biOrb Aquarium | Reduce tap nitrate | Happy fish!
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- Опубліковано 17 лис 2024
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The products described in this video:
Pozzani No10 Aquarium Nitrate Reduction Filter: Systemwww.pozzani.co...
or from:
www.fishlogic....
Spare filters for the above product can be obtained from:
www.pozzani.co...
or from:
amzn.to/3m3hU8V
API Freshwater test kit: amzn.to/3w3zkHk
VIDEO: REDUCING TAP WATER NITRATE
Aquarium nitrate levels are a concern for ALL aquarium owners and they waste a lot of time and money trying to fix the issue. The aquarium supply industry makes lots of money on the back of these attempts! Ignore the hype!
Increasing levels of nitrate within aquarium water can be a result of:
Having too many fish
Over feeding
Too much build-up of fish and food waste
Lack of tank maintenance (use a vac!) and water changes.
Aquarium species vary in how tolerant they are to nitrate, with some having sensitivity to even low levels of nitrates, with others being far more tolerant to high levels.
However, whether a fish is tolerant or not is totally missing the point! ALL fish prefer low levels of nitrate! Just because some fish can tolerate high levels that doesn't mean we should simply get lazy when it comes to tank maintenance! A key target for managing a clean and healthy aquarium is to retain nitrates as low as possible.
Tank nitrates increase over time and this dictates that we undertake regular water changes with the aim of diluting tank nutrients (e.g. nitrate).
In general, tank nitrates over 25 parts per million (ppm) should be considered high but these levels will not necessarily result in immediate impacts to your fish. But, retaining tank nitrates at high levels, will certainly impact your fish due to long term exposure.
Extreme nitrates levels or around 100ppm should be considered as toxic for all typical tropical fish species. Short-term exposure of high nitrate levels can quickly cause fish to become lethargic, develop red or open sores and individuals may often die suddenly.
The biggest source of nitrates in aquarium water is often your tap water! In the UK/EU, water suppliers can legally provide you with tap water with nitrates up to 50ppm. Levels between 20ppm and 40ppm are not at all unusual! My own water supply is around 24ppm.
This video describes a superb, easy to use, filter system that can be used to reduce or remove nitrates from tap water. The filter ensures you are adding fresh water to your tank that really will help to dilute your tank's nitrate levels.
Unlike many other water filters on the market, this filter only targets the removal of nitrates. The water retains important things such as pH, water hardness and minerals and the water produced is ready to add to your tank! All you need to do is add dechlorinator and warm the water so that it is similar to your tank's temperature.
Fish can be impacted by sudden changes in water quality - even when a change is considered for the better! If your tank is holding high levels of nitrate, it is best to undertake smaller water changes gradually over time (rather than undertake a very large change). I suggest undertaking a 10% water change every day or two until your tank nitrates finally reach low levels. Once tank nitrates are being maintained at low levels then weekly water changes of 33% to 50% of your tank's water will work well and will not be detrimental to the tanks water conditions.
This channel is purely a hobby for me and I aim to support new aquarium owners going through the struggles that may often accompany the setting-up and managing of an aquarium. The Channel is not supported, sponsored or funded by any other parties. I will never ask viewers to donate money for my Channel or for any of my services. I have provided links to products that I may refer to in my videos, in order for you to easily find them. The links I provide are "Amazon Affiliate Links", where the Channel earns a very small commission. If you decide to purchase an item via a link it will be at no extra cost to you. But, if you can get the items you need locally then please do so :-)
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Thanks for watching and supporting!
Mark
Step-by-Step
#stepbystepbiorb
biOrb Aquarium | Reduce tap nitrate levels | Happy fish
You would be proud I just cleaned my BiOrb Tank and its Crystal 🔮 and my fish 🐟 are extremely happy 😊 🫶✨️✌️
Good move my friend. Keep that water crystal and watch those fish smile.
Thanks for the video. I was recommended to get one of these as my tap water nitrates are similar to yours. I wanted to see how it works first. This video was really helpful.
