Can Somebody Tell Me What These Mean Please?

[bellabean]

Thanks
I'm stuck with the tests as I'm not willing to put out that much on tests. I love my fishies buyt that's a lot of money!
Amazon said shipping was unavailable tomy area for that product. So will have to keep finmgers crossed for ebay.
Oh well, it's all about learning from our mistakes right. At least that's what I tell my kids

 

[This Old Spouse]

Adding salt can also help a lot.

How do you think adding salt can possibly help?? These are freshwater fish, not marine. Adding salt doesn't help a thing, and can actually harm the fish.

 

[fishguy2727]

Properly dosing salt for a treatment level can help if the fish are stressed or if there actually is nitrite. Salt is the second best way to help with nitrite, water changes being the best.

You need to buy at least one good test kit, nitrate. Other than I wouldn't worry about it.

How long has the tank been setup?
How many fish are in it?
What kinds?
When was the most recent addition?
Are the fish stressed at all (gasping at the surface, clamping fins, lethargic, not eating, etc.)?

Personally I doubt that there is any nitrite based just on a test strip, jumping in to huge water changes will only cause problems. Buying a nitrate kit will allow you to double check that your current water change schedule is adequate. Nitrate should be below 20ppm before a water change.

 

[bellabean]

Any other test will have to wait. There all 24.99 + tax.
Having just bought a test kit yesterday. Plus a tank to house the babies.
I'm down a good chunck of change already.


How long has the tank been setup?
Since this past July.

How many fish are in it? What kinds?
4 adult fish (dalmation lyretail, 2 platy, 1 mickey mouse)
17 1mos old fry in breeder tank

When was the most recent addition?
yesterday (lyretail)
Before that just the fry.
We bought the lyretail because mickey mouse is being aggresive toi the other females

Are the fish stressed at all (gasping at the surface, clamping fins, lethargic, not eating, etc.)?
I`m not going to say yes. But one hangs out around the heater a bit. Then gets chased by the male and hides. No problems heating. Although I looked this am and suspecting constipation. So will mash up some peas today.

 

[creeker]

When was the most recent addition?
yesterday (lyretail)
Before that just the fry.
We bought the lyretail because mickey mouse is being aggresive toi the other females

I'm not seeing how this would help with the platy's aggression.

 

[fishguy2727]

Return the strips, you shouldn't have to keep a trashworthy product. Use the money to buy a liquid nitrate test kit.

Since water changes will only help either way, assume there is something wrong with the water and do a water change every couple days for the next week.

 

[bellabean]

In thought great theory ...
I'll keep them amd chalk it up to a learning lesson. It's a 45min drive away. So don't feel like doing that again with lil ones
Anyways the levels today are;

GH - 30
KH - 40-80
PH - 7
No2 - 0
No3 - 20


After Xmas I'll buy the master kit

 

[Reret]

Lyre tail guppy or platy?

 

[creeker]

Lyre tail guppy or platy?

I think op meant lyretail molly.

 

[bellabean]

Lyre tail guppy or platy?

I think op meant lyretail molly.

yup !
Not sure where my brain was on that one ....

 

[OldMan47]

You have very soft water, as shown by the GH and KH readings. It is really lower in minerals than I would ever use for a molly, but if it survives so be it.

If you decide to raise the mineral content of your water, you open yourself to needing to maintain the higher chemical content from then on with every water change. A product called RO right is made to be able to add minerals to pure water so that fish can use that water and could be used to raise the mineral content of your tank water. It would likely be very expensive in your unique location. Even where I live it would cost me $10 for a small container.

Your fish actions seem quite benign and do not indicate a serious problem. If you had true high nitrites, the fish would be constantly taking in oxygen rich water by skimming at the surface. That kind of behavior is obvious if you actually watch your tanks for even a whole minute.

Being set up since July with fish in, I suspect your nitrite reading is simply wrong, unless you have done something like throw out a dirty filter pad. In case you have not yet seen the advice, do not change a filter pad until it falls apart, because that is where most of the bacteria live that take care of the nitrogen cycle in your tank. Routine maintenance on a filter is to remove, rinse out and re-install the filter pad, not replace it. You rinse it with water that came from your tank during a water change.

 

[bellabean]

You have very soft water, as shown by the GH and KH readings. It is really lower in minerals than I would ever use for a molly, but if it survives so be it.

If you decide to raise the mineral content of your water, you open yourself to needing to maintain the higher chemical content from then on with every water change. A product called RO right is made to be able to add minerals to pure water so that fish can use that water and could be used to raise the mineral content of your tank water. It would likely be very expensive in your unique location. Even where I live it would cost me $10 for a small container.

Your fish actions seem quite benign and do not indicate a serious problem. If you had true high nitrites, the fish would be constantly taking in oxygen rich water by skimming at the surface. That kind of behavior is obvious if you actually watch your tanks for even a whole minute.

Being set up since July with fish in, I suspect your nitrite reading is simply wrong, unless you have done something like throw out a dirty filter pad. In case you have not yet seen the advice, do not change a filter pad until it falls apart, because that is where most of the bacteria live that take care of the nitrogen cycle in your tank. Routine maintenance on a filter is to remove, rinse out and re-install the filter pad, not replace it. You rinse it with water that came from your tank during a water change.

THANK YOU !!!!