Heres a shoker!...Ready for more fish!

[fastfly48]

Hello hello

ok here is a horror story for you...

I've had my tank for 3 months and have been getting all my water tests done for free down at the local fish store.
The test results ALWAYS showed super high ammonia levels (even high as 4.0 ppm!)...even once the tank cycled. 8O :?
Because of this I didn't add anymore fish, instead I was loaded with all of these "cures". Like expensive filter inserts, chemicals pellets etc...etc.

Now I've done my research and I knew something in this picture wasen't right. So I finally lashed out, against the stores recommendation, and bought my own test kit.

I had my water tested on saturday, at the store, and it showed ammonia was 2.0ppm, I then tested the same water at home with my kit and ammonia was 0ppm.
I also test water straight from the tank, that also showed 0ppm of ammonia.
I did nitrite (0ppm) and nitrate (about 10 ppm). That's ok hey?

So anyways...now I'm looking forwad to actually bying some more fish and plants! YAY! I presently have 5 neon tetras, 3 danios, 2 bristle nose plecos and one cory catfish. Here are some fish I'd also like to include:
= Cumming's barb or rosy barbs
=Angel Scalare (I think this will be a problem with fin nippers...)
=Harlequin, Red Rasbora
=Myer's loach, slimy or Kuhli Loach (so different and cool...are there problem with keeping this loach with these other fish?).

Oh and by the way my tank is 20 gallons. kept at about 24 degrees C.
oh and I have 2 watts pr gallon...lights on about 10 hours a day.

Looking forward to your replys!
Cheers.
Ry.

 

[Jchillin]

I had my water tested on saturday, at the store, and it showed ammonia was 2.0ppm, I then tested the same water at home with my kit and ammonia was 0ppm.

This is shocking! Are they falsifying test results to sell more "treatment" products? If you believe this is so, hopefully you will not let it rest. It may well be illegal, not to mention bad business ethics.

Now, on to the good news! Glad to hear you have solved the issue. It justifies the preaching done here that all hobbyists obtain their own test kits.

You are correct about the nipping issue with barbs and angels. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. Plus, your almost at the tanks limit...the harlequins are probably the only thing I would add.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Did the lfs use test strips to test your water? If so, that may be why you were getting inaccurate test results. The liquid reagent kits are usually dead on correct while the strips most of the time give false readings.

Before adding any other species, I would bump up the number of fish that you currently have into schools. If it were my tank, I would add two more neons and 3 cory cats. You really only need 1 pleco in the tank, so I would either return 1 of the BN plecos or if you do keep it, keep up with your weekly water changes. As pleco's grow they become big poop producers which lead to high nitrates They are cute though.

Congrats on the cycled tank! If you really did have Ammonia and Nitrites at the levels the lfs claimed you had, your neons would have been dead in an instant. They are sensitive to ammonia and ntirites.

 

[rubysoho]

it could also be that the LFS was using old test kits that had gone bad... so *maybe* they weren't practicing bad business.

 

[Tiffi]

I would talk to them and if they tell you that your side of the story is not true - never buy there again! I wouldn't give them a single cent anymore!

 

[fastfly48]

Hi guys!
...ok I'm going to try and answer all your questions from the start...so here it goes:

Jchillin...Yeah, I hope they arn't doing these dodgy tests on purpose. I would find it hard to believe because all the staff seem so nice. And yes it certainly does justify all the preaching!
All ready near my tank (20g) limit with 9 fish? Drat. That's a bummer. With the equations in the books I firgured I still had room for atleast another ten (small fish) or so. Though all the book are like super aged! :? I just want a nice variety of colour and shape in my tank. I just trying to figure out how best to get it...
Thanks for the reply!

Fishy Fanatic...no they didn't use strips. They did the test tube tests with the droppers. I'm guessing that the tests must have been old, or done wrong. I don't want to think the worst....
Give back a pleco hey? I happy doing weekly water changes, and he is cute...so I think I might keep him!
More corys hey? So if I added 3 and also the neons would that be all you'd add?
Thanks for the reply!

Rubysoho...yeah, I hoping that is was just a case of faulty/old tests too! I think the stores great and the staff are helpfull enough so yeah...
Thanks for the reply!

Tiffy...ouch! harsh.
I forgot to say something earlier...on saturday after I tested my own water and discovered my ammonia was actually 0ppm I actually went back to the store (that had said my ammonia levels where too high to buy fish earlier that day) and bought 3 more neon tetras (thus making my total number of neons 5).
I talked to the guy that tested my water and he said I must have done my tests wrong. :x
Anyways...I took the neons home and they are fine...as I expected! weird. :|

So, Thanks for all your support. And to ANYONE that doesn't have their own test kit...BUY ONE NOW! and I shall keep contemplating my stocking issues...
Cheers.
Ryland.

 

[Tiffi]

Sorry, but you as a costumer determine how the market looks like. I just can't hear that anymore when poeple say oh this store is so bad, oh at walmart they treat the fishes so bad, oh at superpetz they don't have a clue. Either talk to them or don't buy there anymore, but just complaining won't help you, it's wasted time.

 

[BlazerFRS]

Some test kits can give false positives for ammonia if certain types of dechlorinator are used-But I would expect an LFS should knw that and use a test that doesn't

 

[TomK2]

Chloramines will turn the salicylate ammonia test kit positive. Dechlorinators will turn the nessler reagent ammonia test off the scale. Run your salicylate (two bottle) ammonia test on your tap water. If it turns color, you have chloramines. However, if you test your cycled tank water, it should not turn color, since your bio-filter and your dechlorinator would have dispatched the chloramine you put in the tank. Thus there is no explanation for chloramine causing a cycled tank to continue to test positive 24 hours after a water change. If the LFS test turned brown or was a one bottle test, it might have been the nessler reagent test that is effected by many dechlorinators, and they probably sold you the ammonia binders/dechlorinators too.

Find test kits confusing? So did I. So I did a little research, and put what I found on a web page. http://home.comcast.net/~tomstank/tomstank_files/page0018.htm

 

[fastfly48]

wo wo. Easy Tiffi don't get hiffy.

Ok i'll talk to them more about the mix up.
I like the store and will keep going there. I think they are really professional, their cristal clear tanks, healthy fish and variety of stock are a sure indicator of this.
This is why I was baffled when we had juxtaposed test results.
I'm sure that it was just an honest mistake. I certainly didin't mean to sound like I was winging or complaining.
Take it easy mate.
Ry.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Like mentioned before, they could just have an old test kit or perhaps the person that did the test did it incorrectly. I'm guilty of doing that every once in a while. I read the number of drops to put into the vial and I end up putting too many or too few because I mix it up with the Nitrite or Nitrate number of drops. I am with Fastfly, I wouldn't stop going to the store over it. I actually give them props for not selling fish to someone who has high ammonia and/or nitrite readings. So many stores just give you fish knowing that your levels are too high. Even though their kit is wrong, at least they did the ethical thing.

 

[fastfly48]

Thanks fishyfanatic.
I agree with all of that.
Ry.