Hi Jodie. Glad I could help. It's a really great product to take out tap nitrates. Just like biOrb and all the products in my videos, I have no deal at all with the suppliers so my views of the product are based on whether it works or not. Many things simply don't (just hype)... This does. I use it every week and push through about 60L of water for maintaining my five tanks. Just like a gravel vac, I wouldn't be without it. I got my unit direct from the supplier and then get my refills from Amazon. Best wishes, Mark
Absolutely best explained renew on you tube.😊 I already ordered one with spare cartridge
Glad you found it useful. I'd be lost without mine and use it week in, week out for five aquariums. Let me know how you get on. Best wishes, Mark
Amazing Information and solution to removing nitrates from tap water, awesome video like always. Thanks for sharing friend👍🏼
Ordered! 40ppm Nitrate in my tapwater, so hopefully this will bring this down. Thanks Mark for this informative video.👍🏻
Hi Nicky, This filter will sort you out. Let me know how you get on with it. Yes 40ppm from the tap is very high, The fish and food waste will just add to this over the space of a week. As your nitrate is high I suggest you drop the tank nitrate in stages, - rather than try to go for it in one hit. Click on the videos "see more" as I describe what I think is the best approach to lower tank nitrates from high to low. Best wishes, Mark
Set this up today and it’s a total game changer! 40ppm down to 0. Highly recommend.
Lol. Yes, it works a real treat.
In goes crap water - out comes great water!
All things in life should be that easy :).
You'd probably be better off drinking water from this yourself... rather than out of your tap LOL.
Record how much water you get through with it and let me know your results as it would be interesting to see how it performs with 40ppm.
@@StepbyStep-biOrb 😂 You’re not wrong there! I will keep a record. Slow introduction to begin with.
Thanks Nicky. I think if i get your results and then compare with mine (@24ppm tap) I should be able to roughly calculate an approximate performance for all tap nitrate levels.
Yes, as you're going from a very high nitrate levels to a very low level it needs to be done gradually to help acclimatise the fish to the change in water quality. It will take a little while but it shouldn't be too long before you are constantly getting low nitrate levels in the tank.
Speaking of water changes! That's exactly what I was doing this morning (all my tanks). Yet another 50 litres of nitrate free aquarium water.
Take care, Mark
Thank you for sharing my friend, I will tell my nephew about your video because he has a small aquarium.
Always great to hear from you my friend. Always happy to support the growth of your Channel. Keep it up! Mxx
Thanks for this - super helpful!
Update: ordered and used first time today for 2 BiOrbs - worked just as Mark said - awesome. So nice doing a water change with nitrates at 0… rather than 25+ ppm. Trying to explain the importance of doing a water change to my daughter has been really difficult when the level of nitrates going in were similar to the ones coming out😂😂
Lol. A really great story! It's brilliant to be producing and using nitrate free water isn't it? It will take a little while to start seeing the results in your tanks. But, two or three weeks of weekly water changes will see you getting substantially better nitrate readings in your tanks. Onwards and upwards! :) Best wishes, Mark
My nitrate levels in my tap water is 40ppm i have ordered this filter for next day delivery Thank you your a life saver its been stressing me out for weeks ive literally tried everything else with no success i can sleep tonight😅
Hi. Eek, that's a really bad nitrate Shaz! Yes, this is the product to go for to reduce tap nitrates. Ignore the hype of ALL other products on the market. They really don't work, total waste of money!
This product never fails to deliver for me. I use it every week to supply water for all my tanks. For you...near zero nitrates from tomorrow. Happy dreams from now on! :)
Literally can't Thank you enough
Thanks for sharing useful experiences of aquarium and fish raising
Many thanks for watching and supporting my channel. Best wishes, Mark
I'm glad you have found a solution to removing nitrates from tap water. Even though I don't have nitrates in my tap water, I do have 1ppm Ammonia in my tap water, although not a massive problem, I have always wondered if a filter would remove. I couldn't find this filter available in the USA. Thank you for the information.
