Help! Chemical Balances
 

Hey everyone I need some help, I have a hagen KH/GH test kit and i was testing the GH. The test at the start is pink and then supposed to turn a yellow with a certain amount of drops, the problem is the solution goes from pink to purple never getting to a yellow/lime color.

All my other levels are:

Calcium: 450
amonia: 0
PH: 8.3
nitrites: good (cant remember exactly)
nitrates: 10 ppm
Magnesium: not tested
Alkaline: not tested
Phosphates: 0

All my fish (less one, box hasent recovered from getting stuck on filter, trying to save him) are doing well, i seem to be finding some hermits dead sometimes, bout 1 every 4-5 days(i think there is an over aggresive hermit in there). I also have 2 stars, sand and lactina, both fine.

I dont know what to think.

Help me, I'm weak and frustrated.

Thank you

What is GH? I know you can test for it, but it seems no one I've ever met in the hobby tests for GH? Alkalinity (KH) is the more important one. I don't think you have to be overly concerned about GH.

The other values that you have listed look OK. Your nitrites should be 0 or undetectable though.

opps
 

I meant the KH not the GH.

Sorry

Are you sure the dead hermits aren't just molts? They molt their skin every so often and sometimes all in one piece. Other then that get yourself a higher quality alkilinity test kit like seachem or salifert, the salifert one is excellent.

And try increasing water changes to get the nitrates down.

HTH.

Again...
 

I have the numbers, called and got them,

Iron 0
ammon 0
calcium 450
NO3 10 mg/L
NO2 0.3 mg/l
phosphates 0
ph 8.3

Don't know if you have read any of the links on this Reef Chemistry page, but here it is.....

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=19425

If your tank is cycled, you need to test and adjust alkalinity, calcium and magnesium every 2-3 weeks. A someone mentioned, Salifert makes good test kits.

Throw out the Hagen test kit, go with Salifert or Seachem as mentioned. Your problem is probably a faulty test kit, so if you are getting a new one anyways, might as well get a better quality one while you are at it.

with a NO2 level of 0.3 mg/l it tells me that your tank is not cycled and this is not a safe level of nitrite. I would wait untill the amonia and NO2 are both 0 befor adding anything else.

Steve