hobzz

helo everyone & im sorry if im in the wrong place.... but i just got a new 46 galon tank i have a pleco that came with the tank 74temp no filter bc he had the puff eye and im healing him,, and he was very active b4 he is kind of big 6 inch,, now he is down and he is hardly eating, i have been changin the water chekin the pH level and its ok,, i tought ammonia is killin him i got the kit but i dont kno how to read it,, all i c is yellow color when i test the water, on the other hand i have a 5gl snall tank with a crewfish and some bala sharks,,they r ok active look happy, i tested the ph level, and its ok , and i tested the ammonia in the small tank and its yellow,, i really dont kno how to read the ammonia... can some 1 tell me if yellow color in the ammonia card is ok?

mathas

Assuming you have the same API ammonia test kit I do, yellow is good. Yellow indicates no ammonia, and the greener the water in the vial gets, the more ammonia is present.

edit: Just to be sure you're seeing accurate results, you added 8 drops from each bottle, shook the vial, and waited 5 minutes for the color to fully develop?

hobzz

hey by the way thank u for your concern an time to help me out!! thats what i tought yellow is good but i wonder y my pleco isnt eating he used to come up for food and he used to swim backwards it was great to c him doind that now he is all down the puff eye is going away,, but he has some type of differnt color like white fade on top of him its weird but he istill alive but kind of sad!!. when i woke up today he was suckin on tank, he wasnt down in the rocks, i think he is healing it takes some time for him to get better i hope!! thank u so much once again!!!!! and thats the only pick i got from my fish tank i get some more and i post the, im gettin into it,, any fish that u recomend me to add to spend some time with pleco??

UNTAMED

Yellow Means Zero, Thats Good Umm How Come You Never Got A Coulor Chart With Your Kit

nitz

I have an API test kit and I'm pretty sure yellow means you have some ammonia in the water. On my kit, there's no ammonia if it comes out clear. Do you have one of those cards?

Why did you put the filter off? As far as I know, you shouldn't be putting the filter off for anything. If you're medicating, all you have to do is take out the activated carbon from the filter and let it run as usual. If you put the filter off, you're starving the beneficial bacteria and they'll die meaning you'll have to cycle the tank over again. Also, by having the filter off, all the fish waste is just staying in the tank meaning your poor fish is living in their own poo with poor quality water.

EDIT: I have the freshwater only ammonia test kit so that's why yellow means ammonia and clear means no ammonia. Just to clear up the confusion.

UNTAMED

Great Point Nitz

hobzz

i did,,, but if u have a ph kit,, it good is green like blue and its in the middle of the Coulor Chart, ammonia is yellow and is ot top of the chart i was confused. thanks !

nitz

Thanks UNTAMED!!

Hobzz, can you post a picture of the test card?

hobzz

ohhhhh waoww i dont kno i was treatin the pleco with api fungus remedi and they told me at the store that i shgould remove the filters, im gonna put them back as soon as i get home!!1
thankx!! i dont wanna live in my own pooo poo

Devon

Your pleco might perk up and eat if you put a long slice of zucchini in the tank for him.

Alessa

In the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master Test Kit that I have (and mostly everyone) the color yellow means 0 ammonia, if there is any green it means that there is ammonia present.

I am wondering why nigels test came out clear?

here is the card reading:

Attached Images

209_API_Ammonia_1.jpg (6.0 KB, 5 views)

Lucy

Clear? Really? On mine yellow means no ammonia.


Hobzz, the white spot on your pleco, does it look fuzzy?

The Store probably meant to say remove the filter cartridge, not the entire filter.
Some filter cartridges contain charcoal, which will filter out the medication.

nitz

Just make sure you take out the activated carbon from the filter before you turn it on because that'll remove the medication from the water. After you finish the full length treatment, make sure to put in some activated carbon to remove that medication from the water.

hobzz

well im not home!! but ass soon as i get!! its the same card,, i just got confused with the reading,,, im bad with numbers but the mg / anfd the lt, i tought i had to do some type of equation like algebra i was like wtf? not high school again!! lol

nitz

Oh hi everyone, I just checked the Big Als site and found that my test kit is for freshwater only. That's probably why it's different. Sorry for the confusion.

hobzz

nope not fuzzy,, looks more like a stain!!

Lucy

I edited my post to contain more info about the filter, sorry, I typed slow.

hobzz

ill put the filters back tonite no carbon,, im gonna wait 4 more days and i wiil do a 25 % change of water and add the carbon filters thanks!!

hobzz

i love ur cat in the tank lmao..,, too bad im allergic to cats!!! l

hobzz

the level its bright yellow like the 1st 1!!! no ammonia!!

hobzz

hey i tryed a cucumber but he didnt respond,, i even tryed to put it in his mouth so he can taste it and he swam away ~~~~~~~~~~~>

nitz

I've heard about soaking the food in garlic juice to make it more appealing to your fish. This may be something you'd like to try?

mathas

If they haven't tried cucumber or zucchini before, it may take a while before they realize that it's food. It also may be too tough for them to eat, and will need to soften up a bit first, either through bacterial breakdown or some type of preparation on your part.

These two threads might be worth your time to read, if you're interested:

How Do I: Feed my Bristlenose Cucumber/Zuccini?
It's true, plecos love their cucumbers... & it's not just plecos... or cucumbers