Hi Pam. Always nice to hear from you. Yes, its a great filter and has sorted out my tap nitrate issue without too much hassle. In terms of your ammonia have your checked to see how much is NH3 and how much is NO4? Normally tank bacteria should rapidly deal with it regardless anyway. Do you find that total ammonia zeros within the tank soon after adding?
@@StepbyStep-biOrb thank you for your quick response, when I test the water the next day the ammonia is always 0ppm so it does all clear, so not a massive problem. I have no idea how much is NH3 or NH4, if I leave the water out for a few days there is no change in ammonia level and after dechlorinator it tests the same.
Hey, well if you want to test the water from the tap use this: www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php. It sounds like your BB are dealing with it reasonably quickly.
Thanks man! Super helpful. Will give it a go
Yep, give it a go if your tap water nitrates are poor. I use this filter every week for water changes to five biOrb tanks. It's brilliant!
Hi Mark! A game-changing video for me as I struggle with crap tap water (>60 ppm). Thank you very much! I understand that the rate of filtration should be ideally kept below 1.5L/min for optimal performance. My question is how can we set the filtration rate? Is there a valve on the filter to control this rate or is there any other tools I can use?
Hi. Assuming that you are connecting the filter directly to a tap... the main way to control the flow is via the tap itself. That is what I do. However, you could get a flow rate regulator that fits on to a tap and then connects to the hose : amzn.to/4cQm74z I set my tap to a fairly slow trickle and adjust it so that I am filling a 5L bottle in around 8 mins. As I am filling a good number of bottles each week (to do water changes on 5 tanks) I use my phone timer to remind me when a bottle will be almost full and when its time to swap over to a new bottle. That avoids me forgetting and then wasting filtered water! :) Hope that helps. Best, Mark
Super Great video as always Mark☆ 🎉and I learned alot from you too brother, and hey I have had a very successful tank aquarium for over a year now🎉 and without your Amazing information I would have failed for sure and probably gave up ..but watching your videos and listening to your incredible information we have successfully maintained are BiOrb tank and have very healthy happy fish 🐠 💙 🐠 🐡🐟🌊 So Bless you for all your help and support, & peace ✌ love and joy to ya always. Sincerely Artist Mark Laura B & Buster the cat & my school of fish 🐠 🐡🐠🐟🐡🐚🙀 🎨🎭🤟
Hey Mark. Thanks for such wonderful comments and I really appreciate your support/ friendship. Best wishes to you, Laura B and Buster and your happy posse of fish. Bless you all.
Rock- N -Roll Baby we Loveu 🤟❤️🔥
Love U guys more!! :) Lol
It seems a good idea but i am surprised how few litres the filter can filter out before needing to be replaced. Also it appears it will take a long time to fill a bucket of any significant size. My tank is 180L and I want to change 50% per week
That's a lot of water to filter (90L/week) and a big tank. Why do you need to undertake 50% on a 180L? It works extremely well for most biOrb owners as the tank capacity is nowhere near this. As well as the large amount you are changing I assume you have very high tap nitrate levels? As I have numerous tanks I filter about 50L/week and have no complaints about how long I'm getting out of each filter. Based on my tap water at c.24ppm I guess I'm going through about 4 filters/year to maintain a near zero nitrate output.
@@StepbyStep-biOrb The tank is still cycling but our tap nitrates have always been high, It appears to be 40-50ppm. Where about in the UK are you? :-)
Eeek... Sounds like you have very poor water (for fish) and the level you have will certainly see you go through filters like they are going out of fashion - if you continued to do weekly 50% changes of a 180L using filtered water. The UK/EU Legislation allows up to 50ppm nitrates in tap water so you are near the top of that level. With a nitrate reduction filter you could cut your tap water 50/50 with filtered water and that would get your nitrate down to 20-25ppm. Although that is still on the high side it is far, far, better than 40-50ppm and doing that that would mean each filter would last twice as long. I'm based in Warwickshire. Best, Mark
Hello there, thanks for the new video, always great content. Looks a good device for the tap! I did look at the levels in my tap water from my provider, but found it a bit confusing. I think I’ll take another look.
