First Water Test

Tonight I ran the first test on my water parameters and the results where just as I expected. These are the following readings:

• pH: 8.0
• KH (alkalinity): 2.5 meq/L
• NH₃/NH₄ (ammonia): 0.25 ppm
• NO₂ (nitrite): 0.05 ppm
• NO₃ (nitrate): 5.0 ppm

The pH is slightly lower than it needs to be which should be within the range of 8.1-8.4. Ideally around 8.3. This is important in absorbing a certain amount of acidic matter produced by waste. This correlates directly with my ammonia and nitrite level which I will soon get into. The alkalinity on the other hand is right where it should be which is a good thing as this helps prevent the pH from going any lower.

The ammonia and nitrite levels are pretty low and should expect to see them close to zero by the end of the week. This is one of the reasons why I waited until midweek for the first test as an earlier test would have shown a spike in ammonia from the amount of initial die-off. The nitrate level reading higher than the first two can only mean that nitrobacter has already started the process of converting nitrite into nitrate.

For full information on the nitrogen cycle refer to the resource link at the sidebar.

UPDATE: Upon further research, I've come to the conclusion that the Red Sea Marine Lab is highly unreliable. So unreliable they shouldn't even be selling that stuff! I'd recommend test kits by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Seachem. Salifert test kits are apparently the best ones. Pricey, but reliable and highly recommended.