Testing The Water Results

[scoobyandy]

Hi there,

I have had my tank up and running for about 4 weeks now, I have two pink kissing guarmis in there and a couple of loaches and did have some tetras, altho they have all died

I test the water constantly and do water changes every other day, I have been taken out about 1/4 of the water on these changes.

The results are as follows

PH 7.0
Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 5
Nitrate 40 or 80 I cant tell

These are obviously high so am not shocked that the tetras died

Please believe me I have tried to follow advice given, the water was tested by my local fish shop and was fine when we bought the fish but it just seems to be getting worse. I have used ammo lock as in the test kit it advises to use that, but it still doesnt seemed to have helped.

My tap water has ALOT of chemicals in it, so we always filter the water before we do the changes as the water actually makes us ill if we drink it without filtering it, so I dread to think what it would do to the fish.

I have the Guarmis in the tank at the moment and I am worried that they will be harmed.

Can someone please advise me on what I need to do to get this right.

 

[SkiFletch]

first things first, test your tapwater... if it had ammonia, or nitrite in it you cant really do water changes with tap cause it'll just add chemicals into your tank. if your tapwater has no ammonia/nitrite go ahead and do daily water changes WITH dechlorinator in it of 25% or perhaps more. Your tank is in the latter stages of what we call Cycling. there are bacteria growing within your tank that convert ammonia into nitrite, and then nitrite into nitrate. the ammonia ones grow first and then the nitrite ones follow, hence your ammonia levels are lower than your nitrite levels. because you have fish allready in there the best hope for them is to do daily water changes to dilute the toxins until your ammonia and nitrite read 0

as for nitrate, most liquid test kits test high for nitrate when there is also nitrite in the tank... I wouldnt be surprised if your nitrate level is more like 20-40ppm so dont worry too much about it. if you're doing daily 25% changes it wont have time to get past the unsafe level of 100ppm

 

[scoobyandy]

Thanks for that. Do you think we still need to continue to filter the tap water? I usually use a tap water conditioner aswell anyways

The tap water has a PH of 7.4 and nothing present of anything else.

 

[SkiFletch]

Thanks for that. Do you think we still need to continue to filter the tap water? I usually use a tap water conditioner aswell anyways

The tap water has a PH of 7.4 and nothing present of anything else.

If the tapwater makes you sick before filtration, chances are its not good for fish either

Since you dont have toxins in what you're adding to the tank, proceed as above and up your water change frequency and hope for the best g/l

 

[ncjharris]

If there is ammonia or nitrite in the water, someone is breaking the law, up in the West Midlands, as these are not fit for human consumption and should never be in the water system of a developed nation.
Anyhow,

I usually use a tap water conditioner aswell anyways

doesn't fill me with glee - you should ALWAYS use dechlorinator, not usually!

Take it slowly at the mo.
Don't add any more fish for the forseable future.
Follow SkiFletchs adivse, and do daily, 20-30% water changes, replacing with conditioned water and test the water daily too, until the measured levels are acceptable.

Ammo Lock isn't neccesarily the best thing to use, btw. In theory its good, but you can't turn something to nothing, so it has to do somethign with the 'locked up' ammonia.
Nothing is a substitute for regular water changes,

 

[scoobyandy]

PH 6.4
Ammonia- 0.25
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate 5

We seem to be getting better. do these results look better. When do you think we can start adding fish Do I need to leave it untill everything is Zero? Apart from PH of course

PS We are using the tap water conditioner ALL the time now, and having the parents bring us water ever week from their house to do it, as we think there is something wrong with ours, which is being investigated by the water board!

 

[modernhamlet]

Those results are infinitely better.

However, you should wait until both ammonia and nitrite are at 0 steadily for 2 weeks before you get any other fish. Your tank still has some catching up to do, so I don't think you're out of the woods just yet. Patience is essential in fishkeeping. Good to see you're on the right track though!

Good luck with the water board. That sounds awful, having to worry about whether your water is fit for human (let alone fish) consumption!

 

[rdd1952]

PH 6.4
Ammonia- 0.25
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate 5

We seem to be getting better. do these results look better. When do you think we can start adding fish Do I need to leave it untill everything is Zero? Apart from PH of course

Your ammonia and nitrite should both be 0 but it is normal to have nitrate. As long as it stays below 40 to 60 ppm, you are fine. That is basically the reason for regular water changes since w/c are the only way to remove nitrates.

 

[scoobyandy]

Excellent, there is no way Im putting more fish in there untill it is safe for them. So I will keep doing what I am doing and if the results get and stay perfect for 2 weeks I can get some friends for my lone Guarmi, as all his friends died

 

[rdd1952]

Just keep in mind that the tank will only be cycled for the one fish you have (meaning that there will only be enough bacteria present to process the amount of waste he produces). Add more fish slowly, one or two at a time. When you add 2 fish, start testing the water again and doing water changes as needed as you will experience a mini cycle. Once the ammonia and nitrite get back to zero for 2 weeks again, add a couple more until you are fully stocked.