Hi there. Great to hear from you. Yes, if you have tap nitrates, say over 15ppm (i.e which will rise to say 20ppm in the tank during a week) then it is a good move to make. Your water suppliers website will provide the level to your tap.. They normally show a low, mean/average, and high level for the nitrate supply to your postcode. As usual... thanks for watching and your support :)
@@StepbyStep-biOrb Thanks for your advice. I will take a look at the providers website. How is your neighbour enjoying their tank?
She loves it. :) I've been helping with water changes, but she's now getting the hang of everything now. I've only added 6 fish, so that simplifies things too. She always liked my cherry barbs so that is what I got her (3 male, 3 female).
@@StepbyStep-biOrb I am so pleased. I’ve had a bit of an issue in my tank and lost a few fish. Some kind of cotton wool disease. I treated the tank and it’s sorted out now and I have managed to save some of the fish. I’ll now increase the population gradually again. In truth I think the z danios had a problem when I added them to the tank :( it is unusual that before I added them, I’d kept all my fish alive for over a year. Readings were fine, who knows. It hasn’t put me off. I still love my fish and tank :)
Argh! I'm really sorry to hear that Victoria! Yes, don't let it put you off. I agree, it sounds like the danios had a problem and brought that it into the tank.
Hi Mark,
Been watching your videos for the past month now and really educating me on setting up and maintaining a biorb which im expecting tomorrow 😀. One question, after you have filtered your tap water into your 5 litre bottle do you top it up with warm water from your tap to get the approximate temperature or just leave it at room temperature and add it to the tank.
Thanks
Jamie
Hi Jamie. It is best to add water to the aquarium, especially when you have fish present, to the a temp similar to that being maintained in the tank. You could indeed add warm water from the tap but you will find that the quality of the water coming from your hot water tap is poor quality. You could instead part fill the bottle with filtered water and then add hot water from a kettle. The better method, the one I use, is to fill your kitchen sink with hot tap water and then stand a full 5l bottle of cold filtered water in that. The water temp in the bottle will slowly rise until it reaches a suitable temp to add to your tank. You would need to use a thermometer to monitor the bottle temp rise and to remove the bottle from the sink when it reaches a suitable temp. I use one of these to monitor the temp for me: amzn.to/40jNtes. This allows me to set a thermostat's alarm so that it is triggered when the temp is reached. This means i don't have to stand around for ages waiting for the temp to rise and can instead get on with other things. Best, Mark
Thanks Mark, this helps a lot. Think I will fill the sink with hot water and go down that route. Biorb tank arrived today, existing times 😀👍
No problem Jamie. Yep, the "bottle in the sink" is the best way to ensure that you retain water quality. If you are filling a new (fishless tank) then there is far less concern about landing the temp in the correct ball park. For a tropical (heated) tank anything between 20C to 30C is probably fine for initial filling. The tank will then settle down to the correct temp and then will be maintained by the heater. The alternative, adding cold water to a new tank, would cause the heater to work constantly and it takes a long time for an aquarium heater to lift cold water (e.g. 12C) to one that could be considered to be a tropical water temp. If you need any help with cycling etc just drop me a line. M
Thanks Mark, have you ever kept Ember Tetras ? Just reading some sites about their care requirements and most sites say they are best with live plants. Would you say this is essential or would biorb decor be sufficient for this fish.
Jamie
Hi Jamie. I have numerous tetra species but I've never kept ember. Their water quality requirements are far different to the water I have (hard, pH 7.4/7.5) so they are a species that wouldn't do at all well in my tanks. They are associated with very soft/acidic conditions with pH ideally below 7.0. They would be fine in a non planted tank as you could add a good number of biOrb plants to produce a similar scenario. They have a natural tendency to feel vulnerable in open water so prefer to have things they can hide around. They would show/produce stronger colouration in well planted tanks. The key thing for them is to provide them with suitable water quality conditions (planted tank or not). Best, Mark.
