Can't Keep fish in new tank alive for 2 weeks-water was tested fine-over two months!

Seeing as the API chart for nitrite only goes to 5 ppm you could have had a larger spike than the tests would have shown. The tests don't lie (outside of user error of course).

If the bacteria can handle a 2 ppm dose of NH3 over 24 hrs, meaning you don't get any measurable levels of ammonia/nitrite, then I would call it good to go.

For a water change really you can do one large one if you would like. Shouldn't affect the bacteria in any way.
 
Thanks! And yes the nitrite was 5 plus. Since it was off the scale I really could not put a value to it.
Okay, I think I'll get a fish tomorrow.
Question: are the fish from big box stores like Petco and Petsmart really that bad? Or should I drive around to find a specialty fish shop?
 
Update:

Sometimes when I test for ammonia I get a high reading like .25-.50 ppm. I then do another test and sometimes a third and they usually will show 0ppm. I don't know why the initial test shows a high reading. Sometimes there will be a tiny bit of water in the tube from the previous day's test. But that water should be clean water as I rinse the tube out first with tap and then with reverse osmosis water, the same goes for the dropper I use to put the water in there.

But anyways the results have been showing 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 20-40ppm nitrate. It was doing this for about 10 days so I put a red wag platy and a ghost shrimp. The tank did go up in ammonia the first two days, but it tapered back to normal. Now I get a 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 20-40ppm nitrate reading pretty much everyday.

It's been 11 days with the fish in there so today I added two guppies.


Here's how I plan to stock this tank:

1 Red Wag Molly
1 Sunburst Molly
3 guppies
2 ghost shrimp
1 octocinclus

Is that too much for a 10 gallon tank?
 
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