My Test Results

Loman

A few thoughts.
I would retest in 24 hours and 48 hours and see if the pH is changing. I suspect it will increase.

You appear to be in the middle of the cycle with ammonia still present in the tank. Ammonia and high pH are a bad combination and should be avoided if possible. The natural nitrogen cycle will take care of the ammonia issue eventually. I am not a big fan of all the chemicals so if it were my tank I would do frequent (daily) water changes probably at 20% or so (I realize that contradicts the pH checks mentioned above but I would do that to keep the level lower. IMO the chemicals convert ammonia to ammonium which does not promote the growth of the bacteria quite as well as ammonia so I do not like it.

I would also look for the source of what is changing the pH. Since the source water is 7.2 something is elevating it. Someone asked earlier about substrate and that is what I would question first as well. What kind of substrate, decor, etc. is present. The ideal pH for a salt tank is much higher than a freshwater tank so I am suspecting you have material intended for the salt set up present but that is a guess. It would also be nice to know the gH and alkalinity of the water. You can often get this from test strips which are fairly inexpensive. IMO Finding the source of the change and eliminating it is a positive thing. However, if you can not find the source of the change and have to destabilize the tank to constantly fight to get the pH lower resulting in it swinging wildly (what usually happens) the you want to try and live with the higher pH

orb4me

I live with the higher ph. 8.4, fish adjust. I also have high hardness and alkalintiy. the LFS is on the same water I am, and I sneak a look at their log book before I buy fish. so far so good with 6 months of this new hobby.

Loman, I am wondering if the tank I got which was used, wasnt set up for saltwater. substrate looks like rough white gravel, medium sized I guess you would call it. If I took some out and put vinegar on it, and it bubbles would that be a sign of something not right. my ph at tap is 8.2, in tank 8.4. just a thought

ramled74

Hi Gang.

I am on my 4th water change in the past 7 days. Here are my levels:

PH: 8.2

Ammonia: .25ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 10ppm


So it looks like my PH is still high and not going anywhere. My ammonia is .25ppm. Nitrate is fine at 0ppm. But my nitrate has shot up to 20 ppm.

Please tell these readings are normal? Am I still in cycle?

Also, I did decorate my tank with a few things. I have a plastic plant..big decorative rock, and a ton of black stones/rocks in my tank. I also have a fake coral reef, two sea shells and 2 small real plants that are being eaten up by the fish. Are these decoration the problem, or should I just assume the above levels are due to cyclng.

All fish are alive and well, and active now.

Your continued expertise and advice is greatly appreciated.

Loman

I think you are really just now starting the cycle. I expect the ammonia will increase followed by Nitrate. Both these will eventually drop to zero if all goes well. The nitrates will increase and generally be removed via water changes. The pH is a little high and may be something to eventually deal with but I would advise getting through the cycle first. Fish will adapt to the pH assuming they are acclimated in a reasonable manner

ramled74

I retested today:

PH: 8.0

Ammonia: 0 :-)

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 10

Any comments

Loman

This looks really good. I would wait out the pH concern

ramled74

Loman:

You were right!

I just tested again today (48 hours after the last test)

PH 8.0

Ammonia: .25ppm

nitrite: .25 ppm

nitrate: 10 ppm.

Any concens? Any action necessary on my part?

Loman

Well then we (really you but we sounds nicer) need to start watching things fairly close. The cycle is getting under way. I just went back through the posts to and confirmed you have fish on board already. The challenge will be to keep enough ammonia and nitrite to feed the cycle while managing to keep the ammonia and nitrite low enough that tyhe fish are not permanently harmed. To that end I would watch a couple things. First look closely at the fish and watch thier behavior. Gulping for air and being really lethargic especially at the top or bottom of the tank is a sign of problems. Another distinctive sign of ammonia poisoning is a red (bloody) discoloration just below the gill area. I would keep testing every day or two depending on fast things are changing. If it were my tank I would try to keep ammonia below 1 ppm (not worrying too much yet about nitrites). If the fish show signs of stress I would lower that figure if they seem un-phased I might raise it slightly. So anytime I saw stress or high ammonia I would do a partial water change. All of this will drag the cycle out for a longer period of time since it does not have the high level of ammonia to promote optimum growth of the bacteria but it also will give the fish the best chances for the same reason. Keep in touch.

ramled74

OK...my bala shark has been at the bottom gasping since yesterday afternoon. The silver dollars seem OK. I did a water change this morning.

Anything else I should do?

Loman

Keep testing and watching and hoping fo r the best. COnstant water changes are probably in order too. You may want to step up the volume of water changes as well.