Water test results

[Crazy8]

I want to see if i could top my betta 5 gallon tank off with treated water. I'm getting a new heater tomorrow or Wednesday and I was planning on changing the water and clean the tank then.
Here are the results of API Master kit
Ph 7.6
High Ph 7.8 - 8.0
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia .25
Nitrate 0ppm - if I put it down on white paper and look through the top it is a little darker in color but 5.0 ppm
Then I did
Gh 11- 12 drops before the color changed
Kh 6-7 drops before the color changed
I need advice if I could top off the tank today?

 

[John58ford]

Sorry I'm not sure what we are looking at. Your above readings are your treated tap water or the tank?

If that's your tap, you have suitable water. I would check the ph after the water sits out in a pitcher for a day though, I think that reading with the high range might be a little higher than actual with 6-7 kH. Perfect is 7.2 ish but I keep most of my fish around 7.6 (including betta) and they do well. If the ph does stay near 8 you will have to pay attention to your ammonia levels is all. If your tank is cycled the bio filter should knock out .25 in no time.

 

[Crazy8]

Sorry I'm not sure what we are looking at. Your above readings are your treated tap water or the tank?

If that's your tap, you have suitable water. I would check the ph after the water sits out in a pitcher for a day though, I think that reading with the high range might be a little higher than actual with 6-7 kH. Perfect is 7.2 ish but I keep most of my fish around 7.6 (including betta) and they do well. If the ph does stay near 8 you will have to pay attention to your ammonia levels is all. If your tank is cycled the bio filter should knock out .25 in no time.

I'm sorry it the tank results. I have 1 betta in a unplanted tank. I normally would of cleaned his tank this weekend but I didnt because I'm getting him a new heater on Wednesday so I was planning on doing my cleaning then if his tank water is ok enough to just top it off till then.
Thank you for your advice

 

[StarGirl]

Sorry I'm not sure what we are looking at. Your above readings are your treated tap water or the tank?

If that's your tap, you have suitable water. I would check the ph after the water sits out in a pitcher for a day though, I think that reading with the high range might be a little higher than actual with 6-7 kH. Perfect is 7.2 ish but I keep most of my fish around 7.6 (including betta) and they do well. If the ph does stay near 8 you will have to pay attention to your ammonia levels is all. If your tank is cycled the bio filter should knock out .25 in no time.

Yes its fine to top it off whenever you want with some declorinated temperature matched tap water. As long as you are still doing weekly water changes and not just top offs!

 

[phnx314]

If you’re worried about the ammonia, it’s not a problem. A lot of people have experienced the API master test kit showing 0.25 all the time. This is because the test picks up very small traces from the air and water, but since there is no lower reading it shows .25.
Edit: I see better what you’re asking. Yes, you can wait until wednesday to do a water change. Your parameters are safe enough to wait a couple days.

 

[Crazy8]

Thank you guys. I have just fallen in live with this little guy. I dont wanna hurt him because I'm a newbie.

 

[John58ford]

I'm sorry it the tank results. I have 1 betta in a unplanted tank. I normally would of cleaned his tank this weekend but I didnt because I'm getting him a new heater on Wednesday so I was planning on doing my cleaning then if his tank water is ok enough to just top it off till then.
Thank you for your advice

That makes sense then. You should be good to top off vs change if you're short on time today, below are some of my numbers to take caution at.

Your threshold for safe nitrate is probably up to 60, maybe more but allot of betta folks claim finrot can become an issue up in the high range. I would credit the fin rot to going from low to high nitrate between one water change (aka lazy) but even some fertilizers will take your numbers up over 40 so it depends on how you get there. Some folks aim for 20 or less. Less is better in non planted tanks. I change at ~40 and try to stay above 20. There's a balance between light, phosphate and nitrate that keeps the algae monster at bay. Don't go lazy and just top off for a couple months until you hit 40 though, work up to that. Lazy keeping will indeed cause finrot, but credit the bacterias and other build ups, not the nitrates.

Ammonia at 7.8 ph and 78 degrees (f) is toxic around 2ppm, and shound be kept below 1. In a cycled tank you will read 0ppm, and occasionally the api kit will look a little like .25 even if it's true 0 thanks to daylight white(slight blue) led lighting. If you ever read more than 1ppm, change the water, now.

That ph is fine, it will drop off if your kh gets below 1-2 degrees in the drop check, more than 3 drops is the kH rule I follow. If you get below 3 on a drop test bad things can happen with little notice as the kH not only holds up the ph, but feeds the bacteria. The starving bacteria do even worse in pH they are not accustomed to and you get a rapid accumulation of ammonia and sometimes nitrite.

You will likely never deplete your gH at 12 unless you are really growing some plants.

Hope this above gives you a little comfort when life happens. Just don't let those numbers be a crutch over months, then, bad things might happen that you're not even testing for.

Edited to add: I don't usually go for artificial ornamentation, though I can understand it. For some reason, I absolutely like that plastic orange lace plant. I might find one like it for my hospital tank set up.

 

[Crazy8]

That makes sense then. You should be good to top off vs change if you're short on time today, below are some of my numbers to take caution at.

Your threshold for safe nitrate is probably up to 60, maybe more but allot of betta folks claim finrot can become an issue up in the high range. I would credit the fin rot to going from low to high nitrate between one water change (aka lazy) but even some fertilizers will take your numbers up over 40 so it depends on how you get there. Some folks aim for 20 or less. Less is better in non planted tanks. I change at ~40 and try to stay above 20. There's a balance between light, phosphate and nitrate that keeps the algae monster at bay. Don't go lazy and just top off for a couple months until you hit 40 though, work up to that. Lazy keeping will indeed cause finrot, but credit the bacterias and other build ups, not the nitrates.

Ammonia at 7.8 ph and 78 degrees (f) is toxic around 2ppm, and shound be kept below 1. In a cycled tank you will read 0ppm, and occasionally the api kit will look a little like .25 even if it's true 0 thanks to daylight white(slight blue) led lighting. If you ever read more than 1ppm, change the water, now.

That ph is fine, it will drop off if your kh gets below 1-2 degrees in the drop check, more than 3 drops is the kH rule I follow. If you get below 3 on a drop test bad things can happen with little notice as the kH not only holds up the ph, but feeds the bacteria. The starving bacteria do even worse in pH they are not accustomed to and you get a rapid accumulation of ammonia and sometimes nitrite.

You will likely never deplete your gH at 12 unless you are really growing some plants.

Hope this above gives you a little comfort when life happens. Just don't let those numbers be a crutch over months, then, bad things might happen that you're not even testing for.

Edited to add: I don't usually go for artificial ornamentation, though I can understand it. For some reason, I absolutely like that plastic orange lace plant. I might find one like it for my hospital tank set up.

Thank you!