Water Levels

[SCFatz]

Was the last water change still a week ago?

One suggestion is to pay particular attention to the instructions on the nitrate test.Shake this for so long/shake this for so long/wait so long ect....

Canuck, what kind of test kit did you buy? I see that you replaced your test strips which is good.

The reason everybody is asking, is because in a healthy cycled tank there should be 0 amonia, 0 nitrite, and you should be showing Nitrate up to 20ppm give or take.

Maybe you are not doing the test right? Make sure you read the directions.

Either way, we will all help you to figure it out. As, Zagz said we were ALL newbies once and no matter how dumb you think the question may be,it is not so please ask. You would be amazed after a couple of months on AA how much you will learn. I did not know that there was a difference between Nitrites and Nitrates when I began either for whatever it is worth.

[Zagz]

Do you have live plants in your tank? Did you test your tank just after a water change? As mentioned, following the advice on the nitrate test for shaking the test tubes is very important.

[canuckaquarist]

No live plants.

Yeah I added Bottle #1's 10 drops, shook, shook Bottle #2 for 30 seconds, added its 10 drops, shook the tube for 1 minute. Let it sit for 5 minutes and read the chart.

Last water change was today actually. Week ago I did the 50% water change after the Neon's died.

[SCFatz]

That might explain why they are very low.

Its difficult to tell low level nitrites using the card.

Try this:Run the test on your tap/source water (about the same temp) and your tank at the same time.Follow all the directions and then compare the vials (held together) against the card.

The only way I have found to truely confirm low level nitrates is to run a control sample (known zero) this way.

HTH

[canuckaquarist]

Did that dual test of Aquarium and Tap water. Both came out similar in colour, light yellow.

[canuckaquarist]

Well this morning, two more Guppies were dead.

Don't know whats going on, maybe I am overstocking? Could that be the cause of deaths to anything new that enters this aquarium?

[joannde]

There are lots of potential reasons. Once might be overstocking. What size is the tank ? can you provide a list of all the inhabitants and their sizes ?

[canuckaquarist]

It's either a 12 or 15 gallon, according to my fiancee who had it before we got together a long time ago.

Got:
- 3 grown Gold Dust Mollies, and 3 juvenile/baby Gold Dust Mollies.
- 2 Whiteskirt Tetras.
- (Now) 1 Fancy Guppy.

7.6-7.8 PH, 0 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, 0 Ammonia according to tests that I did twice to make sure the results were accurate.

Got a Penguin 100 Bio-Wheel filter and got an airstone running in the other back corner.

Thanks,
Blake

[joannde]

It might be a little overstocked but not much, so I still think you just got bad batches of fish - but (big BUT) that might be because I've had the same issues with neons and guppies. Bad strains. I thought it might be my tank, so I've started to QT new arrivals. I had three guppies and only 1 survived the week in the QT tank - so I know its not my tank - and I'm chaulking it up to bad bloodlines or shipping stress.