First test results are they bad?

Sooo now the plants in my tank are acutely growing, and algae is starting to flourish.

I am really hoping some red colored algae is growing on my java moss since it is slowly turning a reddish brown color.

I used a API freshwater test kit, and did each test twice since this was my first time, and I wanted to make sure I worked out all the mistakes I did the first time I did it.

My results where

pH 7.2
Ammonia 0 ppm
NO2- Nirites 0 ppm
NO3- Nitrates 10ppm maybe a little higher.

I am not really sure if that nitrate measurement is really high, but before I start planning out when to add shrimp to the tank I want to make sure these are decent results, or if they are bad what I should to do to even out the numbers.

 

Those results look great, any nitrates under 40 are ok but you want them as low as possible

 

Plants do like nitrates but I keep mine under 20 at all times. To be honest I could get my nitrates down to 2-5 but I let it stay about 10-20.

To be honest that's great. That level of nitrates is well beyond acceptable.

Also smack the second test bottle for the apI nitrate test a lot before you use every time. It crystallizes over time.

 

I am just worried about this brown stuff on the java moss. Is that just algae growing? I know its blooming on the glass wall behind it.

 

pH 7.2
Ammonia 0 ppm
NO2- Nirites 0 ppm
NO3- Nitrates 10ppm maybe a little higher.

I am not really sure if that nitrate measurement is really high, but before I start planning out when to add shrimp to the tank I want to make sure these are decent results, or if they are bad what I should to do to even out the numbers.

For nitrates, try to keep it below 40ppm for most fish and below 30-25ppm for sensitive fish and invertebrates.

Your nitrate levels are fine, nothing will happen. It's impossible to keep that to ZERO parts per million unless you have a lot of plants. Besides, nitrates are less toxic than ammonia or nitrite. It takes like 100ppm for nitrate to have toxic effects on your fish (lower for invertebrates), but beyond 40ppm can cause stress which makes fish and inverts vulnerable to diseases.

Other than that, high nitrates are also a major cause of algae bloom. So if I were you, I would keep the levels as low as possible (10ppm is fine).

 

I am just worried about this brown stuff on the java moss. Is that just algae growing? I know its blooming on the glass wall behind it.

How many hours of light your tank is exposed for? Light exposure is the main contributor to algae growth (along with high nitrates). If your tank sees light for more than 12 hours, then algae will start colonising the aquarium. I would reduce it anywhere between 7 - 11 hours; it would slow down their reproduction rate.

Do you have plants other than the java moss? Adding some plants will starve off the existing algae as both require nutrients in water and plants are likely to absorb them.