Help needed for a wounded axolotl

[sarah]

Can someone please tell me what I should be looking for with these: Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate? What are good/bad levels when I am checking my tank water. Also, how do I tell if the water is hard or soft?

 

[grant]

Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate- around 0
Your pH should also be above 6.5

 

[sarah]

Thanks, I checked everything and it all seemed alright. I have to add some salt to the water to make it hard though. I guess we have soft water.

 

[joan]

If you notice calcium deposits on your faucets, or limescale in your coffee maker, you've got hard water.

 

[sarah]

No, we have soft water, and I'm not exactly sure how to treat that?! He has been living in that water only treated for chlorine for 2 years, should I change it on him now?

 

[cynthia]

Sarah - I would suggest getting a test kit if you do not have one so you can test the water.

If you are thinking of altering the hardness get a test kit that will test general hardness and carbonate hardness as well as ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Water chemistry is some what painful to read about lol it gets confusing. But I have found the longer and more you read about it the more some of it starts to make sense.

This little page is a good place to start when talking about soft water (gh).

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2112

There is tons of information on the web about aquarium ph kh gh. Do some google searches and you will find more than you ever wanted to read about water testing and altering.

 

[sarah]

Thanks, I will check it out. I have a test kit that checks ammonia, chlorine, nitrite, nitrate, water hardness, and pH. I just wasn't sure exactly how to alter the water to get it from soft water to hard water.