Water Stats?

[Floyds mum]

Can anyone tell me what are the MOST important stats are?
e.g. nitrite, nitrate etc
I know obviously the master kit would be best.

 

[aly_starh]

Hi, i have just got Ammonia and Nitrite as i felt as well as other peoples opinions, that these were mostly important.

 

[Floyds mum]

Hi, i have just got Ammonia and Nitrite as i felt as well as other peoples opinions, that these were mostly important.

ok thanx

 

[aly_starh]

I think PH and Nitrate is needed more after the tank has cycled and when choosing fish.

 

[arobinson1984]

If you are cycling then there are 3 main ones you need, PH, ammonia and nitrite.

You need to be able to test your PH levels because if they drop down below about 6 then the cycle will stall and the bacteria become dormant

Andy

 

[OldMan47]

As Andy said, during the cycle the ammonia nitrites and pH are probably the most important. Once cycled, I really just use nitrates once in a while to check on my maintenance practices. I also use a measure of TDS when adding new fish to my tanks since it seems to matter more than pH for introducing a new fish. If the TDS is way off, it is much harder to get the fish properly acclimated. In that situation I can mix up a water cocktail of RO and tap to get close enough and then acclimate over a long time while the new fish are in quarantine.

 

[Floyds mum]

As Andy said, during the cycle the ammonia nitrites and pH are probably the most important. Once cycled, I really just use nitrates once in a while to check on my maintenance practices. I also use a measure of TDS when adding new fish to my tanks since it seems to matter more than pH for introducing a new fish. If the TDS is way off, it is much harder to get the fish properly acclimated. In that situation I can mix up a water cocktail of RO and tap to get close enough and then acclimate over a long time while the new fish are in quarantine.

Whats tds?

 

[OldMan47]

TDS is total dissolved solids. It is a measure of the total mineral content of the water. Portable electronic meters are sold that can measure it fairly well and that don't cost too much to buy. I got mine as a tool to know how well my RO was working and find it a great tool for judging aquarium water mineral content. With my RO and my tap water I can mix up anything from about 20 ppm of solids to around 300 ppm depending on how much RO and how much tap I use. If I buy a new fish that comes in 150 ppm water, I set up the Q tank with a 50 / 50 mix and acclimate the fish over the next few weeks to the 300 that is in my typical tank, by just moving the water with water changes every few days. By taking things very slowly like that, the fish have very little stress even if the water they come from is much different to mine.