Water Testing - What Are The Safe Results

[Dutchie]

Being a beginner, could anyone post the safe levels of the following please including PPM/L

Interested in Ammonia, Hardness, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ph.

thanks heaps in advnace


PS The reason for this is that I've been told different thing by 2 different LFS.........

 

[xoedusk]

Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate is somewhat subjective. < 40 ppm should be fine.

Good, safe levels of pH and Hardness both depend on the species of fish you intend to keep. Some like pH < 7, some > 7. Some like hard water, some like soft. Perhaps more important, however, is a *stable* pH and a stable hardness.

 

[Dutchie]

Thanks xoedusk, but what ppm/l is a stable hardness??

As for Nitrate the charts in my API test kit shows 0, .25, .50. 1, 1.5 etc etc..........what is PPM/L then ?

 

[xoedusk]

By stable, I mean not fluctuating; sorry about that.

All of these tests are measured in some form of concentration. Parts per million (ppm) is already a concentration, so I'm not sure if ppm/L means anything - I've never seen it.

However, there are mg/L, another unit of concentration, which I think is identical to ppm. ppm = mg/L.

To add to the confusion, hardness (there are two common types, general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH)), is usually measured in German degrees. One German degree is 17.9 ppm I believe.