What would be normal aquarium Ph , Water hardness, nitrites, nitrates, amonia?
Hello; Normal freshwater PH and hardness is whatever the PH and the hardness of the water you are using is. The PH and hardness change very little. I would not start adjusting PH or Hardness and would just use tap water from most areas. PH 6.8 to 8.0 is just fine for most species, however, hard water fish do need the harder water! A mix of Reverse Osmosis water and tap water works well and is in my opinion the best. Ammonia and Nitrite should be very low to none — some tests will show .25 for a long time and is nothing to be worried about. Nitrates should be below 50-ppm once a tank is established for a year or so. If you keep a deep substrate denitrifying bacteria will grow and lower nitrates. It has not been shown that Nitrates at any normal level cause problems for the tank or fish. However, I do up to a 50% water change in my tanks if the nitrates rise above 160-ppm. This is very unlikely as I change 5% to 10% of my water weekly. Enjoy!
