# Freshwater Test Kit results



## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

Hello, I am using an API freshwater master test kit, and have finished cycling 3 tanks, with fish, and this was painful (more for the feeders than me, thankfully). I believe I understand the nitrogen cycle, but wish some clarification.

ammonia .25-.5ppm, nitrites: 0, nitrates 0: tank not cycled even to nitrites
ammonia: 0ppm, nitrites .25-.5ppm, nitrates: 0: tank further cycled, wait some more
ammonia: 0ppm, nitrites: 0, nitrates: <.40 ppm: tank is cycled

In all the above cases I need to do a PWC of 25-50% to get the levels down.

If I start testing for nitrates and get <.4ppm, can I assume that ammonia and nitrites are 0, or should I also test for ammonia and nitrites.

If I start testing for nitrates and get 0ppm, and then test for nitrites and get .25ppm, can I assume that ammonia is 0ppm, or should I also test for ammonia?

In summary can you have mixes of certain BB, some for example that eat ammonia and some that eat nitrites?

I searched for a similar question and could not find much. I am getting really proficient at putting exactly 5 ml of tank water into a test tube. Thanks.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

you can not assume ammonia and nitrites are 0 by the level of nitrates.

you can not assume anything by the level of one thing.

tank is cycled if it has a source of ammonia and both ammonia and nitrites are 0, its as simple as that

Try to keep your nitrates under 40 by doing water changes. Plants also help lower nitrates.

Keep it up. Also, when a tank is cycled, it is cycled only for the level of ammonia that is put into the tank by whatever means ammonia is introduced such as fish or adding pure ammonia.

If you add more fish, it will take time for the bacteria to catch up to the new bio load. But once a tank is fully cycled, this often only takes a couple days and there are no problems if you add stock slowly.


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

pyrrolin said:


> you can not assume ammonia and nitrites are 0 by the level of nitrates.
> 
> you can not assume anything by the level of one thing...


Thanks for the help. So if should I test for all three parameters each time I do testing? I'm kind of lazy and want to minimize testing.

Also if I have cycled a tank (my quarantine tank) with 10 fish and then move 9 fish to another tank, leaving 1 fish for a week or two, will the BB die down due to lack of food? So if after the week or two I again add 9 fish they tank will go into a mini-cycle?


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## greg (Apr 29, 2012)

TorontoBoy said:


> Thanks for the help. So if should I test for all three parameters each time I do testing? I'm kind of lazy and want to minimize testing.
> 
> Also if I have cycled a tank (my quarantine tank) with 10 fish and then move 9 fish to another tank, leaving 1 fish for a week or two, will the BB die down due to lack of food? So if after the week or two I again add 9 fish they tank will go into a mini-cycle?


Yes that's correct. Remove fish used for cycling and add new fish same day ideally.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

You should test all perameters. Generally when you have higher Nitrates, you have a greater risk of having high lvls of everything else associated (nitrites, and ammonia). But if your nitrates are low, and you're not seeing any symptoms of ammonia toxicity, chances are these levels are low.

Still a good idea to test all perameters.


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

Thanks for the advice. I often test for only nitrates, find they are Ok, then my fishey senses tingle, telling me something is not kosher, then do a water change.

I will start testing all three parameters.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

My tanks are all cycled and I very rarely test for ammonia or nitrites. If I think there might be something wrong then I test ammonia and nitrites. I do try to check nitrates once a month at least.

If you are still adding stock, regular ammonia and nitrite testing is recommended. Once your tank is fully stocked and all is good, healthy, happy, I see no reason to check ammonia and nitrites often unless you see a problem.


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

This API Master test kit is driving me a little bonkers.

I do the test exactly as they state in the book, then hold the test tube up to my window and compare with the card for a reading. Then I hold the test tube against the white part of the card, beside the test chart and the reading is one level darker. Which reading should I use? I also find that comparing a solution to a printed card's colours is not that easy.

For nitrates I can't really see the difference between 10 and 20ppm; They both look like the exact same hue of orange to me. At least when nitrates get to 40ppm the thing turns red. That I can see.

Thanks all. I'm still adding fish so I guess I'll continue to do all three tests on a regular basis.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

nitrates at 10 or 20 are both good. Too low and your plants don't have any to use, you are in a good range.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I find it difficult to compare those colours too, but it helps if you do it either in good bright daylight, midday by a window, or under 65 or 6700 K bulbs. Always compare under the same lighting, as it can really affect the way the colours appear. If the light is always the same, at least the readings should be consistent in the way they appear to you.

And as to your question about BB.. beneficial bacteria, I assume is what you meant ? There are indeed two kinds of these that are useful to us in aquariums. 

One eats ammonia and converts it to nitrites. The other eats nitrites and converts them to nitrates. You need both kinds to have a cycled tank. This is why a cycle begins with ammonia, goes to nitrites, then to nitrates when it's getting nearly to the end of the cycle.