Hi Mark, thanks again for this useful video. I'm so lucky that I live in an area in Denmark where the Nitrat level is 0%.
About cleane water I've som questions for you:
1) What is your opinion about the water cleaning products from biOrb: Water Optimizer, Biological Booster and Complet Care. All these three products should be added to the aquarium once a week. Do you think this is the right thing to do or is this just "waste of money" and is it better to add just one product like Tetra Aquasafe - or maybe a complete other product?
2) As I told you I have 6 Rasboras and 1 DG. One of the Rasboras must be dead because I really can't see it anymore. I didn't succeed to find it and take it out of the water. Will this give problems for the water quality and the other fish that there's a dead fish in the aquarium?
3) I also have 2 Zebra Snails and they are doing the job very well. But is it normal that they sometimes just lay on the bottom and don't move for hours? I really have no knowledge about these snails.
Thank you and best/ Roel
Hi Roel
Hope you're well.
Yes, you are very lucky to have a good water supply (and even more lucky to live in Denmark... great place, great people!).
Re your questions...
1. With an established (running) tank I prefer to keep it very basic. Just stick with AquaSafe, which is a really good basic dechlorinator (with no strange things added!). Don't fall for product hype! Only add "additional" things if there is a specific reason for doing so. If you don't need it... don't add it.
The only biOrb products I use regularly are Cleaning Pads and the High Gloss Polish. That's about it!
2. Really sorry to hear you've lost one of your Rasboras. A dead fish can give a slight (short-term) rise in water ammonia. It isn't a matter for concern though and this isn't an issue in terms of overall water quality, the health of the other fish etc. At the end of the day, most fish food is made up of fish meal (i.e. dead fish)! I agree, very small fish can be almost impossible to find them if they perish. Just to note also, snails will nearly always digest small dead fish (and will prefer that to algae!)
3. With Nerite snails I would say it is fairly normal that they have periods when they don't do a great deal. I wouldn't expect to see them active all the time. Mine do similar. The key thing is that they are the right way up, shell aperture/mantle facing downwards.
Hope that helps.
Best,
Mark
@@StepbyStep-biOrb Hello Mark, Thanks for being so positive about Denmark. One of my favorite countries has always been Great Britain 😄
As usual your information is very extensive and useful. I must admit that I was fallen for these biOrb products when I bought the whole aquarium set to start up. But afterwards I realized that that probably was the meaning biOrb.... Now - with your information - I stick to AquaSafe.
Good to hear that a little dead fish doesn't disturb the water quality and the other fish and it can make the snails happy 😄
Thank you Mark and all the best to you.
Roel
I really love Denmark. Ive been numerous times, mainly to the area around Silkeborg.
Most manufacturers want to sell you their ongoing products. It is how they make most of their money! biOrb is no different!
All you need is: good water, sponge filters, AquaSafe, activated carbon and a gravel vac, and fish food. Not a lot really to add to that list!
Easy peasy! Keep it basic!
