I have to ask this....

E

elkhound

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Oct 27, 2005
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I have a 10 gallon tank that is in between week 5 and 6. I got an Aquariumn Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Kit last week (Wednesday to be precise) and my test results were the following:

Ph - 7.8
Ammonia - 1.0
Nitrite - 0.0
Nitrate - 20

I have been doing 20% water changes every other day since I got my tank. I tested my tank today and these are my current levels:

Ph - 7.8
Ammonia - 1.5 (it was the in between color of 1.0 and 2.0)
Nitrite - 0.25
Nitrate - 2.5 (in between 0 and 5.0)

I have not changed any water since Saturday. What do I need to do? I have added Ph decreaser to my tank since it was way higher than it is now.
 
1) Yes--ammonia levels should never excede 1 ppm, and lower than that is better.

2) Don't use the pH decreaser. They do not work in the long run, and the fish will be much better off with a stable pH, even if it's higher than the ideal range for your specific fish.
 
Ph decreaser--in most instances that is an unneeded additive. neon tetras and some of the dwarf cichlids would want it--but trying to lower ph is like trying to hold a helium balloon down. it just keeps going back up, creating ph swings that are detrimental to the fish. If you want to lower ph think of RO water. But, most species (with some obvious exceptions--and for breeding purposes) will do just fine with a 7.8 ph. Most of the Rift Lake species would want higher.

It looks like the tank is still cycling. Not much you can do. Other than wait it out. If you are in a desparate hurry you might try to track down BIOSpira.

If the nitrite keeps rising (and it should) add a teaspoon of salt to offset "brown blood". The nitrites bind to the hemoglobin in the blood and prevent oxygen uptake. salt offsets it.

You could do a large volume partial water change--it will bring ammonia, nitrite and nitrates down. it will also slow the cyle. but, if the fish die from the "toxins" that certainly slows doewn the process as well.

Given the ph and ammonia level i would do at least a 25% water change. to understand why a bit better go to www.thekrib.com Look in their water chemistry section.

Good Luck. Long term I would try keeping the nitrates under 10ppm. In and of themselves the nitrates at low levels (even significantly higher than 10 ppm's) are not really all that detrimental. but, nitrates tend to track with Dissolved Organic Compounds--those are bad. And, you don't have any real test available to you to track them.
 
Ok... I will toss the Ph decreaser. My ph is going to go up to 8.2 to 8.4. What is RO? If I were to track down some Biospira - is it safe for my fish? I am to wait it out unless my fish are going to start dropping like flies on me. Also everytime I change the water, I add some AquaSafe to neutralize the water even though I use filtered water. Is that ok?
 
BioSpira is totally safe for the fish, actually a good thing. I guess it depends on what kind of filtered water you're using, and what you thinkthe Aquasafe is doing for you. The ONLY treatment that MUST be used is to remove chlorine/chloramines. If they are not present, treatment for most water is unneeded.
 
I have a filter on my tap water for drinking. We have exceptionally hard water so I figured the filtered water would be better for the fish than the regular unfiltered water. I am using AquaSafe to neutralize the chlorine and chloramine - is there something else I should use?
 
I prefer using narow range products--ie, they do only one or two things. This way I know I'm not introducing extra, un-needed stuff. Prime is a great option if you need to treat for chloramines. For chlorine, I just let the water agitate in a tub--the chlorine gases off readily. If this isn't an option, Prime will be effective as well. The AquaSafe product works--but I think it contains 'extras', that aren't really needed.
 
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