In a new tank, unless you are using established media from another tank to start with, the first bacteria that show up are the ammonia eating type. Once they become established you'll begin to see nitrite readings as they convert the ammonia. These readings will increase for awhile, known as the nitrite spike. 

The source of the ammonia can be pure ammonia, which is called a fishless cycle or fish waste. Fishless cycling is considered the best method, since it saves fish from exposure to toxic levels of nitrite and ammonia. But no matter where it comes from, first you get ammonia, then ammonia eating bacteria that convert it to nitrites.

Once there are enough of the ammonia eating type to convert it all to nitrites, you begin to see nitrate readings, as the nitrite eating type begin to colonize. Nitrate readings should continue to rise for awhile, while the nitrite readings will start to come down, as the nitrite eaters convert them to nitrates. I wish these two words were not so similar, it does not help when you're first trying to learn this stuff. But when there are enough BB of both types, the nitrite reading will be zero and the nitrate reading should be less than 50 ppm. Ideally between 10 - 30 ppm. 

A cycle is really just the establishment of sufficient numbers of both kinds of bacteria to handle the bioload of a given tank. Bioload is the amount of waste produced by the animals in the tank, and later on may also be from any leftover food or dead plant matter.

This is why you are told not to add a bunch of fish all at once after the cycle is complete. It greatly increases the bioload suddenly and the bacteria need time to increase their numbers to handle more ammonia. So adding fish gradually works much better.

But if you have a crash of some bacteria, or an overload they can't handle, you can quickly end up with ammonia again. Might be from a dead fish, too many fish or a dirty filter or lack of water changes. But whatever the cause, if the bacteria have died or aren't present in sufficient numbers to handle the demand, you can end up back with ammonia. Doing only a nitrite or nitrate test won't tell you if this has happened, so you have to do tests for each one of these to be sure of the water conditions. I prefer to use the dip strips, which are likely not as accurate but do give me a very fast overview of what's in the water. If anything is off from what I usually see, I use the API tests in the vial to get a better reading.

Of the three compounds, ammonia is the worst & nitrite is not much better, both being far more toxic than nitrates to fish. Plants can use nitrates, so having some level between 10 and 30 ppm is good for plants. If you have no nitrates, the plants will suffer, and anything over 50 ppm is going to stress the fish and eventually damage them, so don't allow it to rise that high. Regular water changes are the usual way to keep nitrates from getting too high.

Naturally, if you see a reading for nitrite or ammonia, you must do a water change as well. If you find you are suddenly seeing nitrites, you can do a major water change, up to 100% if need be, but it helps to do it gradually. Change about 30%, test again. If levels are not down enough, change another 30 or 40%. Test again, repeat if need be to get readings to acceptable levels. It is less stressful for the fish if you do this kind of drastic water change in stages, even if they happen one right after the other. Hopefully it won't ever be needed but if it is, this is how to do it.

Keep the filter clean, but never clean all the media in it at the same time. Do the sponge one time, the floss or bio media another time, etc., so as not to remove too many of the BB at one time. Many people run two filters so as to be able to clean one at a time, say one filter one week, the other the following week, to be sure of not losing too many BB at one time.


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

Thanks Fishfur. I was sure I was not the only one having some trouble reading the Master Test kit colour charts. Now I use the same nearby window to check my results. If I hold the test tube up to the light towards the sun I get a lighter reading than if I hold it up against the white background of the card. I'll stick with the card method for consistency.

Thanks for the recap of BB and tank cycling/crashing scenarios. I keep reading and reading about it and now have a much clearer understanding. With experience, good and bad, things must get easier.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

They do. I kept fish back in high school, more years ago than I care to acknowledge, and none of this was known then. No cycles, no bacteria. You cleaned a filter by tossing all of the media away and starting over. I think now it's a wonder any fish lived, but they did. Most of them did.

But it's better to know what's going on, and try to keep it stable, because in the end it's best for the fish and that's best for you. If I helped make it any clearer, I am very pleased to hear it. When I first got back into fish, I made a bunch of mistakes too and had a hard time wrapping my head around the cycle and how it works. But I learned, and you will too.


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## ppaskova (Apr 27, 2010)

TorontoBoy said:


> Thanks Fishfur. I was sure I was not the only one having some trouble reading the Master Test kit colour charts. Now I use the same nearby window to check my results. If I hold the test tube up to the light towards the sun I get a lighter reading than if I hold it up against the white background of the card. I'll stick with the card method for consistency.
> 
> Thanks for the recap of BB and tank cycling/crashing scenarios. I keep reading and reading about it and now have a much clearer understanding. With experience, good and bad, things must get easier.


Go through my thread http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43971 to undestand more about accuracy of those test kits


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