cycle question

[Tracy10]

hi,
I tested my tank today and results are
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20 ....is this to high ?
ph 7.6
high ph 8.0
I did have 3 platies in tank,but took them back,as in my previous posts...as they where fighting.so i now have no fish since yesterday.I want to add some more,are the nitrates high...should i do water change...and how much.Also are my ph readings ok for community tank.
Tracy

 

[COBettaCouple]

hi,
I tested my tank today and results are
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20 ....is this to high ?
ph 7.6
high ph 8.0
I did have 3 platies in tank,but took them back,as in my previous posts...as they where fighting.so i now have no fish since yesterday.I want to add some more,are the nitrates high...should i do water change...and how much.Also are my ph readings ok for community tank.
Tracy

Those look like the numbers for a cycled tank & the nitrates are ok at 20. 8.0 is the pH for the tank? We've had tanks at 7.8 and the fish were ok, but our tap water around here is high in pH so the fish we get locally are used to it at the fish shop. If you test untreated tap water with your high PH test, do you also get 8.0?

 

[Tracy10]

hi,
just tested the high range ph from tap,and its 7.4....different to tank water at 8.0

what is the difference with the ph test and high range ph...using api master kit.

so is 8.0 ok,can i add fish today,or have i got to do anything to water....just a couple of fish today,then couple about a week.

Tracy

 

[Tracy10]

oh,and the ph test from tap is 7.6....the same as in tank.

Thanks for help
Tracy

 

[AnnaEA]

Tracy,

The high range pH test is designed to test water that is a higher pH then the standard pH test strip can read -- they use different reagents -- basically (pardon the pun) one of your tests is wrong. You might want to consider taking a water sample to your LFS and asking them to do a water test for you, and ask them which pH test you should be using.

Really though, it's probably not too important as long as your pH is stable -- most fish can adapt to whatever pH your water happens to be, as long as you acclimate them slowly.

I personally try to keep my nitrate readings below ten -- I've found that my fish seem happier then the nitrate is kept low, because then when I change the water I'm not dramatically changing the water chemistry at the same time. Fish don't like large sudden changes in their water chemistry.

 

[COBettaCouple]

There does seem to be a conflict in the test results. AnnaEA's suggestion to have the LFS test a sample of your tank water would be good. pH to us is the least important test - like AnnaEA said - as long as it's stable, most fish are happy. I think you could pick up some fish today when you get your water tested. What are you thinking of buying?

Oh.. and if you could, can you check to see if your LFS has those Galaxy Raspboras? I've been reading about them & they're a newly discovered fish that is being wiped out in the wild because of over-catching in the tiny micro-environment they were discovered in last August & are now being recommended just for people who will breed them. (although stores are selling them to anyone).

 

[Tracy10]

hi,
what test result is wrong then ? ...i dont trust my lfs as they told me my tank was cycled 2 weeks ago,when i t wasn,t. i had nitrites then.Too many people there who dont seem to know what they are doing.
Just wondered if i could re-test incase i read results wrong on ph one.

Tracy

 

[bbfeckawitts]

Tracy,
It is fine to get fish at that pH. As long as your pH isn't fluctuating (As in one day being 7.0, then the next day being 8.0), everything is fine. pH is the least important test.
Brianna

 

[COBettaCouple]

hi,
what test result is wrong then ? ...i dont trust my lfs as they told me my tank was cycled 2 weeks ago,when i t wasn,t. i had nitrites then.Too many people there who dont seem to know what they are doing.
Just wondered if i could re-test incase i read results wrong on ph one.

Tracy

Sometimes it's hard for me to tell on the API pH test if it's 7.2 or 7.6 and if the pH test says 7.6 it could be 7.6 OR higher. Just like the high pH test will say 7.4 on anything 7.4 or lower.. i've always hated the pH & high pH test when the result are in the 7.2 to 7.8 range. I think that's where the confusion's coming from. I can't see the tubes, but my thinking is that your tap pH is most likely near 8.0 (given the pH test saying 7.6 {max}) and your tank being around 8.0. If you want to retest, I'd collect the water from the tank & the tap, then add the high pH solution to both, cap, shake & compare the color to see how close they are to each other.

