Need Advice Should I Do A 3/4-4/5 Water Change

[QuotheRaven]

Merry Christmas all...

Back from a small break for Christmas about 2 days prior a thunderstorm came through...I sat with fingers crossed but the power went out...about 15-20 Minutes later power back...I thought ok good all is fine...Christmas day I get my Presents ( Master test kit, encylopedia of fish, water conditioner, brine shrimp flakes, Hikari algae wafers and a $50 voucher to my favourite aquarium among clothes, ps2 games and other items ) the next day I tested my water for ammonia (75 gallon) and ammonia comes up 8.0 ppm...I test again...same thing...test nitrite 8.0ppm....gaze at my fish...fins up swimming as normal all happy and fine...confusion...wait another day test again same result..test my 32 gallon and results come up 0 ppm for nitrite and ammonia...well I got a little concerned now but today Off I went to the lfs to spend my voucher and came back with a upsidedown catfish, a bumblebee catfish and two asian hillstream loaches called Neohomaloptera johorensis also known as Gecko loaches and placed them in the 32 gallon....well I did a 50% water change stripped the decor out to see if there may of been a dead fish hidden away and nothing...so I moved my other syno and my hoplo cats to the 32. The 20 minute blackout seems to have killed off bacteria in my filter or there is some chemical in my tank giving me strange readings...because my fish are acting as normal... ARGH!!!

 

[SlushMonkey]

thatsa weird one i must say!! are you rinsing the test container in the actual tank water you are goning to test?? that throws it off sometimes

Slush

 

[QuotheRaven]

nope I cleaned it in boiling water and regular water same result

 

[SlushMonkey]

maybe your fish are just invincible, worth a fair bit if they are

no ideas sorry

Slush

 

[Underwurlde]

What percentage of that is TOXIC ammonia?
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=154313

if you work that the toxic ammonia levels are >0.02ppm, then:
a) your fish are dead (but they are not, soooooooo......)
B) you've done the test wrong / read it wrong / test is not working.

Andy

 

[QuotheRaven]

I've been testing exactly how I did it with my 32 gal but still getting 8.0ppm could there be ammonium in the water from something that may be giving off these readings

 

[Underwurlde]

Certainly...

Something dead, old fish food & the such like. As these things rot down, ammonia is given off.

Do you know the pH and temperature of the water?

Andy

 

[QuotheRaven]

Temp is 26 ph was apparently 6.5 but this same tank claims ammonia is 8.0ppm and Nitrite is 8.0 Ppm with still zero fatalities

 

[WILDER]

What's the make of the test kit.

 

[Loko17]

that is very odd. Especially the fact that there is high nitrite levels and still no dead fish. Could be a bad test kit?

 

[QuotheRaven]

Nope don't think so as it reads differently to my other tanks

Oh and the test kit is a fresh water Master test kit by aquarium pharmaceuticals inc can't find use by date or anything like that

 

[erk628]

Merry Christmas all...

Back from a small break for Christmas about 2 days prior a thunderstorm came through...I sat with fingers crossed but the power went out...about 15-20 Minutes later power back...I thought ok good all is fine...Christmas day I get my Presents ( Master test kit, encylopedia of fish, water conditioner, brine shrimp flakes, Hikari algae wafers and a $50 voucher to my favourite aquarium among clothes, ps2 games and other items ) the next day I tested my water for ammonia (75 gallon) and ammonia comes up 8.0 ppm...I test again...same thing...test nitrite 8.0ppm....gaze at my fish...fins up swimming as normal all happy and fine...confusion...wait another day test again same result..test my 32 gallon and results come up 0 ppm for nitrite and ammonia...well I got a little concerned now but today Off I went to the lfs to spend my voucher and came back with a upsidedown catfish, a bumblebee catfish and two asian hillstream loaches called Neohomaloptera johorensis also known as Gecko loaches and placed them in the 32 gallon....well I did a 50% water change stripped the decor out to see if there may of been a dead fish hidden away and nothing...so I moved my other syno and my hoplo cats to the 32. The 20 minute blackout seems to have killed off bacteria in my filter or there is some chemical in my tank giving me strange readings...because my fish are acting as normal... ARGH!!!

Don't think your bacteria could die within 20 min they usually can live up to 12 hours, so I heard. What I would do is take a sample to you LFS and have them test it ans see what kind of resluts they get. Keep us updated.

 

[QuotheRaven]

well currently the only sign that the water conditions could be that bad is all the fish are breathing quite heavy but thats the only sign no dead fish nadda....and wouldn't all my fish be either dead or dying quickly if the water specs were 8.0ppm?

 

[erk628]

well currently the only sign that the water conditions could be that bad is all the fish are breathing quite heavy but thats the only sign no dead fish nadda....and wouldn't all my fish be either dead or dying quickly if the water specs were 8.0ppm?

Are they at the surface or does it seem like there breathing heavy. You may be making yourself think they are breathing heavy and there really not, do to the fact you are worrying about your fish. I have done that one before. You need to get the water tested at your LFS ASAP, like tommorrow (Sat). If the results are the same you need to do a monster water change immediately. Keep us updated!

 

[QuotheRaven]

Not at the surface they just appear to be doing it and I did a 30-50% water change a couple of days ago tested the water about 2 hours later same results...I just tested the water ammonia 8 ppm Nitrite 8 ppm Ph 6 Nitrate 60-80....are there any chemicals in water that can throw all readings off...I wonder