Ammonia?

[tropical_mommy]

how can i tell if my ammonia levels are high if i don't have a test kit for it??


i am planning on getting one this weekend....what kind should i get?? thank you ....

 

[confusion]

it's not really possible. If you have fish and an uncycled (new) tank, you have an ammonia problem. You can't go wrong with periodic water changes until you get a test kit.

 

[tropical_mommy]

guess i should have put this one in another forum...


but the reason i put it here is that i think that i may have high levels because i have a 10 gallon tank and about 8 guppies and 2 platys ...( half the guppies are teens ) and the smaller ones are acting stressed ..ie they are hanging out around the top of the tank ...i lost two last week ...


i did a 50% water change about 3 days ago....

i have an undergravel filter as well as an aqua clear bio filter...i haven't changed the ammonia insert till today though and i have been using the filter for about 6 onths!! so it is about 3 months overdue if i remember right! i haven't been able to change it though cuz i didn't but the filter here and i can't find a store that sells it ...i will have to buy it online i think ......today i put a c-100 ammonia insert that i bought in it from wal-mart ...i figure it is better than the old one till i can get what it is supposed to have

i replaced the carbon insert 3 weeks ago ... and i replaced the foam insert today as well...
was this a bad idea?? am i gonna kill all my fish??


the temp is right at 80....

 

[confusion]

does your tank have gravel in it? How long has the tank been running?

 

[tropical_mommy]

yes the tank has gravel in it and has been running for about 5 weeks ...it was an already existing tank that i drained and washed the tank and the gravel...i didn't replace the inserts in the biofilter then cuz i thought it was better to leave them and change them a month down the road... the fish were already in it and so i had to bring them over and put them in as soon as the tank was set up !!

i did not start having problems till last week...i do have 2 new fish that DH bought and that was when i started having problems!!

but the new fish aren't having problems at all!!!

 

[confusion]

it's certainly possible that the tank is re-cycling and adding the new fish has caused an out of control ammonia or nitrite spike. You can't really tell without a test kit, though.

If you can, do another 50% water change asap, and another tomorrow morning. Just be sure that you're adding the dechlorinator to the new water and make sure it's close to the same temperature.

 

[tropical_mommy]

let me rephrase what i said b-4 i have a test kit but not one where i can test the amonia....

the nitrites are 0 and the nitrate is 40... still within the reccomended range....

 

[confusion]

ah, I missed that. it's certainly possible that the problem is not ammonia then.

 

[tropical_mommy]

guess i will just have to get the test kit then and see for sure!!! thanks for all your help!!!! you have been most helpful!!

if anything changes within then next few days i will post...

 

[confusion]

I would say whatever the problem is - water quality, illness, etc, it can only be helped by the water changes.

Good luck and I hope your fish do well.

 

[tropical_mommy]

so 50%changes?? daily??