Water Parameters

[Sexy Rexy]

Hi all,
So I’ve been doing the tropical fish thing now for about 8 or so weeks and just did my first water check using the AMI test kit. My results are as follows.
PH-7.6
Ammonia-0 ppm
Nitrate-0 ppm
Nitrite-0 ppm
This particular test kit unfortunately does not test for water hardness.
I have a 70 gallon tank and I vacuum the substrate and do a 30 % water change weekly
I currently have approximately 20 various mollies, 6 black skirted tetras, 6 Rosie tetras, 6 Buenos Aires tetras and 2 angelfish. From my research, it appears that all water specs are in line. Am I correct in assuming this?

 

[Naughts]

We need ammonia and nitrite to be zero and nitrates under 20ppm is good. The only concern is stability of the cycle due to the lack of nitrates. If you have cycled the tank and have 0 nitrate it should stay balanced; but if the tank is uncycled, the ammonia or nitrite could rise which is dangerous. Keep testing regularly and if they rise you will need to do water changes.

As mollies need hard water and angels are soft water fish it would be good to establish the hardness. Try to find a quality report on your water providers website as this could give the hardness.

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.
Most tetras, barbs, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm and pH below 7.0).

Common livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies) occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm and pH above 7.6) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

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I currently have approximately 20 various mollies, 6 black skirted tetras, 6 Rosie tetras, 6 Buenos Aires tetras and 2 angelfish. From my research, it appears that all water specs are in line. Am I correct in assuming this?

Mollies need hard water with a GH above 250ppm and a pH above 7.0 or they struggle.

The other fishes you listed come from soft water with a GH below 150ppm and a pH below 7.0

Black skirt/ widow tetras and Beunos Aires tetras are renown fin nippers that kill destroy the angelfish and probably the mollies too.