# Water params 4 days later.



## PhonicsBus (Feb 7, 2010)

We must be heading in the right direction.

*Feb 11*:
pH : 8.0
Temp : 80F
Ammonia : 0.5
Nitrite : ~1.0
Nitrate : 5 - 10

*Feb 15*:
pH : 7.8
Temp : 78F
Ammonia : 0.0
Nitrite : >5.0
Nitrate : 40-80


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

How long has your tank been cycling? It seems as if it's starting the nitrite spike now. 

Don't forget to keep adding ammonia to feed the ammonia-feeding bacteria too.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

got a kH kit? I'm guessing your kH out of tap isn't very high because nitrification ate .2 of your pH- unless you have a piece of wood or something in there. Not super important as long as you'll be doing frequent water changes.


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## PhonicsBus (Feb 7, 2010)

Tank was set up on Feb 4th.
I am adding ammonia - up to about a 1ppm - each night.


No, I don't have a test for kH (what is that ?)
There is a small piece of driftwood in it.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Ok it might be the driftwood. 
Are you using carbon? Without blathering, kH is essentially a measure of the water's buffering capacity. It's also called alkalinity and carbonate hardness.

kH's function in an aquarium is to act as the paperweight that keeps the pH in place if you will. Water with a low kH is easy to change the pH in. Water with a high kH will resist a pH change and may swing back to it's original level due to buffering. 

Basically, kH maintains your pH where it is. If you have a pH of 8 and a kH of 10, assuming you don't have a really heavy nitrification level (heavy stock, lots of poop), and no acids like wood or alkalines like alkaline rocks, ie limestone, your pH will remain the same for a long time. If you have a pH of 8 and a kH of 2, your pH will begin to drop rather quickly in the same aquarium, as the process of nitrification in an aquarium, in itself, consumes some carbonate hardness in the process. 

So- in a nutshell, or a seashell, or maybe a freshwater apple snail shell... Any shell really, let's not discriminate, kH is:

Also called alkalinity and carbonate hardness

is a measure of the water's ability to maintain it's pH against outside factors

is consumed by nitrification-- this is the second reason for water changes after the reduction of nitrate

can be thought of as a paperweight that keeps the pH in place. The lower the kH the smaller the paperweight and the more easily influenced the pH.


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

good explanation there AquariAM

pretty much simply explains the kH issues

and yes it is most likely the wood that will cause a pH decrease. 

As for the nitrates... that is way too high... you will need to do a water change to reduce them... that or add some plants, but with your tank still fluctuating I would go the water change route


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Or he isn't using a $400 pH test kit, so accuracy and human error could easily make up for .2 swing in pH


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## PhonicsBus (Feb 7, 2010)

I'm using the $30 API test kit.
And I do find it difficult to make a determination between colours most of the time - call it poor eyesight or what have you, I'm human, I can take it.

I didn't think I was supposed to do a water change until the cycle was over.  There are no fish in the tank, and there are a few small plants.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

PhonicsBus said:


> I'm using the $30 API test kit.
> And I do find it difficult to make a determination between colours most of the time - call it poor eyesight or what have you, I'm human, I can take it.
> 
> I didn't think I was supposed to do a water change until the cycle was over.  There are no fish in the tank, and there are a few small plants.


Hold the test tube up against the white part of the card in sunlight for the most exact match. Look through the tube from the side (unless instructed to do so from the top, ie, API copper test).

Second best is to use a 6500-6700K lamp to view results.

A lower or higher color temp will result in slightly less accurate color perception.


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## PhonicsBus (Feb 7, 2010)

That's what I'm doing. So, at least I know I'm on the right track that way.

Still hard to see the slight differences in some. It's probably just me though.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

PhonicsBus said:


> That's what I'm doing. So, at least I know I'm on the right track that way.
> 
> Still hard to see the slight differences in some. It's probably just me though.


No they are quite frustrating.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

If you're using Toronto tap water, or other municipal water that comes from Lake Ontario, you don't have to worry about KH. It's quite adequate without being excessive.

I agree with Chris that 0.2 pH points isn't significant in a color matching test kit, as well as not being of much significance in general, from a fishkeeping point of view.


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