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Water Test Numbers.

Tested my water for the first time today, it read:

Nitrate: 20 - 40

Nitrite: 3.0

Hardness: 300

Alkalinity: 300+

PH: 8.4+

If you read my last post in the fish topics; I am cycling with fish (wish i didnt but i did), Im in my first week and not too sure what theses numbers mean nor how to change them if I need to. My water is very hard (it comes out of the tap looking like Squirt Soda) so I added De-Chlorination and start zym a day or so before i put my fish in. When I feed them I loose one or two fish..its been 2 days since my last feeding and so far so good but these guys need to eat soon so how do i feed them, let them poop, and not loose any fish?

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Permalink Reply by Vlad Jovanovic on May 16, 2013 at 4:08am

No you do not need to feed them soon...they can go weeks without food and be just fine. Don't be fooled by those sad puppy dog eyes as you walk past the tank...

Your nitrites are way high...salt to 1ppt (one part per thousand...same as 1000ppm) with solar/pool salt...or pure dehydrated sea water. DO NOT use table salt that has iodine in it. This salting to mitigate nitrite poisoning works much, much better as a pre-emptive strategy...but better late than never.

Carbonate Alkalinity, pH, General Hardness is fine for now. pH is a tad high...but at this point, with carbonate alkalinity above 300, you'll probably do more harm than good trying to lower it.

QUIT FEEDING until nitrites and NH4 come down. SALT YOUR SYSTEM TO 1ppt, and start collecting rain water or invest in an RO filter while you ride this out...