Help With Water Results With Api Master Test

[rsturbo666]

hi there had my tank for 3 weeks now 2 weeks no fish and one week with 10 neon tetras


i have just dont a test to see what the water is like



the results i have are

PH 7.6
AMMONIA 0.50 PPM
NITRITE 0.25 PPM
NITRATE 20 PPM

thanks

scott

 

[Skins]

hi there had my tank for 3 weeks now 2 weeks no fish and one week with 10 neon tetras


i have just dont a test to see what the water is like



the results i have are

PH 7.6
AMMONIA 0.50 PPM
NITRITE 0.25 PPM
NITRATE 20 PPM

thanks

scott

Hello Scott,
Going by the length of time your tank/filter has been setup and the test results you have been presented with you are in what we call a "fish-in cycle".
May i suggest you perform a large water change of 75% in order to reduce the toxins(Ammonia,NitrIte)in your tank water. You will need to perform daily water checks followed by water changes when you see levels of ammonia or nitrite 0.25ppm or higher. Keep your feeding to once or once every other day for a period of what your fish will consume in 2-3mins. Its a case of at the moment the beneficial bacterias that you want to colonise in your filters media are unable to cope with the ammount of waste products(poo/un-eaten food)they need to process to make your waters chemistry safe for the fish. In my signature at the bottom of this post you will see a link to an article on "fish-in cycle", this is a very useful and detailed write up to fall back upon whilst you are cycling.

Keep us all posted on how things are going, Keith.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Scott - what Keith said is the way to go at this point. (in case you wanted more opinions!) Good luck with everything!

 

[rsturbo666]

hi there thanks for the advice i have just drained out 75% of the water what product hould i go and buy to treat the new water before adding it

thanks again

scott

 

[Skins]

hi there thanks for the advice i have just drained out 75% of the water what product hould i go and buy to treat the new water before adding it

thanks again

scott

Seachem prime(recommended) or Tetra aquasafe.

Keith.

 

[rsturbo666]

hi just got some of the seachem prime and refilled the tank will test the water again tonight

scott.

 

[Skins]

hi just got some of the seachem prime and refilled the tank will test the water again tonight

scott.

 

[rsturbo666]

how long after a water change should i wait before testng the water again

 

[rsturbo666]

just done a test after waiting 2.5 hours since changing the water and adding the seachem prime

PH 7.6
AMMONIA 0.25-0.50 PPM its between the two on the colour
NITRITE 0.00
NITRATE 0.0


how is it looking now

thanks

scott

 

[Skins]

just done a test after waiting 2.5 hours since changing the water and adding the seachem prime

PH 7.6
AMMONIA 0.25-0.50 PPM its between the two on the colour
NITRITE 0.00
NITRATE 0.0


how is it looking now

thanks

scott

You want to try and get your ammonia and nitrIte levels below 0.25ppm anything above starts to be a serious issue for the fish.


Keith.

 

[rsturbo666]

is there anything else i can do get rid of that last bit of ammonia to make is safe

 

[Skins]

is there anything else i can do get rid of that last bit of ammonia to make is safe

The only solution is to perform a water change in order to lower the ammonia or nitrIte content.

Keith.

 

[Gilli]

You will need to test your water every day - twice a day if it starts to get high and water change constantly. Be prepared to lose your neons - they are not really suitable for any tank under 6 month fully mature as they are weak. Good luck!

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with Gilli, it can be rough trying to keep fish alive during a fish-in cycle and even tougher with delicate fish. However you are doing the right thing now by beginning to understand how large and frequent the water changes need to be. It's tough work but keeping those poisons below 0.25ppm will get you there. Good luck!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rsturbo666]

hi everyone thanks for all the great help my ammmonia has now dropped to between 0.00 and 0.25 nitrites are at 0 and nitrates are at 5 so its starting to get there now