Help...water problems..
- Thread starter Ktgit121
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Honestly. The best thing you can do is take all the fish back to the store and start over when you can dedicate some time to it.
While there are chemicals that make claims to help with your issues, they probably dont work as well as they claim and would still require some amount of input from yourself.
If you are still set on keeping the fish i would look at changing at least 100% of the water over the next 24 hours. Probably 50% change, then 3 more 25% changes a few hours apart. Do another 50% change just before you go into hospital. This will stress the fish, but less so than living in toxic water. Seachem prime claims to neuralise low levels of ammonia and nitrite for a day or so. Some people will tell you it doesnt work, but its better than trying nothing. Dont feed your fish while you arent there to monitor water parameters, turn the lights off to minimise metabolic activity. Put in some bottled bacteria like Dr Tims One and Only, Fluval Cycle or Seachem Stability. This may or not do anything, but is better than doing nothing. Hope there is something left when you get back home.
I really hope someone comes on and tells you im talking rubbish and can advise you differently, because i cant see a way out of this that ends well if you arent able to keep on top of regular water changes until your cycle is established.
You may not have picked on what the nitrogen cycle is. This is a good video on it and why it is important.
https://youtu.be/qMk_SfR0CuU
While there are chemicals that make claims to help with your issues, they probably dont work as well as they claim and would still require some amount of input from yourself.
If you are still set on keeping the fish i would look at changing at least 100% of the water over the next 24 hours. Probably 50% change, then 3 more 25% changes a few hours apart. Do another 50% change just before you go into hospital. This will stress the fish, but less so than living in toxic water. Seachem prime claims to neuralise low levels of ammonia and nitrite for a day or so. Some people will tell you it doesnt work, but its better than trying nothing. Dont feed your fish while you arent there to monitor water parameters, turn the lights off to minimise metabolic activity. Put in some bottled bacteria like Dr Tims One and Only, Fluval Cycle or Seachem Stability. This may or not do anything, but is better than doing nothing. Hope there is something left when you get back home.
I really hope someone comes on and tells you im talking rubbish and can advise you differently, because i cant see a way out of this that ends well if you arent able to keep on top of regular water changes until your cycle is established.
You may not have picked on what the nitrogen cycle is. This is a good video on it and why it is important.
https://youtu.be/qMk_SfR0CuU
charliebankston
Aquarium Advice Addict
Plus 1 imo
Aiken
I so understand its just unfortunate i have to go in.
I will persevere and my wife will do the water change..jm onlu away for 4 days..so hopefully will be ok ??
Again youve been brill...will keep you updated..
Plus.im going to invest.in the test kit you recommend..thanks ..kev.
I so understand its just unfortunate i have to go in.
I will persevere and my wife will do the water change..jm onlu away for 4 days..so hopefully will be ok ??
Again youve been brill...will keep you updated..
Plus.im going to invest.in the test kit you recommend..thanks ..kev.
If you can get your ammonia + nitrite below 0.5ppm and keep it there through regular water changes then that is your best bet. Might take several weeks of regular water changes for your cycle to establish fully, perhaps 2 changes a day for a little while.
You are heavily stocked to do a fishless cycle, but we are we are. Key is to feed sparingly. Only as much as is eaten in 1 minute daily, or as much as is eaten in 2 minutes every 2 days.
Hope your hospital visit goes well and you get well soon.
You are heavily stocked to do a fishless cycle, but we are we are. Key is to feed sparingly. Only as much as is eaten in 1 minute daily, or as much as is eaten in 2 minutes every 2 days.
Hope your hospital visit goes well and you get well soon.
Hi aiken
Ok... i bought a api test kit as recommended and my results as today are...ph 6.8
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrate. 5.00
Nitrite 2.00
Im down to 9 neons 4 barbs 1 ram 6 kribs 3 platies
Fish look fine and all eating small amounts supplied,also changjng water every day 25% .
What do you think??
Cheers kev.
Ok... i bought a api test kit as recommended and my results as today are...ph 6.8
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrate. 5.00
Nitrite 2.00
Im down to 9 neons 4 barbs 1 ram 6 kribs 3 platies
Fish look fine and all eating small amounts supplied,also changjng water every day 25% .
What do you think??
Cheers kev.
I would up to 50% change per day until you can get your ammonia + nitrite below 0.5ppm.
Things are already looking better, ammonia looks good, nitrite looking better, nitrate looking more in the ballpark of what is expected (I dont know where that 124 ppm came from).
Just check some bottled water for ammonia. You know the bottled water will be 0ppm, so this will give you a guide of what a true 0ppm ammonia reading is. A 0ppm can often look like a 0.25ppm.
Just check some bottled water for ammonia. You know the bottled water will be 0ppm, so this will give you a guide of what a true 0ppm ammonia reading is. A 0ppm can often look like a 0.25ppm.
Yup. Getting there. Keep up with the water changes to keep that nitrite down.
