My fish keep dying. Tonight I bought test strips. I believe the water is too acidic. so what do I do? The test strip has a lot yellow. is acid high or low PH? Do I add something? I changed the water 35% recently and that helped but only for two days. now fish are dying again
Need help with getting fresh fish tank water right
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Don't worry about the pH for now.
Do another water change.
What are the test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
How big is the tank?
What fish do you have and how many?
How long has the tank been set up?
Do another water change.
What are the test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
How big is the tank?
What fish do you have and how many?
How long has the tank been set up?
Thank you for responding. The tank is 10 gallons. I’ve had it up for years. I will photo the strip so u can see the 7 test levels. None are purple. Having trouble understanding the results. I used sand originally and wondered if the fish waste is compounded in the sand? I took a lot of it out and added gravel. I also have been reading that my tank may be too areated. There are 2 fish alive. Lost two guppies and a pleco yesterday and two mollies the day before that. I changed the filter again yesterday. I wondered if the bargain filters were not working or eliminating the ammonia?
We need to see the test numbers, so a photo of the charts will help...but can you not give us the numbers? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH.
Also, and extremely important here, what is the GH (general or total hardness)? You do not necessarily need to test this, you may find the data on the website of your municipal water authority; if the GH is included on the strip, fine. The GH (and KH which is carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) are tied to the pH, and there is no use in trying to adjust the pH without dealing with the GH and KH. Do not use any chemicals to change pH.
We also need to know all fish species and numbers. I realize most have died, but what were they (species and numbers)?
Have you been doing regular water changes? How often, and how much of the tank volume at each? And a good clean into the substrate? And the filter media cleaned?
Also, and extremely important here, what is the GH (general or total hardness)? You do not necessarily need to test this, you may find the data on the website of your municipal water authority; if the GH is included on the strip, fine. The GH (and KH which is carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) are tied to the pH, and there is no use in trying to adjust the pH without dealing with the GH and KH. Do not use any chemicals to change pH.
We also need to know all fish species and numbers. I realize most have died, but what were they (species and numbers)?
Have you been doing regular water changes? How often, and how much of the tank volume at each? And a good clean into the substrate? And the filter media cleaned?
I guess it depends on how you clean it, turning the sand over can trap debris but suctioning above the sand whilst swirling the tube slightly will lift any waste and it won't find it's way underneath.
Where did you read this? Lack of aeration can be a problem but not too much. Perhaps they were talking about a strong flow being unsuitable for some species of fish?
Sorry for your losses.
The pH could have been a factor for the guppies and mollies if it is low/acidic but GH is even more important. Can you check the pH and GH of your source water - this may be on your water suppliers webpage as part of the water quality report. But the pleco was suited to low pH water so there are other issues at play. Regardless I would not recommend replacing the mollies as they need a bigger tank, possibly the pleco too depending on the exact type.
Cheap sponge filters work just as well as any, what exactly are the bargain filters? Changing the filter media can remove the beneficial bacteria which can cause ammonia and nitrite to spike. It is normally recommended to wah the media in old tank water and to keep using it unless it literally falls apart. Test numbers will confirm if this is the issue. If you post a photo of the strip please can you also include a photo of the reading guide as each brand is different.
From what I can tell I seem to be at 0 ? Does that mean acidic? I have had other tanks for years and never had issues so something else is happening here I can’t figure out.
The cheap filter was on Amazon and was mostly the white batting and little charcoal. Plecos were always so hardy and now I have had 4 die rather quickly.
I got proper PH stabilizer but wanted to wait till I saw the test strip first. What do you think is happening?
The cheap filter was on Amazon and was mostly the white batting and little charcoal. Plecos were always so hardy and now I have had 4 die rather quickly.
I got proper PH stabilizer but wanted to wait till I saw the test strip first. What do you think is happening?
The GH and KH appear to be close to zero, so this is very soft water with no buffering capability. This in itself is not a problem, but it does mean you cannot keep fish like the livebearers (mollies and guppies) which must have moderately hard water. This is one major problem, and while there are methods to increase the GH and KH, this is adding a complexity to the water chemistry that would be easier to avoid. Can you return the remaining livebearers? With your soft water there is a host of suitable colourful fishes, but not livebearers.
