water confusion

[j-man the skater-man]

am i wrong in thinking that after a few weeks your nitrite should go down and nitrate increase?

my ammonia is at 0 or very VERY close and my nitrite is at 3ppm and nitrate at 20ppm so is something wrong?

how can i get my pH down to 7 and keep it their?
what is a natural way to clear my water u it is looking milky? not as white as milk!!!

[mousey]

ammonia becomes nitrite, nitrite becomes nitrate.
So there is often an overlap. One day you will have 0 ammonia, no nitrites, and the nitrates will be all you register. Those are controlled by WEEKLY water changes.Plants also help the nitrates .
Why try to get your ph at 7?
it is easier and safer for your fish to leave the ph and hardness issues alone. The less chemicals the better. You can lower the ph slightly by adding drift wood to the tank or peat moss into the filter.
Others may be able to give you more help about the peat. Get some fish that like a higher ph (and usually hardness). If you acclimatize the fish into the tank slowly over an hour rather than dumping them in they will adjust not too bad.
I have ph at 8.5 out of the tap and 120 hardness. I have some tetras and some livebearers as well as bettas.I Never try to adjust the ph.
I do have planted tanks and a fair amount of mopani wood in the tanks. There is stuff you can buy to clear the water-- it causes it to clump together so it can be filtered out easier.
Have you tried charcoal in your filter or good old water changes??
mouse

[fishfreaks]

just let it site for a few more days and see if it clears up.