This is going to hurt during water changes yes?

pH = 9
Ammonia = 1.5
KH = 3
GH = 4
NitrItes = .3
NitrAtes = 3

What kind of test kits are you using? I have never heard of nitrites in tap water, but I am no expert. I don't want to advise you on anything, but having ammonia that high in your tap water will make things in your tank difficult. You will need a really good cycle going to eat up all that ammonia.

What sort of water conditioner are you using? I would definitely use something like Prime which will help detoxify the ammonia and nitrites as well as removing chlorins and chloramines from your water. Also, a ph of 9 is pretty high for goldfish and will make the ammonia even more toxic to them. But let someone with more expertise come along...I am still new at this myself! Good luck-maybe you can find another water source.

There's only one thing I can suggest to combat these parameters and unfortunately it's something I've had to do also. I have an ammonia reading of 1.0 out of my tap but most of my tanks have 20 x gph filtration and i rely heavily on the biological component of each of my filters. If you think about it, fish release ammonia into the water via their gills plus their waste is pure ammonia yet with good filtration, you don't ever see this. So if you have excellent biological filtration on your tank plus use Prime, this shouldn't be a problem

Your pH is too high though and the most natural way of lowering it is by using RO water - you can use 50% tap water and 50% RO water. A good way to test the stability of it is by filling a bucket with 50/50 of each (test the ph and take note) and leave it overnight. The following day test it again...

Some people also subscribe to adding things like pH Down but unfortunately depending on your water hardness, this isn't always a stable solution. Is there any way you can test your kh and gh?

You need to check with your water supplier to get their latest tests/treatments to double-check against your own high test readings. See if they are using chloramines (which is chlorine + ammonia combined in a ratio of 6 to 1). The high chloramines in my own tapwater would give me off the chart readings with an ammonia test kit, but after filtering it through a chloramine filter (which breaks the bond and removes the chlorine leaving just the ammonia), the ammonia tests at 0.25ppm. So the ammonia situation may not be as bad as your tests are showing. Or maybe it is as bad. They could be using ammonia and chlorine seperately. You need to confirm with your water supply company to know for sure either way.

Also, that's a very high and unlikely nitrite reading. Nitrites are only present as a by-product of nitrosomona bacteria processing the ammonia, so you seem to have a bio-filter already happening in your water pipes or local water tower. Which wouldn't happen if there was chlorine or chloramine present. So that directly contradicts everything I just wrote in my first paragraph. So again, you really need to find out exactly what they're putting in your tapwater before doing anything else. Once you know, then you can begin to work around it. Good luck!

Yowzas, I didn't even look at the pH! 9! It shouldn't be that high with a KH of only 3 and a GH of only 4. All your test readings are contradicting each other as far as I can tell from my limited knowledge. I would add another suggestion now of taking a sample of your tapwater to the lfs for them to test to see if your tests kits are working properly (rather than buying a while new set of test kits if you don't actually need to). Test kits have a use-by date and could have been sitting on the shop shelf for too long before you bought them. It's a possibility you'd need to rule out when you're getting such unusual results.

I know someone who owns a water treatment company so ill have them do a test and see what they recommend.

I just bought the house and its on City water but its an older house judgind by some of the pipes in the house ive already replaced, Im not supprised that my Tap water is junk. There is an RO unit under the sink but its to small for maintaining water qualiities.

as for the test kits im using, 1 is the Tetratest Laborett. Does High pH, KH, GH, NitrIte and Ammonia. I cant find any exp dates on it though, just the lot numbers. I also have the first test kits i bought. one is NitrIte which macthes the Tetratest results and a nitrAte. Both by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals inc.

Just a quick update.

Apparently the Ammonia readings in my water are correct. After a week of having the tank up and cycling with no fish, Ammonia is at 0, the NitrItes are off the chart and the NitrAtes are in the 60 range. again this was after 7 Days. So it looks like i will be forced to use bottled water until I can work out my tap water issues. Using the tap water for water changes would just raise the ammonia to unsafe levels, even if it is only for a short period of time. Also if i use a detoxifier, the bacteria colonies would multiply and start a new cycle. The fish wouldnt be producing enough ammonia to keep the new colonies fed and i would experience a die off of the colonies and be stuck with cloudy water. This of course is based on information that i have been able to get regarding the Nitrogen Cycle but one thing i havent found yet is how long the bacteria will live in the absence of food.

Anyway, once the NitrItes come down, Ill do a 50 percent change or more with bottled water (depending on what the NitrAtes are) and then introduce 2 small goldies. Ill mix in some minerals and i should be good to go. I expect another cycle bump after adding the new goldies but it shouldnt be anything detrimental if I pay attention to it.