Evelyn1919

Hi,
I was reading a thread before and something that I didn't know about really caught my eye.
Now, is it true that the liquid test kit is not really accurate if you don't shake the liquids before using them
Since I have my tank I've been checking and I never shake the liquids before doing the tests except for the nitrate one because that's what the directions say. Is it very super important to shake them all in order to get the right readings

I would appreciate all the advice.

Oh by the way to keep you updated on my tank I did another 30% water change to my tank last night and the water is not as cloudy anymore, now I can actually see my fish! Also before doing the water change I checked water chemistry and here are my readings (which are still not good at all):
ammonia: 8.0
nitrites: .50-1
nitrates:2.5-10
pH: 6.4-6.6

Anything else I can do besides water changes? I don't mind doing them but I just want the fish not to die. The neons are acting very shy and they are all separated all over the tank and not together like the tiger barbs and the rasboras. Should I do an even bigger water change if my readings are as bad again tonight?

FL CommunityFans

Yes you must shake them, as directed. The chemicals in the solutions separate after being in active, like oil and water for an exaggerated example, so must be shaken prior to use. Nitrates for example, shake bottle 1 for 30-60 seconds (cant remember) prior to adding to test tube. Shake test tube for 30-60 seconds(again cant remember) and while doing so, shake bottle 2 of the nitrate solution. Apply bottle 2 after both have been shaken, then add. If you don't shake, you will get a false reading on nitrates, if any reading at all.

luna

FLCF, she's not talking about the nitrates one...I think she said she's been following those instructions. Rose had said in another topic that you should shake ALL of the solutions to make sure they're mixed well or you can get false readings, and she's worried about the other tests.

I shake them anyways, just because they're chemicals suspended in solution and it makes sense to shake them before use (I also shake my bottle of Prime and my VitaChem), but not because I was told I should...her concern here is that she hasn't been shaking the other bottles - the instructions don't tell us we should for any but bottle 2 of the nitrates - and she's worried that those freaky numbers she's getting in her tank could be worse than what she's seeing.

Evelyn1919

Luna you are so right!
I have been only shaking the #2 nitrate bottle because that's what the directions say.
I was just wondering if I should just shake them ALL (ammonia, nitrites etc.).

I guess I'll do that tonight and see what happens.

Thanks!!!

FL CommunityFans

Hm, with the API liquid test kit, I was certain that bottle 1 needed to be shaken, maybe I just added a step for myself to feel comfortable?

As far as shaking the rest of them. *shrug* good point. I've always shaken them myself. I know the water conditioner AquaSafe requires you to shake it prior to adding its contents; as you said, Prime does not.

susitna-flower

If your ammonia test continues to read 8 , I would suggest more aggressive water changes. I would do 2 x 25% change each day until it comes back down to 0.....

Evelyn1919

I've been doing water changes for the last three days. First I did a 50% water change, 2nd day I did a 30% water change and last night I did a 30% water change. The ammonia levels in my tank are still not going down at all! The nitrite levels are also increasing and the nitrate levels stayed. I don't know what else to do in order to get the ammonia levels down. Shouldn't they be going down now that I'm doing all these water changes or is it way too early for the ammonia levels to go down? What else can I do to solve this big problem

Here are my readings from last night:
Ammonia: 8.0
Nitrites: .5 to 1
Nitrates: 5
ph: 6.4

Would it be good or bad for me to add ammolock
Also another neon tetra was dead this morning so now I only have 5 left. They are all acting very shy and hiding all the time. They don'g swim together like all the others either.

SereneReyn

it would seem to me that all the water changes should dilute the ammonia a little bit... have you tested your water straight out of the tap, by any chance? some people here have ammonia readings in their tap water. ew.

Evelyn1919

Someone here advise I test the water every 24hours or right before I do the water change every day and that's what i've been doing. Should I do bigger water changes like 50% daily or would that kill all the beneficial bacteria that will be building up everyday

lisamorie

are we talking about your 75 gallon tank? it's not new is it? for age you just said 5-- is that months, years or days?


i would do two 25% water changes per day and cut back on feeding, maybe skip a day here and there even, or just feed every other day to cut back on the waste the fish produce. i would also use prime (if you are NOT using biospira) because it changes the ammonia and nitrites so they are not hamful to the fish.

Evelyn1919

this is the 75gallon that i've had for 5 weeks (now almost 6).
i used biospira and everything was looking fine until i added the school of neons in the tank. i'm not using prime but i have ammolock. is prime better thank ammolock?

