MattG_Sydney Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 (edited) Hey Folks, A few questions regarding my tank and some of the water chemistry. My tank that has been running for years with my rescue fish is now home to 10 Frontosa .. I tested the water parameters and the results are per below .. 1. No2, NH3/NH4+ are all Zero 2. Ph 8.2 - 8.4 3. No3 - 80 ppm (This is the issue) ------ I have done water changes, swapped over some of the filter media and waiting for Purigen to arrive before putting that in.. for the time being I have put some prime to manage the situation. To make matters worse, the water testing kits (API bottles) and Strips show different results .. (The numbers above are from the bottle tests) Any feedback or advice would be very much appreciated. Cheers M Edited May 23, 2020 by MattG_Sydney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Have you tested your tap water to see if there are any nitrates in it? How old are the test kits? They do expire and some brands have a reputation for not being particularly accurate even when new (API might be one of those, I can't recall). It might be worth getting your water tested at a shop to double check the readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG_Sydney Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) Thanks for your reply Skippy. I might buy a new test kit so I have more opportunities to test. Yes the kit is an API brand kit and yes I followed the instructions to the letter. I have tested my tap water and its zero for No3. Cheers mate Edited May 19, 2020 by MattG_Sydney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG_Sydney Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 I have just used a sera test kit and the result is very different for No3. I get 10mg/l. That is not too bad based on what I have read so far. Even the API test strips show higher No3.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 16 hours ago, MattG_Sydney said: I have just used a sera test kit and the result is very different for No3. I get 10mg/l. That is not too bad based on what I have read so far. Even the API test strips show higher No3.. Sounds like a dodgy test kit might be behind the 80mg/l reading you were getting before. 10mg/l is in line with the NO3 reading you would expect in a well-maintained fully cycled tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG_Sydney Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 Thanks mate for confirming.. I suspect for some reason the API NO3 tests at times give higher than normal reading. Both my liquid and test strip's show higher numbers (but the numbers between the two are different again). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipshodman Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 I stopped trusting test kits long ago Just seemed to be no reliability from any of them I had tried (and all over the forums others have had the same issue over time) So now I just stick to my schedule of water changes and watch my fish in between for any unusual behaviour just in case but currently running 8 ,, hang on... I mean nine tanks and haven't had a test kit near them ion a very long time, but that's just me, I am sure there are others that test all the time My nitrates are kept in check with the water changes and the PH is as stable as can be as it is exactly what comes out of my tap, I never try and change that either Just my point of view Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG_Sydney Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Slipshodman said: I stopped trusting test kits long ago Just seemed to be no reliability from any of them I had tried (and all over the forums others have had the same issue over time) So now I just stick to my schedule of water changes and watch my fish in between for any unusual behaviour just in case but currently running 8 ,, hang on... I mean nine tanks and haven't had a test kit near them ion a very long time, but that's just me, I am sure there are others that test all the time My nitrates are kept in check with the water changes and the PH is as stable as can be as it is exactly what comes out of my tap, I never try and change that either Just my point of view Cheers I feel like that at times too. Spent a small fortune on test kits and getting mixed results specifically relating to NO3. On a separate note, what type of fish do you keep ? Reason I ask is the tap water and PH levels. I put PH up to keep the levels at 8.5 to 9.0 for my cichlids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipshodman Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 34 minutes ago, MattG_Sydney said: I feel like that at times too. Spent a small fortune on test kits and getting mixed results specifically relating to NO3. On a separate note, what type of fish do you keep ? Reason I ask is the tap water and PH levels. I put PH up to keep the levels at 8.5 to 9.0 for my cichlids. the AQ-180 has a few of Severums, a dozen small Texas, a pleco and a handful of peacock, yep , break all the rules mixing Africans and Americans lol Another 6fter with a pairk of Texas, two 4 ftrs with Texas pairs, a 3ftr with, well guess what ... a pair of Texas, another 3 ftr with a Texas male that kills everything that goes near it and a couple of 100 ltr tanks , one with Shrimp, another quarantining the last punching bag (female) from my killer Texas and lucky last a Bristlenose/Severum tank... I think thats it ..lol.. I am looking to change things up but just cant seem to get rid of fish once i have them. So the only way is more tanks 😉 I messed with higher PH a while ago but found it was a constant battle and from everything i have read stable PH is better than fluctuating PH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG_Sydney Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 Lol.. Nice one..😁 I have 2 tanks going.. one with my Frontosas and the other with a single African Cichlid. Not sure what it is.. a rescued fish.. one thing I know is that fish is very hardy.. Yes I have heard a similar thing with PH.. good idea to keep it stable .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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