Is My Tank Ready For Tropical Fish

[malloandson]

HI TO ALL

can anyone tell me if my readings are okay , i used API test strips, I am concerned about my KH reading.

GH 60
KH 0
PH 6
NO2 0
NO3 0


THANKS TO ALL IN ADVANCE

 

[tenohfive]

The strips notoriously inaccurate. Liquid test kits are the way to go, and you need one that'll test ammonia as well as Nitrite and Nitrate (NO2 and NO3.)

Have a look for the API Freshwater Liquid Master Test Kit - something like this:

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/API-FRESHWATER-MASTE...1742.m153.l1262

Shop around and see where you can find that one cheapest.

Once you've got one, test again. Just one more piece of advice - read the instructions religiously. Its very easy to misread it, or assume the method for one test is the same as the next one - they aren't, and if you do it wrong you'll get a dodgy reading. Do it right and you'll end up with some accurate readings, and we can tell you if your tank has cycled.

**edit:

I know its a pain in the rear shelling out for more gear, but its the most sensible money you will spend on your fish/aquarium.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi malloandson, welcome to TFF!

I agree with tenohfive. A good liquid-reagent based test kit like the API is one of the most basic and best things a beginner can have. Once you bring one home, practice the tests by testing your tap water a few times, then test your tank water.

The kind of question you are asking is worked on a lot over in the "New to the Hobby" section and you can start a thread there and keep it going with more questions. Its also a good idea to enter your geographical location in your profile as that can help members give more tailored help sometimes.

Another thing you could look into is contacting your water authority lab to see more about that KH. Ask them if they can give you some numbers for what the KH (Carbonate Hardness) should be in their system. If your water is very soft, it could be important to know that when trying to cycle the aquarium if its new.

How long have you been running the aquarium, what size is it and how many fish?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[three-fingers]

Yep, proper test kit is a really useful piece of kit.

From the readings you have given, it's impossible to tell if your tanks ready or not, as there's no ammonia reading. I'd guess it's not ready though, because if the test strips right, you have 0ppm of nitrate (NO3).

The 0ppm of nitrate indicates that there is no ammonia being processed in the tank by the filter filter bacteria.
When there is ammonia being converted into NO2, and then NO3 by filter bacteria then your tank is ready for fish.

You need to add some form of ammonia to the tank and wait until you and 0ppm of ammonia and NO2 and an NO3 reading from anywhere between 10-100ppm.
Look up cycling here: [URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-the-hobby/141944/Cycling-resource-center/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...esource-center/[/URL] .

Cycling is the process of getting the tank ready for fish.

 

[Cantbesaved]

^^ What all of them said!

You need ammonia constantly in the water, that forms bacteria that "eats" the ammonia. This bacteria makes Nitrite. Nitrite in the water forms bacteria that "eats" the nitrite, which forms nitrate!! Nitrate is safe.

You should have 0PPM Ammonia, 0PPM Nitrite, and 5-10PPM Nitrate before you add any fish.

When you do add fish, maybe add a few at a time. Gotta ask one of the fishless cyclers about how many to add at a time I did fish-in