsiking permanent gill damage to the fish..tho they appear 'normal' they may fell ill quickly.

is there ammmonia in the water source? if you are using api's master test kit you are most likely testing totall ammonia..if you use a conditioner that breaks dowen chlroamine you may get a false ammonia reading.

that said..it can take a few weeks to get the nitrites down..the cycle normally takes 4-6 weeks sometimes longer.
 
MVandenberk said:
Nitrite 1
Click to expand...


Time for another water change (I'd do ~60% today, repeat tomorrow - that should knock NO2 down to ~0.16ppm plus whatever is added overnight).
 
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