If your LFS is not too far away, I wouldn't be surprised to see them having the same pH. You could even test the pH of water from the pet shop to confirm that. So, fish that you get there will be used to the pH of the local tap water and as long as your pH is stable, they should be fine even at 7.8-8.0. You should be good to go now for new fish.

 

[Luniyn]

It's not that either test is wrong, it is that one of them is hitting it's max and can't read any higher. When you get a 7.6 reading on the regular Ph test then you have to test at the High Ph range. If it comes up as higher then the base 7.4 then it means you do not need to use the regular Ph at all because it can only read up to 7.6. So if your tank is reading 8.0 on the high scale then don't bother with the regular Ph because of course it's going to max out at 7.6 (i.e. you only use 1 test or the other... not both).

Now the only thing that I'm wondering about is why did your tap water test out at 7.4 on the high Ph and 7.6 on the regular Ph. That would mean that the Ph of your tap water is about 7.5ish. If that is the case then why is your tank 8.0? What kind of substrate are you using (rocks, shell, etc.)? Do you have live plants in the tank? Do you have any driftwood or any ornament that isn't a fake plastic object? What kind of water treatment chemicals are you using (i.e. AquaSafe, NovAqua+, Amquel+, Prime, etc.)? The truth of the mater is that your tank Ph should be the same as your tap water unless you have something in your tank that is changing the Ph. That isn't a problem as everyone above has said because as long as your Ph is stable your fish will adjust. But as FLBettaCouple suggested, when you are floating the bag you get from the pet store of your fish in the tank, before you add the fish (remember NOT to put the pet store water into your tank) take a sample of the water from the bag and test it's regular Ph and High Ph. If it is 7.4 on the high and 7.6 on the low then it is the same as your tap water. If it shows up higher on the High Ph range (i.e. closer to 8.0) then you can add your fish immediately (well once they've been floating in their bag in the water for 20 minutes that is ). If it does come out the same as your tap water, then I would add a little of your tank water to the bag a little bit at a time every 5 minutes. What this will be doing is slowly raising the Ph of the bag water to 8.0 so the fish don't go right from 7.5 to 8.0 is a matter of seconds.

In any event, if you can answer the questions above for us, maybe we can help track down the reason your tank Ph is higher then your tap Ph.

 

[Tracy10]

hi,
i use kings british safe guard,before adding any water to tank.i also used cycle.
I have the fine black gravel...not sure what its called.
fake silk & plastic plants
Also have 2 resin greek ruins,these are aquatic.
Everything washed and soaked before adding to tank....my tank is new and has only just cycled.

Any ideas from my list,what could be the problem...i tend to lean towards the resin ruins...they are white and very heavy. hope they are not the problem though,they look lovely & weren,t cheap either.
Tracy

 

[COBettaCouple]

hi,
i use kings british safe guard,before adding any water to tank.i also used cycle.
I have the fine black gravel...not sure what its called.
fake silk & plastic plants
Also have 2 resin greek ruins,these are aquatic.
Everything washed and soaked before adding to tank....my tank is new and has only just cycled.

Any ideas from my list,what could be the problem...i tend to lean towards the resin ruins...they are white and very heavy. hope they are not the problem though,they look lovely & weren,t cheap either.
Tracy

From what I have been told, Cycle isn't a good product to use regularly. (we bought some ourselves) It creates mini-cycles in your tank and I have found that we do better without it. Your setup sounds fine and I'm not sure what could be raising the pH, but Luniyn is right about it still being ok for new fish if the tank pH is stable. Luniyn also has the gameplan for introducing your new fish.

 

[genie]

IMO I would do a 25% water change. Your tank is cycled and I wouldn't try to mess with pH since fish will adapt. It is better to be stable than perfect. I only reccommend the water change b/c you are adding new fish, and I was told it is usually a good idea to do a partial water change the day before adding fish just to ensure good clean water. good luck!!

 

[Tracy10]

hi,
Thank you everyone,for your advice...very much appreciated.

Tracy

 

[Luniyn]

Yeah you should be good to go with those types of things in your tank. I've never heard of resin causing any type of change to the water, so I wouldn't worry about it. And that Safe Guard seems to be the right treatment to use as well. Just go along as planned and you should be fine. Good Luck!