http://forum.aqua-fish.net/ A forum devoted to aquarium fish, plants, techniques and fish keeping as a whole. en http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#1 Can anybody help me with water quality? At the moment Nitrate is 100mg/l pH is 5 and GH is 17dh. 1. I want to reduce the nitrates first to around the 50mg/l as i have read that this is an exceptable level. I have changed 25% water yesterday and 25% again today, is this change to often? 2. I have tested for GH as this is the only test kit i could get today and the result was 17dh. What is best, GH or do i need to get a KH test kit so i can caculate the C02 level. This i know is only the start of getting good quality water for my fish but any help would be much appreciated terryathome 2008-11-23 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#2 you are doing the right thing atm to reduce the nitrates, if I were you I wouldn't worry about the GH readings as it sounds like your KH is far too low, this in turn is reducing you pH to 5. Get a KH test kit, it needs to be 4 or above to stabilise the pH mickey 2008-11-24 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#3 Mick, will get Kh test kit this weekend but last week i did get bottle of Nutrafin KH booster just in case. Haven't used it as yet as like you say need KH test kit first. Question: Would it be normal to use KH booster if it's low or is there any other way to do this? Terry terryathome 2008-11-28 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#4 if the KH is too low there is only one reason, not enough carbonates in the water. Small trick to overcome this is to add some sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to the water that is being used on the water changes. Depending on how large your water changes are you will not need a lot, test the water with the KH kit before you add the bicarb and then test it after so that you will eventually know how much to add on each change. For the main tank, mix some bi-carb with a little warm water and then add slowly to the tank. Keep testing as you add it evry hour,. once the KH is above 4 problem solved. KH booster is just a dearer way of doing this. mickey 2008-12-01 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#5 Mickey, thanks for the info on the bicarbonate but will use KH booster untill it runs out seeing that i have bought it already. I will adjust the KH as you have said and will get back to you. In the mean time i have been taking test and enclose the results for you to comment on. terryathome 2008-12-01 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#6 Have i mentioned that it is a planted tank? Well only planted about 2 weeks ago that is. Sorry Mickey, i bet this will make a difference. Better come clean with what i've got i think. 20 gal tank, in tank filter, just swaped day light for red spectrum light 20W T8, honest i didn't know is was a day light. 4 clown/8 Harliquins/7 platy/3 Simease flying fox/2 other loaches. Terry terryathome 2008-12-01 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#7 Being a planted tank shouldn't make any difference, my discus tank is planted and I occassionally have low KH, one reason I found out was that I had quite a large population of Apple snails that were reducing the calcium levels as they grew. You are overstocked on your present tank and this will cause problems in the future. Clown loaches grow very large and should be kept in at least a 50 gallon tank so I would think about upgrading to in the future. Youve done right going for a red spectrum light as blue spectrum will cause algal problems, they feed off blue light. mickey 2008-12-02 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#8 Mickey, you took the words right out of my mind there with overstocking. Been thinking that because of the high nitrate levels and not been able to reduce it. In between our post 2 fish have gone to davey's locker but i know what you mean with the clown fish. I must have about 20 inch of fish in the tank at the moment and as a rule of thumb thats my limit. Got my eye on a big tank, it might be my Xmas present to myself if i've got anything to do with it. Going to alter the KH over this/next week so will keep you posted and hopefully you can help me along. Terry terryathome 2008-12-02 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#9 we are here to help. mickey 2008-12-02 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#10 Mickey, things are starting to change now. Increased KH to 4 as you advised and as expected pH went up to 7.3 Nitrite is stedy at 0.3 as well as Nitrate at 100 which i know needs to be reduced. I'm putting the 0.3 to overstocking a little bit and a small rinse of the filter in tank water i don't think helped. The Nitrate 100 will continue to change water to help it along. Armmonia is OK at 0 The Co2 is a bit up and down and is at 6 mg/l What do you think? Terry terryathome 2008-12-04 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=tank-water-ph-hg-c02-etc-help-#11 good, you have just gone through a mini cycle, I bet you by the weekend your nitrites will be zero as well. If you are definately getting a bigger tank then carry on with regular water changes and keep buffering the water.Once the larger tank is set up you will not have these problems. When you fill it use the tank water from your present tank mickey 2008-12-04