# test results



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

hey there guys i tstd my water for the first time with my new kit .

teh question i have is about the amonia . i chkd it and it is yellowy but really cloudy , does not come close to the color chart .
n02-.50ppm
p.h-8.0
no3-5.0
any ideas on the amonia results ,i will chk again this am . and get back with the results 
thanks again 
tom


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

It'll always be cloudy. Straight yellow is good. If it's greenish, there's ammonia...


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*results*

thanks again .measured the amonia this am it is .25 ppm. carm , or as i say to the cam at work carmanooooooochhhh.
thanks again 
tom


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Huh, what??? 


tom g said:


> thanks again . carm , or as i say to the cam at work carmanooooooochhhh.
> thanks again
> tom


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

I think its an inside joke.. and no one here is part of that "inside"

Anyway..

Ammonia and nitrite are good during the cycle. Do a test every other day (or every day if you wish) until ammonia and nitrites are down to 0

Then you will be able to add cleanup crew (you should start to notice brown algae)


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*new results*

jan 10/11
a= .25
no3=5.0
no2=.50
p.h=8.0
-------------
jan 11/11
a= .25
no3=0
no2=.50
p.h= 8.2

these are my results for my 5 gal saltwater tank . i currantly have live rock and a few stragling plants on the rock.i dont know what they are ,but they look neat.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*salt water results*

hey there guys i have a slight prob 
i have had my 5.5 gal saltwater set up up for approx three weeks 
last nite when i did my tst results my nitrites have spiked to 5.0 ppm , deep purple in color . i am not sure if i should do a water change or let it ride , i have been chking tank reg and the results were in the norm , just last nite i decided to chk things out as i was puttering and saw that on the test .
any ideas , should i do a water change and clean filters or let it ride 
any ideas gang 
thanks 
tom


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Nitrites are not good.. Nitr*a*tes are manageable with a water change but not Nitrites.

You should let it ride, the cycle is in the middle of the process, Your Nitrites will go down shortly... dont WC yet


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

ok thank you . will let it ride . thanks again 
tom


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

ok i tested my water this evening , results are better 
a=.25
n03=0
n02=0
p.h=7.8

so can anyone explain to me what happned why all of a sudden the results are close to back to normal . i mean last nite on the tst kit was a deep purple and today a light blue , i didnt do anything other than let it ride thru . was this perhaps going thru a cycle . what should i do next should i perform water change and carry on as i would with my weeekly w/c
thanks for the help 
cheers 
tom


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

I actually did water changes and top ups weekly. Water changes on Saturday and top up on Tuesday and Thursday. I did this during the cycle. It is a myth that water changes during the cycle will slow the cycle, as the tank is still crawling with bacteria and it will continue to multiply. Another reason is adding in fresh, oxygenated water which helps the bacteria establish.

That said, some people disagree. I did read the above information on a reef-pro's 'Busting Myths about Saltwater' series.


What might have happened with the tests is that the nitrite might have caused some die off on the rock and it added to the cycle. Or the test might have been completed incorrectly. 

Your best bet is to start doing your scheduled water changes and top ups and keep on them to maintain stability. When you have nitrates steady (mine were at 20 for at least a week) and you have no ammonia or nitrite reading during your tests you can begin adding in a clean up crew - as you will probably (should) see a diatom bloom.. brown covering your gravel and rocks.

The idea of the Marine cycle is that the bacteria are only going to multiply/grow enough to break down what the bio load is.. so when you add snails they will add more bioload and your will probably notice a mini cycle if you do test, it might even be occurring even if you can't get a reading on your tests. 

You want to gradually build up the bio-load so that you maintain a balance between macro-life (fish, corals, snails, crabs, etc) and the bacteria that breaks down their waste. This is why you never want to add too many fish or corals to your tank too fast as the waste created could/will likely over-power the bio-filtration of the bacteria. And another cycle will happen.

but I'm no pro, this is just my understanding as I recently went through the cycle process myself. I hope others chime in on this.


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