New Dwarf Male Gourimi not swimming right

[Mooky9669]

I always use dechlorinated water. Use the water from tank when doing water change. Read about it on other forums

 

[Valerie Adams]

Just making sure. I'd check your tap and see what you find out there. If it's coming from that, it should be cleared up soon

 

[Mooky9669]

Just making sure. I'd check your tap and see what you find out there. If it's coming from that, it should be cleared up soon

Thanks...I know it has to be from the water. I'll just go buy some Prime, add to tank and use that from now on. Should I wait 24 hours and test ammonia again after use?

 

[Valerie Adams]

Yes, it should be gone by then. If not then it's an issue bigger than your tap water

 

[Mooky9669]

Ok..thanks for the help. More than likely it's the tap water. Tap water stinks. You can smell it a mile away.

 

[Colin_T]

Have you tested the tap water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH?
If not, then test it.

If you have smelly tap water then contact your water supply company and inform them. It could be something that harms people and animals if they drink it or get it on their skin.

You can also filter the water before using it in the tank. One of the members on here (Cowgirluntamed) was losing fish and uses well water as their water supply. They are filtering the water in buckets before using it for the fish and their fish have stopped dying since they started filtering it. They use carbon and zeolite in the buckets of water for a couple of days and then use the filtered water for the fish.

 

[Mooky9669]

Just added Prime to the tank. I read that the API test kit can give a false reading for ammonia. What kit should I use to test? They only had API kit at Petco.

 

[Colin_T]

Liquid test kits don't normally give false readings unless they have expired. They can pick up ammonia that has been bound into a safe form by water conditioners and that can make people concerned about ammonia in the water. The conditioners normally bind to free ammonia making them safe for about 24 hours. During that time the filters normally pick up the ammonia and convert it into nitrite and nitrate.

 

[Mooky9669]

On Seachem's site, they say API can give a false reading for ammonia. I get confused easily with all this stuff. Thanks for helping.

 

[Colin_T]

I think Seachem's website is more about advertising in that statement. I wouldn't change kits, just use what you have.

The main thing with any test kit is if there is any ammonia or nitrite in the water, then do water changes each day until the reading is 0.

 

[Mooky9669]

Thanks. Have read mixed reviews about that statement. Their test kit for ammonia tests for free and total ammonia. Have also read where some folks have been getting crazy readings using prime and API. I watched a YouTube video and found out that is because if you use Prime, it detects the bound ammonia as free ammonia and that's why people freak out when they get results showing high ammonia. When would be a good time to test again to get a more accurate reading? After 24 hrs?

 

[Colin_T]

If you are testing the water then try to test every 24 hours and at the same time each day. Do not test for at least 2 hours after feeding because fish food will create ammonia in the water.

You can also test the tap water for ammonia (and nitrite and nitrate). Then do another test for ammonia but when you get a phial of tapwater, you add a drop of dechlorinator. Put the cap on the phial and shake it up then remove the cap and wait a minute. Then test the phial for ammonia.

If you have chloramine in the water, the water conditioner should break the ammonia chlorine bond and you will have an ammonia reading in the test phial.

 

[Mooky9669]

I am wondering if that is why ammonia levels were kinda high? I fed them after 8 this morning and a few hours after that, did water test. Will test the tap water.

 

[Mooky9669]

Looks like 0.25 ammonia in tap water. Think ammonia spike in tank might have been from feeding this morning?? Nitrate is 0

 

[Essjay]

Seachem's website doesn't mention the API test - or not that I can find anyway; it mentions getting false positive ammonia readings with Nessler based testers. Yes, the API ammonia tester is a Nessler type, but so are a lot of other brands.

Can you tell us where they specify the API tester?