Ph & Nitrates

Merry Xmas all. My readings tonight were as follows:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
PH 6. Although could be lower b/c API test kit stops there

The tanks is a heavily planted 10 gal which finished cycling several weeks ago. Should I be cocerned about the low PH & Nitrates?
Thanks

 

A pH of 6 or below is a problem. When your pH drops below 6.0, the beneficial bacteria converting ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate becomes dormant. This means your cycle may crash. I would raise the pH using crushed coral just as a safety precaution. A little goes a long way. I personally don't feel comfortable with a pH that low as I experienced this once and it took a few months before I found out the cause and fixed it.
A tank could have 0 nitrates if it is heavily planted with a light stock.

 

Are you using tap water for you water changes? What pH does the tap water test at? Normally an extremely low pH is a big problem because the good bacteria in the filter will stop doing their job of converting the ammonia into nitrites and the nitrites into nitrates. The only good thing about a low pH ammonia is normally in an ammonium form and it is less toxic than ammonia but it is still toxic and needs to be converted.

In my experience the tank would have to be extreamly heavily planted for it to have a 0 nitrate reading so I am inclined to think that your test results are incorrect. Are you banging the tar out of the Nitrate #2 test bottle? How old is the test kit? Is it out of date?

 

Thank you both for your help. I think my problem might be far simpler however: I believe I tested with the wrong solution. I tested 3 times after that and the ph was approx 7.

 

Thank you both for your help. I think my problem might be far simpler however: I believe I tested with the wrong solution. I tested 3 times after that and the ph was approx 7.

Don't worry its normal for human beings to make mistakes.

 

I make my first mistake of the day when I get out of bed. Sometimes things improve and sometimes they don’t! LOL

I was wondering if you hadn’t made a mistake testing but I thought I would toss out those few questions just in case you hadn’t. Glad you aren’t having a low pH problem because sometimes it is very hard to correct without being very hard on the fish. Looks like you solved the major problem – way to go……

 

Thanks again folks. Unfortunately, there is another problem. I bought 2 Red Hi-fin Variatus, and one died. The other looked panicked last night, and was swimming a bit this morning, I hope he'll make it. I may have acclimated too quickly, 15 minutes in the bag and didn't add water from the tank, plus I was doing some aquascaping. I think I may have literally scared the poor guy to death.

 

yeah, one change at a time is the best. While the bag floating method does usually do ok, I would aI'm for a bit longer and when possible I would highly recommend the drip method.

 

15 minutes alone in the bag does nothing to help your fish acclimate to your water chemistry. Never rush acclimation.

 

The drip method is by far the safest way to go when it comes to acclimation. Set a bucket up on something to that it is tilted slightly. Pour the fish and water into the bucket. Start a drip line from the main tank using a peace of tubing with a loose knot in it. Once the drip has started to flow just pull the knot tighter so that you only drop about one drop every few seconds. You only want to double the amount of water in the bucket over a 30 minute period. Once the water has doubled empty out about half of it and let it run for another 30 minutes.

I recommend doing this at least twice and more time if you have the time. I would also recommend setting a timer so that you don’t forget it is running or you could end up with a big mess.

 

Thank you gents. I will know for next time. The survivor seems to be doing ok so far. Also, there are about 6 visible snails that I see. Are they harmful?

 

Thanks again folks. Unfortunately, there is another problem. I bought 2 Red Hi-fin Variatus, and one died. The other looked panicked last night, and was swimming a bit this morning, I hope he'll make it. I may have acclimated too quickly, 15 minutes in the bag and didn't add water from the tank, plus I was doing some aquascaping. I think I may have literally scared the poor guy to death.

Here's a great link on acclimating.

https://www.fishlore.com/acclimating-tropicalfish.htm

When adding new fish to the tank, you must leave the tank alone. The fish are stressed and need time to adjust.

Has the pH always been 6?

BTW-Amazon Swords get huge over time. Not the best choice for a 10g.

 

Snails are somewhat helpful in a tank but they can over populate real easy if you are over feeding. They will eat uneaten food and algae in the tank so they can be very helpful with tank maintenance. They also make it easy to tell if you are over feeding because you will have a population explosion due to the excess food.

Small round snails are normally a pond snail and ice cream cone shaped ones are called Trumpet snails by most. The cone shaped ones will dig around in the gravel for food also.

 

Sometimes pond snails will start to eat plants.

 

Here's a great link on acclimating.

https://www.fishlore.com/acclimating-tropicalfish.htm

When adding new fish to the tank, you must leave the tank alone. The fish are stressed and need time to adjust.

Has the pH always been 6?

BTW-Amazon Swords get huge over time. Not the best choice for a 10g.

The Ph is fine, I tested with the wrong solution. And I found out about the amazons after I bought them. One of them spawned about three "babies", one of which I saved and re-planted.
Thank you all for your help. Overall, I think the tank is doing well, my water parameters are good, and the plants are definitely growing(though I wouldn't have gotten amazon swords had I known).

One final soapbox thing: Its pretty disturbing that I'm a beginner and when I go into a lfs I know at least 3x what they do (mostly from forum members of FL). Its sad to see them give advice to unwitting customers.

 

One final soapbox thing: Its pretty disturbing that I'm a beginner and when I go into a lfs I know at least 3x what they do (mostly from forum members of FL). Its sad to see them give advice to unwitting customers.

Yes, one would think that the LFS would be where the best information would be found. But instead it is where the worst info is given.