Bit Of Help:are These Right Conditions For My Fish?

[Redtail97]

i have in my 60 litre tank:

3 black widow tetras
a dutch blue ram(might get a female i have a male ATM)
a BN pleco

i just tested my water(with test strips) this is what came up:

nitrate: 100 mg/l(what does mg/l mean?)
nitrite: 0 mg/l
hardness: 8d(what does d stand for/mean?)
KH: 6d(?)
PH: 7.4-7.6
chlorine: 0 mg/l(?)
temperature:78-81 degrees F(when cold day colder temp when warmer day warmer temp)

are these condtions ok for my fish? i have quite a well planted tank on one side and just a cave and a peice of driftwood on the other for swimming space(by the way my plants are plastic)

thanks

 

[minxfishy]

Test strips are not particularly acurate unfortunately, liquid based test kits are the more reliable and give much better readings.

mg/l - milligrams per litre

By those readings (which as I say are probably not acurate) your NitrAte level is way too high for Rams, who need for optimum health, nitrAtes below 20.

You dont have a test for ammonia?

Can I ask how long the tank has been set up and how it was cycled?

 

[Redtail97]

oh i didnt know they wernt acurate but the whole liquid test kit costs A LOT MORE.

i bought this tank in april 08 and cyled for about 2 weeks with no fish and has been up for almost 1 and a half years

what should i do

 

[Redtail97]

how do i get the nitrate down do i do a 50% water change? and is the test strips way off or just a BIT here and there

 

[minxfishy]

What is your normal water change regime? How much do you change and how often?

With rams in the tank, you need to do at least once a week water changes, up to 50% at a time, obviously with dechlorinator and temperature matching the returning water to that of the tank temperature.

The best way to reduce nitrAtes is of course water changes.

Although a liquid based test kit is an initial expensive outlay, they do last a long time and are as I said much more accurate.

How long has the ram been in the tank?

 

[Redtail97]

i do a once a week 30%-50% water change(with aquasafe) and i did one yesterday the water looks a lot clearer today will test it and the ram has been in the tank about 9 days

 

[minxfishy]

That sounds fine, you may or may not be aware that Rams are very sensitive to water conditions, so keep on top of the water changes, keep the temperature around 26c and you should be fine.

 

[Redtail97]

the results are now:
nitrate: 25 ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
hardness: 8d
kh: 6d
ph: roughly 7.4
chlorine: 0ppm
and temperature is exactly 26 s should be good and i did know rams were sensitive so i was ready to take on the challenge of extra regularwater changes if things go wrong (will do another one tommorow just incase these reading arent totally acurate)

 

[minxfishy]

Thats a better reading, just keep on top of the changes.

You have a chlorine reading, is this the same as ammonia? I assume so.

 

[Redtail97]

sre if its the same ill research it and tell you a little later thanks for the help

 

[Redtail97]

yes it is the same by the way my ram hasnt coloured up yet fully has a bit of blue and yellow but now that my water qualitys better do you thin he will colour up more? thanks for y our help