Water testing

[john5748]

When I first bought my first tank I bought a Hagen Master Test Kit as I didn't fancy using those strips.

I have a freshwater set up and normally just carry out these three tests every couple of weeks, (I don't have real plants):
PH, Nitrite and Nitrate.

The results were:
PH - 7.0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0

I did these today but decided to go a bit further and also tested the water for:
General Hardness, Phosphate and Ammonia.

The results were:
General Hardness - Slightly hard
Phosphate - 5.0
Ammonia - 7.3

I suppose my questions are these:

1. Should I do all of these tests every time instead of what I have been doing previously?

2. What do the results of the Phosphate and Ammonia mean?

Sorry this is so long but I thought it best to put all the information in, rather than having to post more replies.

 

[fishwatcher]

Your ammonia should always be 0. How long has the tank been set up? It sounds like it's still cycling. As for me, I test (all the way around) before I do my water changes.

 

[john5748]

Your ammonia should always be 0. How long has the tank been set up? It sounds like it's still cycling. As for me, I test (all the way around) before I do my water changes.

So what effects is that Ammonia reading going to have on my fish because they all seem healthy.

My tank is also fully cycled and has been running for the past year.

 

[bettaboi]

when you do wc do you change out all you filter matierial and wash the gravel there is beneficial bacteria on those that change ammoinia to nitrates to nitrites high enough ammonia can be deadly thats what cycling is is buildin upp that bacteia

 

[john5748]

when you do wc do you change out all you filter matierial and wash the gravel there is beneficial bacteria on those that change ammoinia to nitrates to nitrites high enough ammonia can be deadly thats what cycling is is buildin upp that bacteia

I carried out a 20% water change yesterday by vacuming the gravel which would have left plenty of beneficial bacteria left in the external filter medium, in the gravel and on my ornaments.

 

[annka5]

Unless you've fish deaths or dead plants or something decaying or a sudden increase in feeding / broken filter, then I'd suggest your ammonia test result could be wrong. Try testing again, re-check the instructions first, if you can ask lfs to test for ammonia also.

 

[sinistral]

I was about to post the same thing as annka5..."7.3" is a very unusual measurement for ammonia, in that most test kits yield results ranging from 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, etc... 7.3 looks more like a pH reading. My disclaimer is that I'm not familiar with the Hagen test kit.

 

[pjfish]

I think you're still cycling because you should have some nitrate level. I'm not familiar with that test kit, but some ammonia tests get false positives if you test just after using a dechorinator. For instance, if you use Prime (dechlor) and use test strips within 48 hrs, the ammonia shows high.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I don't know about the ammonia reading, but I never have a nitrate reading when I test my water. I suppose it could be that I have live plants, but I tested all my larger tanks today and none have a nitrate reading. The kit I use is not faulty, when my tank was cycling in March I had readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.