PH levels
- Thread starter tandt
- Start date
sly
Active Member
pH should be 8.1-8.4 with 8.3 being ideal.
Specific Gravity (SG) should be 1.023. This is a measure of how much salt is in the water.
Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite should all be low if not 0.
Add some dead shrimp to your water if you don't already have anything in there. This will trigger the formation of ammonia which will start your nitrification cycle. Your ammonia will start to rise in the tank followed by your nitrite and then nitrate. Your ammonia will reach a peak and then start to taper off back down to zero. Then your nitrite will start to drop after awhile also. While this is happening, your nitrate will steadily increase.
Once your ammonia and nitrate levels drop down, do a water change to remove the nitrate. Now wait a few days to make sure every level holds steady, pH 8.3, SG 1.023, temp ~80, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm and nitrate <20ppm for fish or <5ppm for inverts.
This whole process can take a month or longer, depending on how long it takes your filter system to mature. Patience is key.
Specific Gravity (SG) should be 1.023. This is a measure of how much salt is in the water.
Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite should all be low if not 0.
Add some dead shrimp to your water if you don't already have anything in there. This will trigger the formation of ammonia which will start your nitrification cycle. Your ammonia will start to rise in the tank followed by your nitrite and then nitrate. Your ammonia will reach a peak and then start to taper off back down to zero. Then your nitrite will start to drop after awhile also. While this is happening, your nitrate will steadily increase.
Once your ammonia and nitrate levels drop down, do a water change to remove the nitrate. Now wait a few days to make sure every level holds steady, pH 8.3, SG 1.023, temp ~80, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm and nitrate <20ppm for fish or <5ppm for inverts.
This whole process can take a month or longer, depending on how long it takes your filter system to mature. Patience is key.
sly
Active Member
If you don't have anything in the tank, then change it all. If you do have things in the tank then change about 20%.
Also when you add new water to your tank, save your self some trouble and buy an air pump or a small power head to stir the water before you put it in. Newly mixed water has very little dissolved oxygen in it and could cause problems with your fish if you just dump it in.
Also mixing adds oxygen which raises the SG. It is common to mix up a batch of water, add it straight to the tank, and then later find that the SG has risen because it wasn't oxygenated before putting it in.
Also when you add new water to your tank, save your self some trouble and buy an air pump or a small power head to stir the water before you put it in. Newly mixed water has very little dissolved oxygen in it and could cause problems with your fish if you just dump it in.
Also mixing adds oxygen which raises the SG. It is common to mix up a batch of water, add it straight to the tank, and then later find that the SG has risen because it wasn't oxygenated before putting it in.