# Curious water chemistry test results



## fishboy75 (Jan 16, 2020)

I have been in the process of redoing my 265 for the past couple months. Took out all the rocks, rinsed them off and rearranged them in preparation for getting haps and peacocks. I've been doing weekly 40- 60% water changes and my parameters are all good. 
Ammonia- 0
Nitrites-0
Nitrates- 10-20 when it hits 20 I do a water change
pH- 7.6
GH- 10
KH- 7

When I let my water sit out overnight the pH measures 8 after 24 hours. I don't understand why this hasn't been reflected in my tank. Is it because the I don't have enough surface agitation and the CO2 doesn't bubble out? I use the output on one of my FX5 to agitate the surface but maybe it isn't enough. But I also add the water straight from the tap, using Prime before, during and after and make sure the water going in creates major surface agitation. I just purchased a strong air pump and I'm going to set up an extra sponge filter and an air stone as well. Also, think I'm going to start filling a couple 40 gallon garbage cans with water, let them age and do my water changes this way. Like all of us, I have extra time right now. Any thoughts on this?

I also have a 55 in the basement I have used for misfit fish in the past. It has one male yellow lab that was getting beat up in the main tank and one syno lucippinis that was left from a group of five. To be honest, I unfortunately havent paid much if any attention to that tank for what seems like a couple years. I feed a couple times a week but I cant remember the last time I did an actual water change or cleaned the filter. Well, with this free time I decided to clean that tank up and take better care of the two fish in there. The lab in there actually is better looking than any in the 265. Hes bright yellow with no bearding or barring as opposed to my other ones. I figured I would do some water testing on that tank before I started cleaning it because I didnt want to give the fish too much of a shock. I figured that nitrates and GH would be sky high (I lazily had been topping the tank off) and that pH would be lower obviously. Here are the results:
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates between 80 and 160 (not good)
GH- gave up after adding 30 drops
KH- 8
pH- 8.2

And that totally surprised me. I'm trying to figure out why and how the pH could be that high and wish it was in my 265. I use crushed coral as the substrate and there is one tufa rock in there as opposed to the main tank which is a blend of aragonite sand and play sand and contains only lace rock. I know from reading this forum that crushed coral and aragonite really don't raise the pH when the water is already alkaline. The only other difference I can think of is the tank is more heavily oxygenated because of low stock and the surface is strongly agitated by an Eheim Pro 2. This tank evaporates very quickly so that leads to extra strong surface agitation. I would appreciate any thoughts on this as well and please dont beat me up too much about my neglect on that tank.


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## gillmanjr (Jan 27, 2017)

What temperatures do you keep your tanks at? Temperature also impacts pH, tanks maintained at a higher temperature can usually drop the pH. And since higher volume tanks are usually warmer and sometimes even require a chiller, that may be the cause. I'm just just throwing this out there since nobody else responded to your thread. :-?


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