penguin1

So I had some problems with my guppies last night breathing heavily and staying at the bottom of the tank and this afternoon 2 died. So I went and bought some strip kits for ammonia and a 5 n 1 for pH, nitrate, nitrite, hardness, and alkalinity. I know they are not very accurate but it's all they had. The results were Nitrate 20, nitrite 3.0, hardness hard, alkalinity 300, pH 8.4 and ammonia 3. These I know are horrible levels so I changed out 25-50%of the water, removed the carbon filter and put some ammonia clear tablets and correct pH tablets in to try to correct the levels so no more will die. My question is, when should I put the filter back in and test the levels again?

Alessa

You shouldnt put those ammonia absorbing things. The reason for not using them is that they prevent your tank from cycling. BTW, in your tank info you say that you dont know about the nitrogen cycle. this is a VERY important concept, vital to fishkeeping. here is the link:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

also here is my article explaining about these ammonia removing products and other aquarium problems:
http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummaga...um-startup.htm

The only thing you need right now is the 50% water changes, preferibly with a conditioner called prime which protects fish from ammonia without interrupting your cycle like the tablets.

and, welcome to fishlore

penguin1

Yeah, I read up on it last night before my guppies died. I didn't know about it til then. I was told last night on here to use them but for a quick fix. I also bought some live plants to help the cycle and reduce ammonia. Thanks

Alessa

try to get the liquid test. The stripes are not accurate at all.

penguin1

Yeah, I have to find a local pet store I think. The closest thing is Wal-Mart. So can you tell me when to put the filter back in and retest?

penguin1

I already used aqua safe, can I use another water conditioner?

Alessa

You should leave the filter always in there so that it cycles. Also take out the tablets and do 50% water changes. Test daily.

penguin1

The are dissolved already should I change the water again? Thanks

Alessa

yes change the water, and it does not matter if you already used another conditioner.

Birdo

Penguin, were you the one that said that even if you change the water the ammonia didn't go down or am I confusing you with someone else? If so I told this person to use some sort of ammo lock sollution to save the fish because the levels were off the charts, and water changing wasn't helping.

I didn't know you didn't know about cycling. By the looks of your tank stats, you way overstocked before the cycle could start. I would take back some of your fish to the pet store or put them in an older established tank because no ammount of water changes can help get the ammonia and nitrites down if the biofilter cannot handle your fish's waste products.

You should really start with either one hardy fish in a 10 gallon tank to start the cycle, or preferably a fishless cycle where you feed the tank some fish food flakes twice a day without any fish in it so that ammonia forms. Then the bacteria can eat the ammonia and start the cycle. I will post the link for the nitrogen cycle for you.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

this is the link to doing the cycle either fishless or with a fish

http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummaga...innerpart3.htm

Another problem with the ammo-lock solutions is that you won't get an accurate reading of the ammonia levels after the solution works to dissapate it. Also, ammo-lock only works on the ammonia problem, so I agree with Alessa the 50% tank changes are the way to go.

I also was misinformed about how many fish to put as starter fish into my fish tank and ended up taking them all out except for 6 in my 29 gallon. So far they are working great as starter fish. However, since I found that it is more humane to have a fishless cycle I will do this next time.

After you cycle your tank you can reintroduce your fish into the tank. Howver, be mindful that when you buy your fish they are usually juveniles and will grow so you might overstock your tank and have to do maintence more often. Sometimes fish are more active and need larger tank sizes. The rule for small fish, which seems to be most of the kind you have in your tank is one inch of fish (excluding the tail) per gallon about, again depending on activity level. Platies grow to be about 1.5 inches (I think). So I am approx. your tank will have 10.5 inches of fish in it when they are fully grown? This will be fine when you have your tank cycled, but for now the bioload is going nuts. Is there any way you can either take some of the fish back or put them in someone else's established tank until you get yours established since your tank is only 4 days old?

Lucy

I think the one of the hardest things to do is be patient during cycling, even with fish. You go to the store and see all the products and think, surely they wouldn't sell this if it didn't help and all you can think about is getting that ammonia level down. So I understand why these products are tempting.

Your best friend right now are water changes cycling can take a long time.
Did you ask Walmart about taking back some of the fish?
I know you were going to look into a larger aquarium also.

About your PH, it is on the high side, assuming the strips are correct. I wouldn't mess with it, most fish can adapt to your PH and are better with a steady reading rather fluctuation.
You might want to test the PH in your tap water too.
When I first started I had the strips and it showed a high PH, but when I got the liquid kit, it was actually a lot lower.

I had just gotten an e-mail from Petsmart, they're offering free shipping for orders $25.00 and over. I know they carry the API master kit, this might be an option for you since all you have is a Walmart nearby. If you decide to order from there, get some Prime, it's water conditioner and will help neutralize the ammonia, but not in detriment to the cycle.

So be patient, do water changes daily. If between water changes your fish look like they're in trouble, you can always do another. Always test your water before changing it and keep a log of it. The cycle will happen and when it's complete, you'll find your new hobby very relaxing and we'll all celebrate with you!

Edit: I really am sorry to hear you lost your guppies.

jdhef

Also, if you have a Discover Card, you can get 10% cash back from Drs Foster & Smith.
I posted a thread about it here: Discover Card 10% Cashback @ DFS

I think Drs Foster & Smith are also honoring a $5 discount. You can check it out here:
Bargain page.

Ghostfish

They should really teach the nitrogen cycle in schools. I mean is there many people on this forum that hasn't either had a parent kill their fish as a kid or done it themselves? I know my mother left behind a goldfish graveyard when I was a kid.