M
Hi Mark, thanks for your videos, I've found them really useful. I'm now at the stage of trying to reduce nitrates from my tap water and that gadget looks great. As I'm not very technical, how do you actually use it? Do you attach a hose from the tap to the nitrate filter, then another hose from the filter to the water container once the filter has removed the nitrate? Will this work with any taps? I've looked online but I can't see any explanations and worry that I'll buy this and won't be able to use it. Any advice gratefully received. Thanks, Dan
Hi Dan. This filter works really well and it should get your water supply nitrate to zero (or near enough). I use my garden tap for mine as that has a screw fitting and allows the use of hozelock type fittings. If you don't have one of those, or if you want to use a standard household tap, you will need to get an indoor tap connector and use that. See here: amzn.to/3XP0QSD. You will need two lengths of hose, one from your tap to the filter and one from the filter to your water bottle. The hose from the filter to your water bottle should be long enough to allow the water bottle to be placed on the ground. You would then allow a slow flow of water through the filter and straight into your water bottle. I use a slow flow rate and it takes about 5 mins to fill up a 5 litre bottle. I undertake water changes every week on my 5 aquariums. So, as I need to fill up a lot of water bottles, I use my phones stop watch app to time down from 5 mins. This then bleeps to remind me that it is time to stop filling one bottle and fill up the next bottle. This avoids overfilling (wasting water). My video (click here: 26:17), describes what you need to do and also shows it operating, using a garden tap. I hope that helps. Best wishes, Mark
@@StepbyStep-biOrb Hi Mark, thanks for your explanation and apologies I missed the end of the video which was the info I was after!
Never a problem Dan. If you do get the filter system (and I suggest you do... if you have higher nitrates like me!) and you have any problems with it, please feel free to drop me a line. The water that comes out of the filter is "good to go" into the tank, it just needs a normal dose of dechlorinator (such as AquaSafe) and to be warmed to a similar temp as that in your aquarium. It's a great product! Best, Mark
Hi Mark, I received the filter yesterday and it's working perfectly. Thanks for your help!
Hi Dan. That's great news. Always happy to help. Hopefully it will get your nitrates right down, and very probably zero(ish). I tend to take my time with the amount of flow through it and tend to get it going at between 5 to 6 mins to fill a 5 litre water bottle. I use my phone's stop watch to keep an eye on the time so that I can leave the bottle to fill by itself. The phone's alarm alerts me to change bottles and avoids overfilling/wasting filtered water. I suggest you keep a record of how many bottles you fill (litres) as that will be a reminder of when you may need to check the filter's nitrate reduction. Best wishes. Mark
Hi Mark. As you know I mix my tap water with ZeroWater to get a lower TDS value.
Now I have the possibillity to use WFI water (water for injection). TDS is of course zero. What are your thoughts about using WFI instead of ZeroWater?
Thanks - and best regards,
Roel
Hey Roel. I hope you are well. Yes, WFI is "ultra purified" water specially produced to exacting standards for use in injection systems/ laboratories etc I'm not aware of aquarists raving on about it but I think that is not really available to most people. At a basic level it the same as purified water. Clearly it would need remineralisation to put essential minerals back in and to ensure pH conditions. Alternatively you would need to cut it with tap water to basically to end up with a product similar to what you get by mixing tap with ZeroWater. I haven't used it and haven't read anything about its use in household aquariums, but i guess it is just like using off the shelf purified water (which some people do). It would be a matter of doing a fair bit of water quality testing to get what you are after (i.e. a suitable/stable pH and to retain a suitable level of TDS to meet the requirements of your fish). Let me know how you get on. Best, Mark
When I say purified water I probably mean distilled water!
@@StepbyStep-biOrb Thank you Mark. I can get the WFI for free at my job (a pharmaceutical company), so that’s quite practical. Also because the ZeroWater filters only last about 35-40 liters.
I’ll make a mix with about 5 liters WFI and 2,5 liter tap water and measure the different values.
I’ll let you know about the results.
All the best, Roel
Hi Mark, hope you're doing fine and I'm sorry for this late reaction but there's good news.
I've now tested the water quality a few weeks and there is no difference in the results of the measurements with the tap water + WFI compared to tap water + ZeroWater. The results are exactly the same.
Because of the high TDS (>500 ppm) in my tap water I have to change the expensive ZeroWater filters very often, so I stick to the WFI.
All the best - Roel
Hi Roel. Yes, I would have expected the same/similar results between WFI and ZeroWater... but always wise to check before use. Clearly, when you have a free cost source of pure water (in your case) it makes sense to use that to cut with tap water to help drop your TDS down. A tap supply of TDS 500ppm will certainly reduce the life span of ZeroWater filters, and that can end up being expensive. It sounds like you have found a good solution. Best wishes to you. Mark
Hi. Great videos. We are new to tropical tanks. Just bought a 30L cube tank.
