Help Needed

[DAL]

Is it readily avalible to buy in aquatic shops as then i can get it quicker or is that about the only place to buy it on that link you gave?

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Both sites usually get the goods in two days, bu if you ordered now you wouldn't receive them till mon as the don't deliver over the weekend, plus you have a deliver cost on top.

http/www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk/acatal...TICALS_115.html

 

[tttnjfttt]

I don't know how things work over in the UK, but here i printed out the online price and was able to talk my LFS into matching it, ended up saving me about $5. Could be worth shoping around online and then printing it out, if they do that kind of thing.

 

[dwarfgourami]

The API test kit is readily available in lfs shops; Pets@home stock it for instance. Money well spent! As others have already said, it will save you in medication- and in replacement fish. Frequent water changes are what you are going to need from now on.

 

[DAL]

Would it make any difference if say i got a small 'holding' tank and put the fish in there for 2 or 3 days in either the same tank water they are in now or new water and then started over again with the tank?

 

[WILDER]

No it will stress then out, plus you will have a different ph reading, as when ammonia get high it alters the ph, just have to go with it now, unless you already have a cycled tank for them.

 

[DAL]

ok thanks

and thanks to all those that replied and helped

 

[DAL]

I bought the test kit today from pets at Home it cost £17.99 in there so pretty much the same as the website so thanks for that info again.

I took some samples and the readings were

Ammonia aprox 0.25 to 0.50(somewhere around that mark)
Nitrite aprox 0.50
Nitrate aprox 100-120(i reckon somewhere around that mark)

The first two are not as bad as i would have thought or are they?
The nitrate looked quite bad it went red and seemed to match the last colour on the chart ie the highest.Is that the least worst if you can have such a thing out of them 3 tests as it did say in the leaflet that all tanks will have some nitrate in their tanks as you get it from tap water aswell?

 

[WILDER]

Once a tank has cycled the ammonia reading and nitrite reading should always be 0, nitrate anything above 50 need water changes to fetch it down, look like the tank is on it's way at the readings are beginning to peak, but they will gradually come down to 0, i would preform a 20% water change as the levels are high.

 

[DAL]

Just a quick update.I did lots of water changes and added some of the stuff the aquatic shop sold me and i finally got the Ammonia and Nitrite levels down to zero but i can't seem to get the nitrate level to drop and it's still reading around 80-100 even though i've done water changes every day for at least 6 days on the trot.Now i read that changing water might not bring this down anyway as tap water has nitrate in it is this true?
Is it a case of having to buy some nitrate liquid stuff to bring it down as i asked in the shop and it was £9.95 which i thought was a bit steep for what it was.

Not sure if the water over there(The US) is the same as the water over here in the UK?

 

[WILDER]

Have you done a gravel vac, plus what is your tap nitrate, as that a high reading.

 

[newfishaddict]

thats the brand i have and love it. It is worth the money, it will help save on fish and medicines in the long run.

I would like to comment that these tests are great, I use them too. You can half or third most of the tests too, and make each kit last twice to three times as long!

The kits say to use 5ml of tank water for each test, if you use 2.5ml (or 1.67ml) and half or third the amount of reagents you use....

With the reduced test volume I like to ensure I get a sample that is representative of the bulk of the tank’s water. I just do this in the center of the tank at least 10cm below the surface.

 

[DAL]

Have you done a gravel vac, plus what is your tap nitrate, as that a high reading.

Yeah we syphon the gravel every time we cleaned the tank out.I'll test the tap water next time for nitrate i didn't think of doing that,thanks.
If the tap water does indeed contain nitrate then is there anyway of removing it before putting the water in the tank like for instance at the moment we boil hot water and then add cold water to bring the water up to around the same temp as the tank when changing the water but what about if we boiled all the water and left it say over night until it got to the same temp?

 

[WILDER]

There is a juwel nitrate sponge that is meant to reduce nitrates, but there is not enough proof yet to say it works, some fishkeepers say yes it does, then some say it dosn't that about all i know on nitrate removers.
Test nitrate tap water first then we will know, if it's 0 you lucky thing mines 12.5, some members can have a nitrate reading of 40 or above.

 

[DAL]

I tested the cold tap water and yes it is indeed around 80 to 100 i reckon from the readings on the test cards which is pretty much the same as when i was changing the water.Now i know why my nitrate levels were not coming down as i was just putting back water of the same level.