Test strips

[andrew]

Okay i thought i was a person of adverage inteligence (even thou i cant spell lol) but i bough jungle 5 in one test strips and i cant figure out how to read these things for the life of me.. All they have is the numbers it should be and a picture of the strip! Anyway any help would be appreciated lol...

 

[andrew]

Phhhh... Im a moron! Didn't find the chart until after i posted.... Okay here's how my tank stands 0 nitrate 0 nitrite... between 150-300 Hardness (closer to 300) Alkalinity 180-300 closer to 300... and 7.8-8.4 PH closer to 8.4 .... Some of those seem um high? Any suggestions? :Thanks

 

[cynthia]

Is there a test for ammonia?

My ph is usually above 8 at times even over 8.5 and the water is hard as well. I think Idaho and Utah have similar water. I don't try to alter either of them, my fish and axolotls have been fine for years.

 

[andrew]

Not on this strip, could go buy ones with them if your worried.... I dont know why there would be amonia already there is nothing in the tank yet, just checking the water ! i did check my existing 55 gallon tank thou that has fish in it (because i never had before) Um wow, i think i know why theve been looking stressed lately the Nitrate is off the chart, dont know what ive been doing wrong..... Did a big water change and im going to go get someStart Zyme i think, (like the strips suggest) Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[joan]

StartZyme is a waste of money. It really does nothing. The strips suggest it because they're made by the same company

Water changes are always the best fix if anything's getting too high. Just keep on top of the water changes and eventually the tank will cycle.

 

[chris]

are you looking to get axolotls, i live in ogden Utah! and work at tropical encounters pet shop and i ordered some axies about a month ago we have albino's and golden and leucistic also they are the coolest ever!

 

[jennifer]

If the nitrATE is high, then it means your biofilter is working fine and the tank is probably cycled. I agree that StartZyme does nothing. What was the actual reading? All my established tanks have 20-80 ppm nitrate. If it's high, it's not toxic, it just tells you that the nutrients are building up.

 

[anne-marie]

The tank you are testing is just being set up - is that right? You will need to test for ammonia to see if the cycle has started. The fact that there is no nitrite OR nitrate present suggests that it may not have reached the ammonia to nitrite stage yet.

 

[andrew]

Hey could the nitrate be my ferilizer for my live planTs? Thanks
Yeah the tank with no nitrite or nitrate is brand new there is nothing in it but the setup and airbubbles.... lol I still dont get the tank cycle thing, can someone explain what to do step by step for me (the "slow" person)
Also do you guys put airstones in your tank to make bubbles? Thanks
Andrew

 

[cynthia]

Andrew - This page explains it pretty well:

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling.htm

Do some google searches on "fishless aquarium cycling" and "aquarium cycling"

There are tons of pages out there and lots if different ways to achieve the cycled tank.

I do not condone cycling with fish, there are other ways to achieve a cycled tank without torturing fish.

 

[andrew]

Thanks!!

 

[andrew]

Hey Chris, you still around? Does your store have live Blackworms? THanks