Question: Water Reading: What is normal and how to fix them...

[grets66]

5 days ago, we bought a water test kit and tested our water fo pH, kH, gH, NO2 and NO3.

The readings were on 10.03.2011 at 12:52 pH8 gH17 kH6 NO2-1mg/l and NO3-50mg/l

I entered the readings into the online water testing lab sera GmbH :*sera Onlinelabor <- NEU! and it said that my water was bad and specially bad were the NO2 and NO3 levels. It suggested, that we made an immediate water change of 50% and treat the water with pH Minus, Bio Nitrivec and Toxivec, to get the pH, NO2 and NO3 down.

We did this and the next day the water tests were fine:
pH - 7, gH - 16, kH - 5, NO2 - 0mg/l and NO3 - 25mg/l

We were quite happy as it seams that it worked. The two axies in our tank seamed happier also cause their appetite has grown and they're quite active.

So I thought I would test the water again this morning just to see how's it going and the results were shocking:
pH - 7, gH - 16, kH - 6, NO2 - 3.0mg/l, NO3 - 75mg/l

according to the seralabor site the normal water readings would be:
pH 6.5 - 7.5, gH <15, kH 5 - 10,NO2 <0.1mg/l and NO3 < 25mg/l

If this is so, I think that the N levels are alarmingly high in my tank and need to be dealt with. But I really do not know how to do this, because I have tried all the recommended chemicals and Bacteria already.
One more thing, we have a 2-phase internal filter, with both mechanical (sponge) filtering and biological (carbon - currently) filtering. Could it be that the Carbon should be switched with some other granulates?

Also, the so-called normal readings in seralabor are for fish. As I already read, Axies tend to like harder water. So one of my questions would be - What are the normal water readings for axietank?

 

[carsona246]

Ok, so your filter, carbon is not biological filtration, it's chemical. I have very little faith in chemical filtration. The sponge on your filter is actually biological filtration, if it's what I'm thinking about. I don't use carbon, as I think it's usefullness is limited, and a properly maintained aquarium has no need of it. That being said it won't hurt anything in your aquarium, and probably has some beneficial bacteria on it.
What you want is 0 ammonia 0 nitrite, and less than 40 ppm's of nitrate. Don't worry about your ph unless it's swinging like crazy, or to an extreme. Honestly there's really no reason to worry abut your kh/gh unless your having health problems with your axolotl. If you do want to buffer your water a bit, adding a handfull of crushed coral in a mesh bag will help. I do not suggest using any chemicals to help with water parameters. Your tank is still cycling, hence the nitrite, or your filter cannot handle the bio load. Either way a waterchange is really the only way to fix it. How big is your tank? I'm unfamiliar with your testing method, is it a liquid drip test, or is it a strip test that you drop it in? I'd just recommend waterchanges until your tank finishes the nitrogen cycle

 

[Kaysie]

To add to Carson's wonderful advice, I have to say: for the most part, the less chemicals you add to the tank, the better your tank will be. Chemicals can cause wild swings in water parameters, which is much more stressful to your axolotl than a parameter that is slightly outside of the recommended guidelines.

All you need to add to your tank is a simple dechlorinator. That's it. To alter a parameter that is too high, remove some of the water, and add fresh water with dechlorinator. This is diluting the concentration of nitrogen in your tank. Your tank will eventually cycle itself as long as you don't remove the bacteria that are in the tank. These bacteria live on the surfaces in the tank: decorations, filter media, the walls of the aquarium itself, substrate, etc.

 

[grets66]

Ok... First of all, thank you for all your answers... I'm not relly sure what ppm means, so I'm just gonna assume that it's the same as mg/l, which means my nitrate is 35mg too high still.
The two liquids I'm using are not both chemicals. Toxivec is basically a dechlorinator as Kaysie recommended or a water conditioner for aquariums. and the Bio Nitrivec is actually waht it says - Biological means of dealing with Nitrates. It consists of powdered volcanic rock and bacteria colonies that fight against nitrates. So I hope we're not overtreating the water
And now I discovered from the manual of my filter, that if I have any problem with nitrates I should change the activated carbon granulates to Cheramic media granulates, which help to build the perfect living space for nitrate fighting bacteria... So I guess we'll have to do that the next time we go through a water change, Which is tomorrow.

Our tank has been running for 2 month now and we have 2 axies in a 45L tank. I know that eventually, this is too small for 2 axies, but we're probably getting a 150L tank by fall - just in time to move them to a bigger space. The filter is actually meant to handle up to 150L tank, so we're keeping it on minimum flow, to not irritate the axies. I used the strip tests, the regular ones. We actually started testing the water, because our plants started rotting and dying. Now, since the last water change and treatment, both our animals and also our Echinodorus look better but our Bacopa is probably going to die.

 

[Kaysie]

Any 'powdered' bacteria is not viable. They're not alive. So you're just adding more dead things to the tank, raising the ammonia up even more. Further, no bacteria (that I know) removes nitrates. Nitrates must be removed through water changes, or by using a ton of photosynthetic plants.

Also, strip tests are notoriously inaccurate. Liquid reagent tests are much more precise. The bacopa probably needs more light. I've found it to be a pretty light-demanding plant.

 

[carsona246]

I think switching out the carbon for ceramic rings is a good plan. The only thing carbon really helps with is the smell, and once your tank finishes cycling it shouldn't smell anyways. Your right ppm is the same as mg/l. To add what Kaysie says I also have very little faith in biological additives. I actually just tried a few, and the only thing that actually worked was adding seeded filter media. Beneficial bacteria that converts your ammonia/nitrite into nitrate will form naturally on your tank, and it looks like you're basically done with the cycling process already, so the only thing you really need to worry about is changing the water whenever those nitrites get too high, or the nitrates get over 40.