Water Test Results.. Help!

[scottiedogscott]

hey all, i ust recieved a new tank from a friend who was struggling to find time for his tank. so we said we would help him by taking it off his hands. so we recieved the tank earlier today and i done a water test to check out the damage.

i got the following results:

Nitrate - 40
Nitrite - <0.25 close to 0
Ammonia - 0.25/0.5
PH - 6

HELP!? i am going to my local fish shop later today, so any ideas anyone to get them all back to normal levels?

 

[OldMan47]

It looks an easy thing to remedy to me. Get some dechlorinator to use and do a large water change to bring the levels down. The ammonia is really the only thing that would worry me. If the tank is fairly new and not cycled yet, add in some crushed shell / crushed coral to the filter to ease the pH back up a bit towards neutral unless it comes up on its own with the water change.

 

[scottiedogscott]

the tank isnt new, we're talking years old. it currently only has 2 adult angelfish in, its about 140 litres (4ft).
the dechlorinator, any specific brand or kind? and the crushed shell/coral sounds good, i will have a look ;D

thanks

 

[rdd1952]

I'm assuming that you've just recently moved it to your home and filled it with freash water. Have you tested your tap water to see if the nitrate is coming from there? That level would be high for a newly filled tank. Might be something i'd expect in an older tank with Old Tank Syndrome from lack of maintenance.

As OM47 mentioned, water changes are the way to go. Any dechlor is fine. Probably the 2 most popular are Prime and Stress Coat. Add a small amount of crushed coral to the filter to raise the pH back up and you should be fine.

 

[scottiedogscott]

well didnt fully empty the tank and left the fish in there, as my friend lives close to us. so there was some of the original water in there, i will do some regular water changes and see how it goes

also i was just wondering what do you add to your tap water before adding it to the tank? we use tap safe but is there anything else i should be using along with that?

 

[rdd1952]

Glad moving it that way worked out. Done now but very risky to move a tank with water and substrate still in it as any bump can crack the bottom glass.

Since you did have some of the old water left in there, I feel certain there is a little OTS involved. Water changes will sort that out. Good luck.

 

[scottiedogscott]

thanks ;D