The pH is tied to the GH and KH as I previously said, and with very soft water the pH will naturally be on the acidic side. This suits soft water fish, but again not livebearers. However, it is the GH and KH that are important here, the pH will follow suit so to speak. Leaving the chemistry alone and selecting suitable soft water fish species will be immensely easier for you.
Nitrate is a tad high, but that is not a serious issue at this stage. The nitrite (N02) is serious, as it is at 1 ppm. By the way, the unit mg/l equals ppm (parts per million) which is a unit commonly used in the hobby for these values. I suggest some water changes to get nitrite to zero. This is likely the cause of the fish deaths, as 1 ppm nitrite is very high. Do the fish show rapid respiration, hanging near the surface, gasping for air, and/or brown rather than red gills? These are symptoms of nitrite poisoning.
Do not use the pH stabilizer. First, such chemicals are hazardous to fish, regardless of what the manufacturers may claim. And second, as I have said, the pH is not the issue.
The pH is tied to the GH and KH as I previously said, and with very soft water the pH will naturally be on the acidic side. This suits soft water fish, but again not livebearers. However, it is the GH and KH that are important here, the pH will follow suit so to speak. Leaving the chemistry alone and selecting suitable soft water fish species will be immensely easier for you.
Nitrate is a tad high, but that is not a serious issue at this stage. The nitrite (N02) is serious, as it is at 1 ppm. By the way, the unit mg/l equals ppm (parts per million) which is a unit commonly used in the hobby for these values. I suggest some water changes to get nitrite to zero. This is likely the cause of the fish deaths, as 1 ppm nitrite is very high. Do the fish show rapid respiration, hanging near the surface, gasping for air, and/or brown rather than red gills? These are symptoms of nitrite poisoning.
Do not use the pH stabilizer. First, such chemicals are hazardous to fish, regardless of what the manufacturers may claim. And second, as I have said, the pH is not the issue.
Bryon, thank you so much for all of this info. I only have a snail (is a snail ok?), a gourami and an angle fish left.
Can you tell me the names of the fish I can go to the store to look at that are good for my kind of water--very soft water/non live bearers?
Can you tell me the names of the fish I can go to the store to look at that are good for my kind of water--very soft water/non live bearers?
Thinking here solely of the water parameters (i.e., not considering tank space, compatibility, etc) you could have any of the characins (tetras, pencilfish, hatchetfish) that ocur in South America. Catfish from South America including Corydoras, the plecos, Twig and Whiptail catfish, etc. Dwarf cichlids and angelfish from S America. The rasboras, loaches, gourami, danios and barbs from South and SE Asia. Some of the small rainbowfishes, the larger tend to need moderately hard water.
Avoid all livebearers, rift lake cichlids, and some of the rainbowfishes.
A caution on store advice. Do not accept it without confirming. The knowledge level of many store staff is sadly lacking. If you see something you like, write down the name (never go from memory!), and preferably ask for the scientific name; most stores do have this on their invoice from the supplier. Post here on TFF with the name and members can advise.
You mention having one angelfish...do not get another, this is a recipe for trouble. Same holds for the gourami, depending which species.
Yes, so far as very soft water is concerned, tetras are fine.
Ignore the words like 'ok/ water change' on the test strips guide. The GH/KH/pH are all fine providing you have soft water fish as described by Byron. See
Seriouslyfish.com for hard/soft water species. You also need to look at the minimum tank dimensions as the 10 gallon is too small for the majority of fish, including neons.
And despite the guide saying 1ppm nitrite is OK, it certainly isn't. As you suspected, the reason you are seeing nitrite is changing the filter. Can you use a piece of filter sponge instead? Keep the white batting with a filter sponge for a 6-8 weeks then discard the white batting. After the initial few weeks you can clean the sponge in old tank water and keep using it. It should last a couple of years and the beneficial bacteria will convert the nitrite before it harms the fish.
Seriouslyfish.com for hard/soft water species. You also need to look at the minimum tank dimensions as the 10 gallon is too small for the majority of fish, including neons.
And despite the guide saying 1ppm nitrite is OK, it certainly isn't. As you suspected, the reason you are seeing nitrite is changing the filter. Can you use a piece of filter sponge instead? Keep the white batting with a filter sponge for a 6-8 weeks then discard the white batting. After the initial few weeks you can clean the sponge in old tank water and keep using it. It should last a couple of years and the beneficial bacteria will convert the nitrite before it harms the fish.
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