Fresh-Water Newbie

[King]

thanks, ill post test in a bit..

 

[King]

this is the best i can tell. these colors are so close to one another on the list that its hard to judge. results are not good.

ph - 7.5
high range ph - 7.4
ammonia - .30 ppm
nitrite - 1.5 ppm
nitrate - 4 ppm

 

[King]

i cant see why these are so high after such a massive water change

 

[This Old Spouse]

All I can say is that they were much higher before the water change, which is pretty scary when you think about it. But keep in mind that when you're doing a water change you're only diluting what's in there already. Another water change in your future tomorrow, I'd guess, and again until the ammonia and nitrites are down to 0. Anything above zero is doing harm to your fish.

My husband wasn't believing this stuff either, until he lost two beautiful German Blue Rams. It's making more sense to him now. It's taken me many, many months to get a good grasp of what I should be doing. I thought keeping fish was easy. Hah!

 

[King]

i knew it would be some work but like you i figured it wouldnt be THAT big of a deal. i know im just diluting by water changing but i figured i would be about half as bad off after a 90% change.. oh well, i will keep working at it..

 

[This Old Spouse]

You might want to test your tap water too, just to see how you're starting out.

I started using Stress Coat for a water conditioner, because it seems to take care of the traces of ammonia I have in my tap water (I know; kinda spooky).

Also, I think I mentioned before about checking with the LFS or maybe a friend who already has a tank or tanks up and running who could possibly donate some mature filter media. If you get some to put in your filter, you're effectively cycling your tank almost immediately.

Keep checking back with us to let us know what's happening. And try to find a nice cool home for those goldfish! The angels are awesome.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, you see how reliable test strips can be. If possible, you want to do another water change at your absolute earliest convenience. Again, you want to do as big a water change as you possibly can. No doubt that you are being surprised by this right now, but it happens to a lot of people. Don't worry, it can all work out. It's just going to take a LOT more water changes before it starts to get appreciably better. Keep at it and don't lose heart. It is worth it all in the end. It's just getting to that point can seem endless.

 

[King]

someone told me our zoo has a big coy pond that they might let me donate to, these guys are big and cool looking but i know it will help the tank to get rid of them. they will still live be healthy so im gonna call them tomorrow and ask if i can bring them.

i know i will have to do another massive water change tomorrow. YES those strips were bad off, that was BEFORE the water change, my new readings were after a 90% change. i guess im lucky my fish are still alright. i havent noticed them acting any different and none have died so hopefully were still good until i can get this thing squared away. i dont know anyone close that i could get any used filters from or anything. gonna have to do it the old fashioned way i guess lol.

i am going to test my tap water for ammonia. should i test it for anything else? ph? ect..?

 

[King]

tested my tap water and i feel like its might be .01 ppm ammonia

 

[This Old Spouse]

That's a great idea! And, even if they can't (or won't) take them, they'll probably have a suggestion or two for you. But no reason why they shouldn't take them. Love this idea!

Check with any LFS nearby. They might have some mature media you can have. We're all trying to figure out why they don't culture these and put them up for sale. The stuff in the bottle is just a scam. They could make some real money by selling off mature media.

I would test the tap water for everything your testing kit will allow. That way you'll know just what you're starting with.

 

[This Old Spouse]

tested my tap water and i feel like its might be .01 ppm ammonia

This reply beat mine in the order on the page ... whoops!

Anyway, if that's a true reading, then wahoo! But keep a close eye on things. Let us know how you make out at the zoo, too!

 

[King]

i had never even heard of the "mature media" before this site. there is more to this than most people think. ill let you know if they take the goldfish, i kinda hate to see them go but it will be for the better. we dont even have a fish store around here, we are stuck with petsmart and petco, which both basically suck lol. ill keep on this and post back tomorrow. thanks.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I was admittedly very ignorant in the beginning too. But after hanging out on this forum for months and months, I've learned so much from the good people here who share their knowledge. And I'm trying to teach my husband a few things too.

I still have a common pleco I bought right off the bat that will eventually outgrow this 55g tank that I have, and then I'll have a heck of a time trying to rehome him. I'm in the middle of nowhere with the closest LFS 4 hours round trip.

Even weirder is that I had originally gotten TWO common plecs back in October. I still don't know where the other one is.

And look, with all these posts you worked your way up to Fish Fanatic! LOL!!

 

[King]

im reading the back of this new test kit and its showing a diagnosis/product chart. it says if your ammonia is high these are some products that could help: Ammo-Lock, Ammo-Carb, Ammo-Chips, Stress-Zyme. high nitrite: Stress-Zyme, Nitra-Zorb. high nitrate: Nitra-Zorb.

how do you get the "mature media". old filters? i guess i dont 100% understand that.

 

[King]

i have a common pleco that is massive, i hope to do a bigger tank one day once i learn more and re-home him and do some other big fish. i wish we had a cool fish store around here. i have i think 3 tiny plecos that i RARELY see, i made sure to get ones that wont get more than 5" though. this aquarium looks very impressive already i think. haha FISH FANATIC, thats funny!