My water supplier states the nitrate value in mg/l (4.5mg/l). I just wonder how I convert this to PPM and if I would need one of these filters? Thanks 😊
Hi Kaylie. That converts to being 4.5ppm nitrate. That is a good tap water nitrate level. There is no need for you to seek a reduction in your tap nitrate. All very good! :)
@StepbyStep-biOrb thank you, that's great! I'm so excited to set this up as a feature in our home 😊
Not a problem. If I can help with the early establishment of the Cube please let me know. Best wishes, Mark
Have you had any thoughts about going down the marine route. I see biorb do a conversion kit.
Hi Paula. For a biOrb I personally prefer freshwater tanks but am aware that some owners go down (or at least try!) the saltwater route. I would generally say that freshwater tanks are far easier to own and maintain compared to saltwater, especially for those new to owning an aquarium. Freshwater tanks are mainly focussed on using tap water, saltwater tanks generally need a higher quality of water.
Freshwater fish are more able to cope with changing water conditions etc, compared to saltwater fish. So, far more effort is needed to maintain a fairly stable environment. Freshwater fish tend to be hardier.
There is a tendency to need a larger aquarium if going down the saltwater route - this is more to help support stable water conditions but also because saltwater aquarium's support less fish (numbers) due to the a reduced water oxygen content. Roughly something like 15 to 20% less fish for a given tank size.
If you do decide to take the plunge, it would be best to stick to a fish-only saltwater tank. Reef type tanks are better suited to more specialised aquariums supported by good water filtration systems.
Best
Mark
@StepbyStep-biOrb thanks Mark. I think j will stick with freshwater
LOL. Me too :)
Hi Mark, had my tank running just over a week now with no fish in yet. Just tested my water and my results are - pH 7.6. Ammonia 0ppm. Nitrite 0ppm. Nitrate 0ppm. It's looking promising so far but do you think my pH level is high or is this normal as I have no fish in yet. Will this gradually reduce once I have the fish in ? Thanks Jamie
Hi Jamie. Your pH is fine and is reflecting your tap water pH. In the tank you will be getting a "true pH" reading and this is the pH that you will need to base your fish choice on. The pH of freshly drawn tap water will change after it has stood for a couple of days - hence the reading in your tank. It is often the case that pH will rise and I'll guess that your tap water is about pH 7.2 to 7.4.
Your ammonia and nitrIte readings are correct with a reading of zero. Tap water will normally have very low levels that are not measurable using an aquarium test kit.
What you have in your tank is basically reflect the water you add to the tank (except pH) and those readings will always remain at this until you start cycling the tank. When you commence cycling (adding fish) you will see rises in ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You tank pH will not alter a great deal when you add fish and should be reasonably stable at 7.6 once the tank is cycled.
Sounds like you are ready to add fish to the tank and then a bacterial product to kick-start the cycling. Just add a small number of fish initially.
In terms of fish choice you will need to choose fish that are okay with a pH parameter range of 6-8. I find the following databank as good place to establish suitable fish choices: www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/
Hope that helps. Best, Mark
Thanks Mark, I've a Biorb 30 Flow and I would like either the Harlequin Rasbora or the lamb chop version 😂. I remember watching one of your videos where you had them in your tank. From research they look an easy fish to look after, And the pH level would be suitable do you think ?
Hi. Generally, harlequin/lamb chop are considered suited to acidic/soft water. For shop bought fish the ideal range for them is about 6-7pH, although they will acclimatise to a little bit higher. I think the 7.6 you have is a bit too high for them and you may find them not so long lived and the conditions may mean they will not display their typical colours. If it was me, with your water pH, I would be looking at some of the tetra species associated with higher pH (e.g. head and tail light; lemon; red eyed etc) or something like cherry barbs. All of these are suited to pH up to about 8 so they would work well in your case.