First Chemical Test Readings

[slowthing]

I've just completed my first chemical tests on my new tank which is 4 days into it's cycle. I wondered if someone could advise on the results. Are they what one might expect after 4 days. Our water is quite hard. The filter has 3 chambers. Ceramic rings, activated carbon wrapped in filter 'wool' and more ceramic rings. I've no live plants in the water either.

The results are as follows:

ph = 8
Ammonia = 0.25 ppm (mg/L)
Nitrite = 0 ppm (mg/L)
Nitrate = 10 ppm (mg/L)

Tanks.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

looks ok to me, what method are you using for adding ammonia?

 

[rdd1952]

Does your tap water have nitate in it? I wouldn't have expected any nitrite to be processed yet. After 4 days, I would have expected the ammonia to have dropped slightly (what was it when you started) and the nitrite to have risen. I would not have expected to see any nitrate unless it was already in the tap water.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Does your tap water have nitate in it? I wouldn't have expected any nitrie to be processed yet. After 4 days, I would have expected the ammonia to have dropped slightly (what was it when you started) and the ntrite to have risen. I would not have expected to see any nitrite unless it was already in the tap water.

are you talking about nitrIte or nitrAte.... it's a little unclear cos of your typos (not having a dig, just wanted to check if i agree with your advice and comments and without knowing which i can't say)

 

[rdd1952]

Does your tap water have nitate in it? I wouldn't have expected any nitrie to be processed yet. After 4 days, I would have expected the ammonia to have dropped slightly (what was it when you started) and the ntrite to have risen. I would not have expected to see any nitrite unless it was already in the tap water.

are you talking about nitrIte or nitrAte.... it's a little unclear cos of your typos (not having a dig, just wanted to check if i agree with your advice and comments and without knowing which i can't say)

Sorry for the typos. I usually try to check back before I submit a reply. I have corrected it now. Should have some nitrIte and no nitrAte unless it's in the tap water.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

no problem, i make silly typo's all the time, just when it comes to nitrite, nitrate it gets confusing!!



while i agree with you that ammonia is unlikely to have been processed into significant amounts of nitrate just yet, some will have been and it's hardly uncommon to have nitrate in your tap water. people are usually very surprised to hear we have 0 nitrate in our tap water, it is the exception not the rule.

 

[slowthing]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I've not added any ammonia to the water. All I've done is dose the water with Nutrafin Cycle (biological aquarium supplement) and Aqua Plus (chlorine & chloramine remover). With regard to what the water was to start with, "umm" - I must confess I didn't do a check. I know - stupid. But I just plain forgot. What I'll do, as it's only 4 days into the cycle, is test some regular tap water. At least that should give me some kind of benchmark.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ah, sorry to break it to you but those biological supplements are pretty much rubbish.

i'd recommend reading this topic on fishless cycling

 

[rdd1952]

If you haven't added any ammonia, you haven't started cycling. Cycling is the process of building a bacteria colony to process waste (ammonia). You must add ammonia to the tank to build the bacteria. Products like Cycle have some ammonia in them so that is where the reading you have came from. In my opinion though, they are useless and don't contain any useful bacteri.

You will need to start adding ammonia to the tank. If you can't find pure ammonia in the store, you can use flakes. They will decay and turn to ammonia but it is slower.

 

[slowthing]

That sort of makes sense. My tap water results are:

PH = 8
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 10

so the only difference from the water in the tank after 4 days is the ammonia level. It's 0.25 in the tank and 0 from the tank. As you say it looks if the water hasn't started to cycle yet. I'll read up on the fishless cycling and adding ammonia.

Many thanks for the advice.

 

[slowthing]

Got my ammonia and pipette (live walking distance of a good hardware store). Also, just read the article on fishless cycling - it's excellent. Many thanks again for all your help folks.