FL CommunityFans

I personally would have been doing 50% water changes with ammonia that high. As said in your other thread, your not worried about the abcteria at this point. The cycle is going to have to go through the full process most likely. Your goal here is to keep the fish healthy and as minimal stressed out as possible. Ammonia that high is horrid for them as far as living conditions go. Check the parameters prior to the water change and if it's still 8+ do a 50% (This is what I would do / have done) then 12 hours later do another 50% change ( no need to test at this time. I wait 24 hours from the 2nd water change to test again. At this point, you SHOULD definitely start seeing some improvement. If you're not, then you are a) testing wrong, b) have a defective kit and need a new one, c) have something crazy going on that is unexplainable.



Keep up the good work though. I know you've been fighting it for awhile. From one semi newbie to another, it does get better over time It can be horrendous at first. One little thing knocks the balance of everything off, and you find yourself right back at the beginning.

Evelyn1919

i will do that.
thanks for the advice and i'll keep you all posted on what's going on with my tank.

**Also, if this means that my tank is going to be going through the whole cycle again would it be better if I just go to the LFS and get some biospira and add it in the tank

susitna-flower

Basically the bacteria isn't IN the water, so changing water at this point is not going to slow down your cycle....I would do a 50% change and then another 25-50% change within a few hours....mainly you are just trying to dilute the ammonia concentration....

Change water as much as it takes to keep the level down.

FL CommunityFans

The Fish from the North speaks words of wisdom. I agree 100%.

Evelyn1919

ohhhhhhhh............
but would the biospira help or would it just be another waste of money
i've spent a lot of money on biospira already but if that's gonna solve my problem then i would get it anyways.

FL CommunityFans

That's completely up to you. As stated in your other thread by CBC, it would be wise to do water changes for about a week until results look a little bit more 'rational' then add the bio-spira. Bio Spira does cause mini spikes, and is to be expected, but when you are in your current state, it could increase the ammonia/nitrite levels higher than they already are. If you really want to add some, buy it and wait a week or wait a week and buy it. I'd hate to see you 'flush' more money away. You'll be doing a lot of water changes in the next week, most likely. Bio-spira requires AT LEAST 7 days of no water changes to be effective.

COBettaCouple

That ammonia level is tremendously high and toxic. I'd do a 60-70% water change now and 50% daily, testing the water before each water change.

Evelyn1919

ok.
i'll be doing lots of water changes then.

thanks for sall your help!!!

Peterpiper

I feel you must establish if the readings you are getting are true and correct.
If your test kit can show readings higher than 8 Ammonia.. Then if before a water change you have a reading of 8, and you do a 50% water change, then test the water again, you should have a reading of 4.
If you are still getting a reading of 8, Then I would take the test kit and some of the tank water to the lfs and have them test the water using their test kit. If the LFS gets a diferent reading to the one you got at home ask them to show you how to use your test kit on your tank water. if they get the same reading as when they used their test kit then it was the way you have been testing.
If they get a reading of 8 when using your test kit.. then you need a new kit

lisamorie

that is great advice-- i was just rereading this thread and with all of the water changes, i cannot understand how your ammonia is staying the same? something isn't making sense?

Halibut

If the ammonia level was well beyond 8(for example 16/24ppm) you could do water changes and not see it change, also current fish in the tank will continue to produce waste which in turn will make more ammonia and so on. I'm not a fish expert by any means but after the research Ive done it doesnt sound like the cycle has progressed very well so amonia isnt being converted as it should yet.

Faye Rod

On March 28th, Evelyn said "this is the 75gallon that i've had for 5 weeks (now almost 6).
i used biospira and everything was looking fine until i added the school of neons in the tank. i'm not using prime but i have ammolock. is prime better thank ammolock?"

Could ammolock be the problem? And are you using a carbon filter that might need to be changed?

I'm very new to all of this but thought those two things might be contributing to your problem. I never used bio spira but I didn't think it could be used with ammo lock either?

I know that when I was going through the cycle with fish I was doing two water changes a day if the ammonia was 1.0 or 2.0. It never got higher than that. And after a couple of weeks the nirites increased. About three weeks after that the nitrates took over and - http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/im.../bananaman.gif
my tank was cycled!!!! The only thing I added was aquasafe for a water conditioner - it was tempting to use an ammonia lock but I was advised not to.

Good luck!