Here are 2 pictures taken from the readings of the water in my tank.



This one shows what it should be the 2 in the middle.



This one shows my reading. Could someone tell me what this means and if its ok to add some hardy fish. Also what do the scientific signs mean?

You should get a liquid test they are far more accurate. Your test kit should explain what the readings mean.

Your tank will be cycled when Ammonia is 0 ppm and Nitrite is 0 ppm. Nitrate shouldn't really go about 50, regular water changes will prevent this.

Do you know about fishless cycling? If you don't there is plenty of info on this site including a pinned topic telling you exactly what to do. I did not know about fishless cycling and cycled with 4 neon tetras and 2 African Dwarf frogs. The tetras lived but the frogs died when I went on holiday for a few days. I recommend fishless cycling.

Good luck.


Also your kit doesnt look like it tests for ammonia (NH3) which is crucial at the first stages of cycling as this is what will be high and therefore dangerous to fish.

NO3- is nitrate this needs to be kept below 50
NO2- is nitrite this needs to be 0
GH is general hardess is the amount dissolved mineral salts in the water the higher this is the harder the water in the tank
KH is carbonate hardness and is the amount of carbonate, a buffer, in the water the higher this is the better the water is able to maintain a stable pH
pH is ,without getting into phys chem, a measure of the acidity/alkalinity of your tank water the higher the number the more alkali the lower the number the more acid.