Test Results Help!

[mobeyone]

Just bought myself a test kit and a little alarmed at the results.

According to the kit, my results are as follows:

PH: 6.6/6.8
Nitrate: 2.0
Ammonia: 1.0/2.0

This is bad?

I have added mopani wood, would this affect it in such a way?

Fish are otherwise quite healthy and active, water is clear minus the tea colour from the wood.

Help please!

 

[Tiger Barb]

According to the kit, my results are as follows:

PH: 6.6/6.8
Nitrate: 2.0
Ammonia: 1.0/2.0

Your pic seems to show an API test kit. The front left test is the NitrIte test (not NitrAte). Your pic does not show the nitrAte test, which is the card with yellow, orange and red on it.

Ammonia and nitrite levels should always be zero in a cycled tank. However, I believe that bacteria struggle in very low pH conditions (i.e. very acidic) and your pH is low.

Mopani wood might lower the pH slightly but should not affect the other readings.

How long has your tank been set up? Please give us some details (size, inhabitants, maintenance routine, how the filter was cycled etc).

 

[doresy]

Hi,

Firstly that test is nitrIte NOT nitrAte

Secondly, the ammonia and nitrIte levels ARE bad and your fish are not going to be healthy for long!

I suspect over feeding and/or over stocking.

I suggest a 35% water change right now (don't forget to dechlorinate) and another tomorrow. Also don't feed for a couple of days

Do another water test after the second water change and post results.

These things happen

 

[mobeyone]

It is an API test kit.I have just carried out a 50% water change to see if this resolves the levels, how long should I wait before testing again?

Maybe overfeeding.. all was fine last week when the water started to go cloudy and I have since been having some issues.

The tank has the following:
2x Gouramis
5x Neon Tetra
1x Plec
2x silver shark
3x Guppies

90l tank so it does not appear overstocked. There was a lot of waste in the cycle... and this has clouded the water again...

I am closely monitering but what else should I look out for?

The tank is around 5 weeks old, weekly cycles but I have been changing upto 50% twice for the last two weeks now.

 

[mobeyone]

Just tested again:

Nitrite: 2.0
Amm: 0.50
ph: 6.4

Nitrite still high...

 

[doresy]

Hi, do another water change tomorrow and test again

 

[mobeyone]

Hi, do another water change tomorrow and test again

Will do and thanks again to all for your help.

Fishes all look ok.

 

[Esfa]

Hey, i added some mopani wood and it did that to my stats, too! So i took it out.

 

[Tiger Barb]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but silver sharks should grow to 12-14" long, and I'm afraid a 90 litre tank simply isn't big enough for them. You should think about re-homing them (or buying a 7 foot tank) fairly soon. Also, do you know what type of plec you have? A lot of plecs can get to be huge.

You have a lot of fish for a 5 week old tank... did you cycle it when you first set it up?

 

[mobeyone]

Just did another 50% change.

Results are as follows:

pH: 6.6
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 2.0

Nitrite still high... not sure what else can be done here.

Fish are all ok and the tank is uber clean - I have added some more gravel today.

No food has been given for 24 hours, and I am tempted to leave another 24 and do a further 50% water change.

Comments are appreciated.

@ tigerbarb: I was told my tank would be ok... just gets worse doesnt it.

If I get past this, I will look to a bigger tank.

 

[rdd1952]

Have you added any new fish lately? Are you usiing any chemicals or have you used any medications recently? Also, have you tested your tap water? Since the water chagnes don't seem to be having an effect on your nitrite, it's possible that there is sitrite in your tap water although 2 ppm would be extremely high.

As has already been mentioned, water changes are really the only thing you can do. You've done a couple large ones and it hasn't changed the nitrite so I'm wondering if the nitrite kit is just faulty. Testing the tap water should answer that question. If it still shows 2 ppm in the tap water, I would test some bottled water just to get a 3rd test result and even take some water to the LFS to test for you. Just continue to do water chagnes as often as needed (25% up to 4 or 5 times a day is fine if needed) to keep the ammonia and nitrite as low as possible.

 

[mobeyone]

Have you added any new fish lately? Are you usiing any chemicals or have you used any medications recently? Also, have you tested your tap water? Since the water chagnes don't seem to be having an effect on your nitrite, it's possible that there is sitrite in your tap water although 2 ppm would be extremely high.

As has already been mentioned, water changes are really the only thing you can do. You've done a couple large ones and it hasn't changed the nitrite so I'm wondering if the nitrite kit is just faulty. Testing the tap water should answer that question. If it still shows 2 ppm in the tap water, I would test some bottled water just to get a 3rd test result and even take some water to the LFS to test for you. Just continue to do water chagnes as often as needed (25% up to 4 or 5 times a day is fine if needed) to keep the ammonia and nitrite as low as possible.

I am using Nutrafin cycle and aqua plus everytime I change my water, is this possibly what is causing the nitrite to spike??

No new fishs have been added for over a week yet after another 50% water change today, nitrite is still 2.0

I will go in an see my LFS and see what he says. Water is crystal clear, fishes are all happy.

Tap water is 0! so it must be the tank??

pH: 7.0
amm: 0

at a loss with the nitrite.....

 

[rdd1952]

You can pretty much forget the Cycle. It doesn't do any good and could possibly be causing the problem but doubtful. It won't hurt but it won't help either. I'm at a total loss as to why the nitrite doesn't change at all after a WC. When was the last time you tested the tap water for nitrite? It really sounds as if it is in your tap water and so doing a change doesn't have an effect. Are you testing before and after the WC? Take a sample of both the tap and tank water to the LFS and have them give you the exact readings (not just "It's within the safe range").

 

[mobeyone]

The readings are taken before and after from the tank. The reading from the tap also came after the water change and is 0..

I will go in tomorrow and see them.. worried to be honest but the fish are active and all look healthy. I have cut down on food to the bare minimum.