About water parameters
- Thread starter flukeone
- Start date
Well a few days ago I did add some black water extract. If my tap water is already at 6.4ish that would explain the low tank ph. Now i know... That test kit paid for itself within minutes
That should be a good pH for Arowana's, although it is slightly lower than normal, 6.5 to 7.5 is average.
Just don't let it crash.
If its 6.6 out of the tap, I'd do a water change as soon as the tank water dropped to 6.
After water change 
Steering clear of black water for now ?
Btw I do waterchanges with water stored in a tank. Not directly from the tap
Nitrates at 10-20ppm
Nitrite and ammonia still zero
Feels like I avoided a crash in extremis
And no, I don't have a kh test (yet)
Steering clear of black water for now ?
Btw I do waterchanges with water stored in a tank. Not directly from the tap
Nitrates at 10-20ppm
Nitrite and ammonia still zero
Feels like I avoided a crash in extremis
And no, I don't have a kh test (yet)
Doing tests (beyond ammonia and nitrite that are acutely toxic) is all about interpreting results that coincide with the fish you keep (or should keep), and how we personally should do water changes.
If pH drops (for me by 2 points) I know I need to do a water change, and clean mechanical media, whether its been 2 weeks, or only 2 days.
If the nitrate level of my tank rises from 5ppm, to 10 pm or above I do a water change..
If your tap water has a calcium hardness (aka alkalinity (sort of)) of 100, but tank water alkalinity drops by 50% after a water change, water changes are not being done enough, or volume of water change is not enough, for the population density of fish kept, or how much they are fed, or the metabolism of other things like filter cleanings, or amount of media.
Most average aquarium fish do well at a pH around 7, and 10 ppm nitrate.
But some fish like Altum angels, Uaru fernadensepizzi, some Apisto's or certain bettas and gouramis, need acidic water, with very low nitrate, they may also need the addition of tannins.
Certain mezzotrophic lake species do much better in hard, high alkaline, high pH water. (Lake Tanganyika, Xiloa, or Superior)
Fish water they have not evolved to live in, might not show signs of suffering right away, if those parameters are low, but over time symptoms, or becoming prone to HLLE or other diseases, especially in tandem with high nitrate, and/or other stresses like belligerent tank mates, being in too small a tank etc etc.
So unless one learns to interpret, and then acts on test results, in your personal tanks, the act of testing is sort of like masterbation.
If pH drops (for me by 2 points) I know I need to do a water change, and clean mechanical media, whether its been 2 weeks, or only 2 days.
If the nitrate level of my tank rises from 5ppm, to 10 pm or above I do a water change..
If your tap water has a calcium hardness (aka alkalinity (sort of)) of 100, but tank water alkalinity drops by 50% after a water change, water changes are not being done enough, or volume of water change is not enough, for the population density of fish kept, or how much they are fed, or the metabolism of other things like filter cleanings, or amount of media.
Most average aquarium fish do well at a pH around 7, and 10 ppm nitrate.
But some fish like Altum angels, Uaru fernadensepizzi, some Apisto's or certain bettas and gouramis, need acidic water, with very low nitrate, they may also need the addition of tannins.
Certain mezzotrophic lake species do much better in hard, high alkaline, high pH water. (Lake Tanganyika, Xiloa, or Superior)
Fish water they have not evolved to live in, might not show signs of suffering right away, if those parameters are low, but over time symptoms, or becoming prone to HLLE or other diseases, especially in tandem with high nitrate, and/or other stresses like belligerent tank mates, being in too small a tank etc etc.
So unless one learns to interpret, and then acts on test results, in your personal tanks, the act of testing is sort of like masterbation.
