New to it... having problems!!!

[wxboilermaker]

yep, that's the stuff. I was using it to treat the water for every water change. Every gallon I'd pour in had a little bit in it. Right know it's a slimy layer on top of the water that traps bubbles and keeps them from popping. Sice I figured out what was going on and started using Chlor-out instead, the mess went away after a 30% water change. Once you add the fresh water, the excess stress coat and dissolve.

Kwenbee, not sure if your film is realated or not. I didn't start getting it until my third 30% water change using a drop of stresscoat per gallon. This was on top of the two teaspoons I added when I added the fish. Do a good water change using someother detox like chlorout and see if that helps with the film. If not, then good luck scooping it up. I tried on mine and it's near impossible.

 

[JamesShall]

Alli - thanks for jumping in! I have snooped around a bit and I see that your posts are taken as BIBLE by a lot of the members here.

I pulled the coral from the tank last night and it seems to have vessels in the bottom of it so I assume it's real stuff - it's in the front yard as a planter decoration now.

My nitrites are at zero still as of this morning.
My nitrates are staying steady at 40 as well.

According to the chart that I posted up, 40 is normal.
According to one of the responses 20~40 means I should be replacing some water.

My tap water tests in at 40. What do I do? Changing out 40ppm tank water with 40ppm tap will only give me 40ppm again right?

Also, my alkalinity seems to being creeping toward the acidic side. My pH has gone from a good 7.2 and slowly is slipping down to 6.9~7.0. I don't want to jump the gun and immediately throw chemicals in like I was doing before. But, if numbers do remain undesirable is it then safe to up the pH with chemicals?

What is a safe all around water hardness for a community tank? My readings show the water to be a tad over hard going towards the really hard. I have used the softener pillow a few times in 48 hour intervals, but the reading doesn't change much at all. I'm thinking to just leave it alone. Any suggestions?

I'm on a mission to get everything straightened out so I can confidently add more fish 2 weeks from now.

Stress coat is out of the picture unless I have to net the fish or replace some water due to some bad tank water issue. I'm currently using AmmoCarb in a media basket and will continue to do so as suggested.

The only thing I should be adding to change water is chlorine/chloromine remover chemicals. Right?

Thanks peoples! This forum rocks!

 

[QTOFFER]

My nitrates are staying steady at 40 as well.
According to the chart that I posted up, 40 is normal.
According to one of the responses 20~40 means I should be replacing some water.
My tap water tests in at 40. What do I do? Changing out 40ppm tank water with 40ppm tap will only give me 40ppm again right?

These numbers are not absolutely hard and fast - it's just what I've seen posted most often. If you obtained your fish locally, they probably have been kept in water similar to yours and are adapted to the elevated nitrate levels.

I'm guessing that your municipality uses ground or well water - you could check with your local EPA to fiind out how much nitrates are supposed to be in your water. Ground water tends to be harder and can have elevated nitrates due to contaminant runoff - the excess fertilizers we use to keep our lawns healthy and green eventually go somewhere!

Some people use live aquatic plants in their tanks to absorb nitrates and other contaminants. I know nothing about planted tanks, but there is a forum here where the folks in the know hang out - maybe you could troll for suggestions there. Alternatively, you could mix some distilled water with your tap water, but that might be inconvenient and/or expensive.

 

[Allivymar]

*snickers*

Should I add Goddess to my sig?

Seriously tho LOL 40 ppm is sorta top end for most of us; I have certainly have had tanks go higher (jeez those plecs poo a lot!), but 40 is my magic number. If I find a tank is over, I'll do a water change. My fish didn't seem to be suffering at the higher levels.

I have read nitrates aren't that big a deal. I just don't agree with levels near 80 being ok; I think its saying there is a lot of waste in the tank. In your case its a little different if your tap is 40ppm, it is impossible to lower it with water changes from the tap. Coupla things. Drag a sample to your lfs and have it double checked. 40ppm is really high from the tap; most municipal water plants are not allowed to have nitrates above 10ppm; it can be dangerous for infants. If the lfs tests agree with yours, call the water company. You can also get some info about your local water supply here: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.htm . And this is what the EPA says about nitrates: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/dw_contamfs/nitrates.html

As for your pH levels, don't worry. 7.0 is fine! As long as you acclimate the new fish slowly, should be no problem. Ph will drop somewhat, as fish waste is acidic, so no surprise. If it changes more then .5, then we'll rethink things.

Also hardness isn't as much of an issue as you may think; many of the fish you get in the lfs has been brought up in water similar to yours (not all obviously, some are bought in from elsewhere, some are wild caught). I wouldn't mess with it. I'd suggest looking into the type of fish you'd like to add, and see what type of water they'd prefer. It will help you make some decisions on stocking

Lastly, many of us use products that only remove chlorine/chloramine (well, break the ammonia/chlorine bond as thats what chloramine is made of). Personally I figure healthy fish don't need assistance with their slime coat, and if they do, they are likely being treated for and with something else anyway.

 

[fearlessfisch]

off topic (sorry), but...

kwenbee, cory may be hiding because he's lonely. corycats are social fish and feel most secure when they can school. do you have room to add some friends for him?...or at least one friend?

 

[Kwenbee]

Oh for goodness sake...I specifically asked the dude at Petsmart and he told me they didn't need buddies...he'd be fine alone...it's a 5 gallon tank. The guy said he wouldn't get too big, so can the 5 gallon handle two corys and a betta? It is a temporary thing...they will be moved to a 10 gallon in the next few months.

As far as the slime on the top of the tank, I have never added Stress Coat myself. I'm working hard to remain "drug free" in my tank per Alli's advice. The only stress coat that has entered the tank is from the fish store. The slime is still there, but it may be clearing up some...I tried the papertowel trick but it didn't work.

As far as nitrates go, I have not been checking for them. We have well water that naturally has nitrates in it. Should I do a test for them? The fish seem absolutely fine...better than ever, in fact. I did a 25% water change in the 10 gallon yesterday, vacuuming half the gravel. The tests showed no ammonia, but .25 nitrites, which is fairly normal on my water change day.