So Ive Bought A Api Test Kit And Here Is My Results....

[J4G3D]

Ok ive just setup a new freshwater aquarium with 17 new fishes for 1 week, i bought the whole setup off a breeder who had hundreds of fishes and he advised me that using tap water was fine and dont listen to anything on the internet regarding cycling..ect. Advised i can add fish instantly and despite me reading you have to take it easy and cycle the tank for 6 weeks first i took up his advice and bunged everything in, as he was a breeder i trusted him. Now ive bought a API test kit as ive been getting nervous due to reading this forum and other articles online, and i got the following readings: (if anyone can advise if any are out what i should do)

pH - 7.6
high range pH - 8.0
ammonia - 0
nitrite no2 - 0
nitrate no3 - 40/80 (i cant work out if its 40 or 80 looks the same to me! in very bright lighting it looks 40)

Thanks

 

[minxfishy]

You say you bought the whole set up, Im assuming this included the filter? If so, the filter was likely mature if the tank already had fish in, so would have been cycled, judging by those results, that looks to be the case, because if the filter wasnt mature you would be seeing large ammonia reading. So long as the tank readings stay with ammonia and nitrIte at 0, then the tank is cycled, if however, the ammonia/nitrIte readings start to rise, then water changes will be needed to return them to 0. The nitrAte readings also look to be around normal for a cycled tank, however you keep those down by weekly 25-40% water changes.

 

[J4G3D]

You say you bought the whole set up, Im assuming this included the filter? If so, the filter was likely mature if the tank already had fish in, so would have been cycled, judging by those results, that looks to be the case, because if the filter wasnt mature you would be seeing large ammonia reading. So long as the tank readings stay with ammonia and nitrIte at 0, then the tank is cycled, if however, the ammonia/nitrIte readings start to rise, then water changes will be needed to return them to 0. The nitrAte readings also look to be around normal for a cycled tank, however you keep those down by weekly 25-40% water changes.

Thanks, yes the filter was used and mature, the gravel also was moist when i picked it up (out of tank for less than a week) i suppose your right and that would of helped alot. Have i got anything to worry about my high range pH though?

 

[minxfishy]

Most fish acclimatised properly will adapt to the ph range of your water, you can lower it/soften it slightly with bogwood/mopani but it doesnt adjust it much.

I assume the fish came from the same man? Did he happen to tell you what his ph was? If you live close its likely to have been the same, if not then the fish would hopefully have adjusted it, so long as you acclimatised them slowly. Any other fish you buy from local fish stores, again will likely have the same ph/hardness levels as you, but its always best to ask when buying fish, that way you know and can acclimatise appropriately.

The only other thing with ph is, the higher it is, the more toxic ammonia becomes, something to consider if you ever have ammonia spikes.

 

[J4G3D]

Thanks for that