Water Quality - Help Me Understanding What The Numbers Mean

[spacewolf]

Hi to all.
 
I have posted this info in my planted tank journal but thought I would also post it as a seperate topic.
 
I did a water hardness test on my tap water last night to help me start making choices on plants and fish and need some help in understanding what these figures mean in real terms. I then went on to look on the net and some of the search results have me puzzled.
 
First the test results (done twice using new 'API 5 in 1' test strips with expiry date of 03/2015) using water straight from the tap.
 
GH = 180 ppm
KH = 240 ppm
PH = 7 -7.5
NO2 = 3 ppm
NO3 = 160 - 200 ppm
 
I have seen many who say these strips can be inaccurate so I will be doing another test for NO2 & NO3 using the API Master Test Kit, but could these results be so far off they aren't worth consideration?
 
I am planning on doing a fishless cycle in a planted tank (planted to about 50 or 60 percent) with a view to having a nice low maintenance, low light community tank and these results may have a significant bearing on what I can or cannot do without slowly killing things.
 
According to most things I've read, the above results would give me 'nearly' hard water with the GH, a good 'buffering' due to high KH,  neutral water with the PH. Then I read that NO2 should be 0 and the recommended NO3 should be no more than 20 - 40 ppm, mine seems very high. Will cycling a planted aquarium bring these levels down even if they are present at source? Or are there special measures I can take.
 
When I get the second set of results I will post them, but to be honest, I am a little concerned at the moment that my water isn't suitable for an aquarium.
 
Any help would be most appreciated.
 
Blessings

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I do not trust your test results for nitrate. I do not know about the UK, but in America the maximum allowable nitrate in water supplied to the public is 45 ppm on an API test kit. Levela above this are not considered safe for infants and as the numbers go higher they are not good for older humans either.
 
Next is I have not heard of of folks having nitrite in their tap water from a municipal source. For one to have nitrite in their tap water it is likely they will also have ammanoia as well. And this is something also monitored by water companies.
 
Then, water with the GH and KH you indicate is rarely anywhere near a neutral pH. It is not an impossibility but it is not common.
 
And then lets talk plants and cycling for a bit. The more plants one has in a tank, the less the need to cycle. There is a tipping point (not so easy to pinpoint) when yhere are sufficient plants in a tank to make traditional cycling unnecessary. The easiest way to determine this point in any given tank is to add 2 ppm of ammonia and then seeing what happens ove the next 24 hours. How much ammonia is left, is there any nitrite? The answers to these questions provide the guidance for what is needed next.
 
Planted tanks need much less bacteria to handle the cycling chores because the plants will use ammonia. And this opens a new window for the fish keeper. Bear in mind that there are two compelling reasons for doing a fishless cycle: 1. It wont harm or kill any fish. 2. When done it allows one to stock a tack fully all in one go. Buecause plants remove ammonia, #1 changes. In a tank with sufficient plants, one may be able to stock a tank is several stages and the plants (plus any bacteria they come with on them) will be able to process the ammonia a partial fish load will create. The result is if one is willing to to a staged stocking, it will be totally safe for the fish due to the plants, What the results are from that 2 ppm ammonia addition will provide the answers.
 
Basically one is looking for the tank to process mos or all of the ammonia in 24 hours and to produce little or no nitrite. Do not worry at this point about nitrate levels as they don't matter. Bear in mind that one should start by planting the tank and then allowing a couple of weeks or so for the plants to establish. After this it is time to do the ammonia test.
 
If one is a plant nut and they are planting at 50% or more and they are doing things fairly high tech, they are likely guaranteed to be able to add fish immediately and not need to bother doing all of the above. But there are different levels of planting and different types of plants. The ones that would use the most ammonia and nitrate are pretty much the ones which grow the fastest. So for folks wanting some level of plants and who are using lower light slower growing plants for the most part, the ammonia test lets you know where your tank stands in terms of being fish/invert safe in terms of nitrogenous compounds.

 

[spacewolf]

Thankyou for taking the time to write such an informative reply.
 
I did the test again this morning in daylight and got my wife to read of the results and they are certainly different (dam being colour-blind).
 
Here are the new readings;
 
GH = 180 ppm
KH = 180 ppm
PH = 7
NO2 - 0 ppm
NO3 = 40 ppm
 
This certainly looks a lot better and I assume makes quite a diiference
 
Blessings