Equipment Review and Discussion :: Water Testing

[emma]

I just tested my tank water with the Freshwater Master test kit. And there is a booklet thing that says which kinds of amounts of things are bad to have in your tank. Does this apply with RES too? Or just tanks with fish?

[Vivi]

well turtles are very resistant to things. i never worry about the ammonia levels and what not. it says that its bad for the tank because you want to have your tank cycled and ready for fish. i wouldnt worry though.

[SpotsMama]

Oh I don't agree with not worrying about ammonia! You do need to worry about ammonia and nitrite. It's true turtles aren't as sensitive as fish but if there's ammonia and/or nitrite in the water then it's unhealthy for the turtle and he/she will develop skin infections, eye infections and shell infections. In addition, the tank will smell bad. When we see a turtle on the forum with some sort of infection and we say the problem is probably related to 'husbandry", what we mean is the water probably isn't being kept clean.

Here's one way to look at it. Ammonia is just turtle pee and other waste. It's invisible but you really don't want it building up and your turtle to be living in it.

The guidelines that are appropriate for fish are also appropriate for turtles. In an established tank with a good bio filter, ammonia and nitrite should always be zero and nitrate should be in the low range. In a small tank without a funcioning bio filter, ammonia will build up surprisingly fast after a water change, and that's why it's necessary to change the water so often - to get rid of the ammonia.

[emma]

These are the results I got-

ph- 7.4
Nitrate NO2- 0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- 7.0
Amonia- 0.25 ppm
High rang ph- 8.1

I just got the tank and filter running on Saturday so I hope the levels with be better in a couple of weeks.

[SpotsMama]

Your results look good for a new tank. Eventually the ammonia and nitrite (NO2) will stabilize at 0. When nitrate (NO3) gets up to around 40 then you need to do a partial water change to bring the level down.

You don't really need to do both the ph and the high range ph tests. If the ph test result is less than 7.6, then you can stop - the result will be the ph of your tank water. If the ph test result is 7.6, then you need to move on to the high range ph test and whatever the result is will be the ph of your tank water. Your actual test results are a little confusing - the ph of your water can't be both 7.4 and 8.1. It's either one or the other or somewhere in between. In any case, though, it doesn't sound like your water's ph is a problem.