What does it all mean....got my test kit?

L

lemans81

AC Members
Dec 24, 2006
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Independence, Mo
My tank is a 55 gallon, with fish listed in my sig. I added about 5lbs of rocks from an established tank, and a filter from an established tank.

So today I got my master test kit and here are the stats.


pH 7.1(was between 7.0 and 7.2 and tap water here is 7.2)
Nitrates 0 ppm
Nitrites 0 ppm
Amonia was between 0.0 and .25

So what does it all mean, I am guessing that I am still cycling although the tank has had fish and been running for about 3.5 weeks.
 
Also what is the limit of what I should let ammonia and nitrites get?
 
To update I messed up test

My nitrates are 10 ppm
 
If you are showing any ammonia in your tank then you are still cycling. A cycle normally takes between 4 and 6 weeks to complete. All of your levels of ammonia and nitrite need to be sitting at 0 and your nitrates need to be between 5-20 ideally to be fully cycled.

Marinemom
 
Could over feeding be leading to that ammonia reading?
 
I have the same test kit, and your thing is 0. the water for some reason always has a very slight greenish tint in the light. you ammonia is 0.

and folks note he said it between 0.25 and 0, which is what lead me to this
 
lemans81 said:
Could over feeding be leading to that ammonia reading?
Click to expand...
yes. if there is a large buildup of uneaten food on the bottom of the tank, it will decompose and release a bunch of ammoina, which is why some people use fish food as a way to cycle their tanks.
 
Absolutely! Overfeeding is something that we are all guilty of. Doing weekly water changes of at least 20% once the tank is cycled will help with this. Overfeeding can also cause algae blooms that are a PITA. Water changes will also help with this. Cutting down on feedings(I know it is hard) will also help in both of these senarios.

Marinemom
 
fishcatch22 said:
I have the same test kit, and your thing is 0. the water for some reason always has a very slight greenish tint in the light. you ammonia is 0.

and folks note he said it between 0.25 and 0, which is what lead me to this
Click to expand...
Anyone else agree with this? I know there is some overfeeding like sometimes 1 algae pellet last for 24-36 hours before it disappears but thats like less than once a week. I intend to feed less, but is it possible that the colors are slightly off....its very close to 0.0 but color tinge slightly off....if I was cycled or closing in on it I could finally rest easy.
 
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