Correct Answers Please

[death]

hi as some of you may be aware i am having problems with my aquarium with the ammonia and nitrite i did a test last week and the readings wer 0.8 ammonia and 1.5 nitrite i did another chwck this week and the readings were roughly the same................some one in a different forum told me to do a 50 % water change every day for a week or until the readings reached nought now the pet shop said that if i do this i will kill the fish so as u can see im at a loose end here what should i do ?help

another thing i have a stick on thermometer on the front of my tank my heater is at 25/26 yet the thermometer says 29/30 the heater was brand new when i bought it 4 weeks ago so id like advice on this too as im really panicking here any help would be much appriceated thanks joe

 

[modernhamlet]

hi as some of you may be aware i am having problems with my aquarium with the ammonia and nitrite i did a test last week and the readings wer 0.8 ammonia and 1.5 nitrite i did another chwck this week and the readings were roughly the same................some one in a different forum told me to do a 50 % water change every day for a week or until the readings reached nought now the pet shop said that if i do this i will kill the fish so as u can see im at a loose end here what should i do ?help

another thing i have a stick on thermometer on the front of my tank my heater is at 25/26 yet the thermometer says 29/30 the heater was brand new when i bought it 4 weeks ago so id like advice on this too as im really panicking here any help would be much appriceated thanks joe

As is often the case, your LFS is full of it. Do daily water changes (25% is good. a single 50% change initially is fine.) until both ammonia and nitrite are under control.

Neither stick on thermometers or heater thermostats tend to be very accurate. You can pick up a better internal thermometer for $2-$3 at the LFS. You should look at a handful of them and choose onedisplaying in the middle of the registered temperature ranges.

 

[Clairel]

I would also say 25-30% at any one time, only 50% in an emergency, but not every day.... i would stick to the more frequent and smaller changes......

Claire x

 

[annka5]

I'd actually say that 0.8 ammonia & higher nitrite reading suggests that pretty urgent action is needed -I'd do around 50% daily until the readings start to drop... so long as you dechlorinate & match the temparature of the new water 50% should cause lfar ess of a problem than the very high readings of ammonia and nitrite will. Wouldn't do more than 50% though.