Habitat - Indoor :: Water test readings

[lunabebe4]

I have never tested my tank and its kinda dirty right now but when i tested it the ammonia was fine and so was nitrate2 but nitrate3, hardness,alkalinity and ph where all high... is this all very bad??? how do i fix it?

[Caphits]

Slow water changes, and a good filter.

Only change 10-20% at a time. Probably only once a week.

[lunabebe4]

Well I am moving so I will be doing a full water change, and I just got a fluval fx5 hooked up.

[thegrandpoohbah]

NH4 (ammonia) and NO2 (nitrite) are bad. Very bad. Once your tank is cycled both levels should drop to zero. NO3 (nitrate) is ok in small concentrations, it is the end result of all the ammonia and nitrite getting broken down by the bacteria in your filter. The reason you should do weekly water changes is to dilute the nitrate levels. Try to keep it as low as possible. Nitrate should not be allowed to exceed 50 ppm.

[lunabebe4]

I re-tested today after setting up the fx5 and all is normal