Newby and problem tank water.

[black ghost]

I use API.

[Vale!]

[I'm an interested party ; I'm a poster ; I'm a museum curator ; but not a Guru. On balance, I think I qualify to reply ]

What did yesterday's water-change do to nitrite?

Nitrate concentration generally isn't a huge issue, IMO. It may concern some planted tank keepers who wish to maintain specific ratios of nutrients. It may concern keepers who wish to maintain low levels of stuff in general dissolved in tankwater. It may inform of overall nitrification activity in a tank (fish aren't necessarily the only creatures that produce it).

In context (i.e. cycling a tank) I can offer this ...

Some time ago, in a forum far, far away, I was able to report that very high concentrations of nitrate had no discernible effect on the cycling activity that I was monitoring. If I recall correctly, I got up to c900mg/l before I gave up. This seemed couterintuitive, but nonetheless real. I should add that the chief/only nitrifyers in this case were probably not bacteria - but I don't think that would have made a difference.

I very rarely test tankwater for nitrate - in fact I can't recall the last time I did that. So far as I can tell, the variety of nitrate tests that I've played with have pretty much agreed with each other. However instructions must be carried out rigorously to get them to agree!

Given that nitrate in general isn't an issue, then all you need is a test that tells you : 'probably none' ; 'a bit' ; same as my tapwater' ; or 'a lot'. Your Water Authority says that the average nitrate content of your tapwater this year has been 26.6mg/l : if your test returns a result somewhere near that, then you can trust it.



[Edit : to acknowledge LoT's, and now BG's, interposed posts]

[Granite]

Nitrite level was between 0.2.and 0.4.

[Sasquatch]

@Granite let me sum it up.
Your nitrites tested 0.8 on 1ppm max test
50% water change
Test again 0.8
60% change
Test 0.2-0.4

Your first test was 1.6ppm minimum, just maxed out the scale. Real value was probably much higher since Prime is masking nitrites either by interfering with test, or nitrites itself.

[Granite]

@Sasquatch and Vale!
Thanks for the responses. I don't remember fishkeeping being so chemistry oriented 40 years ago. I'm still trying to get the water right in my tank. I tested today. Nitrite = 0.4, Ammonia =1. I've lost two Cory's in the week, perhaps three, as one does not show at the same time as the others. water temp is 24.5. I also seem to be getting a lot of debris on plant leaves and algea on floating plant roots. Is this because I'm giving too much light or is it a product of the same chemistry problems?
I will be doing a 50% water change again tomorrow Mind you when I kept Oscars I never had plants in the tank, only large rocks they should not have been able to rearrange. But, they did.

Granite

[Granite]

I found a dead cory hidden in some vegetation. That was probably causing a spike. It had been unseen for two days. The remaining two of the group of five still seem happy and thriving. Fingers crossed. I tested yet again with the following results.

Amonia _NH4 = 0.05
Nitrite ^N02 = 0.1
Nitrate ^N03 = 5
PH = 7.5
KH = 9

I then did a 50% change water change. I will test again tomorrow. Just after doing the change, I found a youtube article regarding the use of Seachem Prime. The Author suggested that instead of a water change which might not cure a problem but might only delay further spikes. He advises using Seachem Stability in conjunction with the Prime to add beneficial bacteria. His reasoning was that my dead Cory could be the cause of a spike, or waste accumulated in a crevice. This seems logical, any comments would be helpful.

Granite

[black ghost]

Tetra Safe Start, Dr Tim’s One and Only, Waterlife Bacterlife, all have a proven track record if you’re adding bacteria. Stability is 2nd division, in that it doesn’t always work.

[Granite]

@black ghost,
Many thanks for the vinfo.
granite