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[Smcoyle87]

Fishy, got any updates?

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by Smcoyle87

Nitrates are down halfway!
Have you been vacuuming the gravel on the other wc's you've been doing lately? 80ppm is a little high, but it's not nearly as bad as 160ppm so I think you could be okay not doing a wc today.

Yes, I have been vacuuming the gravel too!

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by pankelephant

I'm sorry, I completely disagree that you can't do more than a 25% water change. I do 50% weekly and so do plenty of other people. If your tank is toxic, change as much water as you can to keep the fish safe. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a large water change at all. Prevailing wisdom is that the more fresh water the better. If the temp is the same, it won't hurt your fish. The amount of BB that lives in the water itself is almost negligible. It's your filter that matters.

This may sound odd, but did you shake the nitrate test bottle #2 really well? And the test tube after you cap it? The API kit is a little strange in this, but failing to really (REALLY) shake that bottle will give you off readings. Also make sure you're comparing the color in bright, white light against a white background. I add an index card behind the test tube next to the test column; the little gap between the columns isn't wide enough, IMO. The nitrate colors are very close to each other and can be hard to judge.

Finally, don't forget about your ammonia. It should be 0, not .25. IMO, that's more important than your nitrates at this point because it indicates that either your BB aren't doing their job, or your tank's not clean enough (leftover food, fish waste, etc.).

My advice would be to NOT change any of the media in your filter except your carbon. Carbon usually loses its effectiveness in about 4 weeks. (In the long-term, look into getting re-fillable bags, it's much cheaper. Or you can take your carbon out, clean it, and bake it. That's the only way to re-use it.) The carbon doesn't actually affect your water chemistry in the way you need. Lots of people don't use it at all. I use it for greater water clarity and because my water smells without it (it's very hard, alkaline water).

The only important BB you need to worry about is in your filter and taking any away right now would be a very bad idea. While there is some BB in your gravel or on your plants, the only stuff that matters in any significant way is in your filter. I'm not sure what kind of media you have, but you probably have a sponge of some sort and maybe bio-beads or ceramic rings. These should be cleaned, not changed. And generally you clean only one at a time (if you have more than one). I think someone has already mentioned to clean it in tank water.

Here's what I would do:

- Condition (with Prime) and test your tap.
- Test your tank. Be sure to shake Nitrate #2 AND your test tube really, really, really well.
- Do a 25%-30% wc. Make sure the temp is the same. I recommend an instant-read digital thermometer. Meat thermometers at the grocery store are cheap and accurate. You can set the temp right out of the tap.
- Wait 24 hours.
- Test your water again.

There really should be a change in both ammonia and nitrate readings at that point. If not, it's possible that your tank is going through a mini-cycle for some reason. If that's the case, the best choice is small water changes every day until the numbers are right.

All that said, these are my opinions. I think I am fairly well-educated on this subject, but feel free to throw it out the window if you like.

Yes, I made sure that I shook the bottle and test tube very well!!! I felt like a paint shaker! Lol, I have two sponge(I guess that's what they are) in my filter. They are black, and not tight knot. I never replace them, just rinse. I have decided to do a partial water change, because I have two fish(different fish than yesterday) that are acting stressed.

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by pankelephant

I'm sorry, I completely disagree that you can't do more than a 25% water change. I do 50% weekly and so do plenty of other people. If your tank is toxic, change as much water as you can to keep the fish safe. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a large water change at all. Prevailing wisdom is that the more fresh water the better. If the temp is the same, it won't hurt your fish. The amount of BB that lives in the water itself is almost negligible. It's your filter that matters.

This may sound odd, but did you shake the nitrate test bottle #2 really well? And the test tube after you cap it? The API kit is a little strange in this, but failing to really (REALLY) shake that bottle will give you off readings. Also make sure you're comparing the color in bright, white light against a white background. I add an index card behind the test tube next to the test column; the little gap between the columns isn't wide enough, IMO. The nitrate colors are very close to each other and can be hard to judge.

Finally, don't forget about your ammonia. It should be 0, not .25. IMO, that's more important than your nitrates at this point because it indicates that either your BB aren't doing their job, or your tank's not clean enough (leftover food, fish waste, etc.).

My advice would be to NOT change any of the media in your filter except your carbon. Carbon usually loses its effectiveness in about 4 weeks. (In the long-term, look into getting re-fillable bags, it's much cheaper. Or you can take your carbon out, clean it, and bake it. That's the only way to re-use it.) The carbon doesn't actually affect your water chemistry in the way you need. Lots of people don't use it at all. I use it for greater water clarity and because my water smells without it (it's very hard, alkaline water).

The only important BB you need to worry about is in your filter and taking any away right now would be a very bad idea. While there is some BB in your gravel or on your plants, the only stuff that matters in any significant way is in your filter. I'm not sure what kind of media you have, but you probably have a sponge of some sort and maybe bio-beads or ceramic rings. These should be cleaned, not changed. And generally you clean only one at a time (if you have more than one). I think someone has already mentioned to clean it in tank water.

Here's what I would do:

- Condition (with Prime) and test your tap.
- Test your tank. Be sure to shake Nitrate #2 AND your test tube really, really, really well.
- Do a 25%-30% wc. Make sure the temp is the same. I recommend an instant-read digital thermometer. Meat thermometers at the grocery store are cheap and accurate. You can set the temp right out of the tap.
- Wait 24 hours.
- Test your water again.

There really should be a change in both ammonia and nitrate readings at that point. If not, it's possible that your tank is going through a mini-cycle for some reason. If that's the case, the best choice is small water changes every day until the numbers are right.

All that said, these are my opinions. I think I am fairly well-educated on this subject, but feel free to throw it out the window if you like.

Yes, I shake the bottle and test tube VERY well!!! I have decided to do a pwc, because I have two more fish that are not acting right. They are breathing heavy, and lethargic. I am wondering if its the ammonia?! I really want to get these nitrates down too. I have two black sponge things in my filter...one on each side. I never change them, only rinse in tank water!

[FishyKisses]

I have yet another question...I have been taking the water for tests right off the top. Is that ok, or should I dip it into the tank more? I just tested ammonia and nitrates again before I change out any water. Ammonia is between 0 and .25(it's hard to tell for sure, and I'm having trouble ready nitrates. The test is very red, but 160ppm looks too maroonish, and 80ppm looks duller?! I'm not sure what it is. The test card is pretty hard for me to read still.

[FishyKisses]

Just fed my fish and frog, and I noticed my VERY pregnant platy has a white bottom lip? Could this be because of the water quality? Haven't done the water change yet tonight, because I just got my daughter in bed.

[Budda619]

I would suggest taking your water to the local fish store and have them test it for a accurate reading. Your test kit might have expired according to your sporadic results

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by Budda619

I would suggest taking your water to the local fish store and have them test it for a accurate reading. Your test kit might have expired according to your sporadic results

It is a brand new test kit. I just got it in the mail yesterday. We don't have a fish store that will test our water here... :-( I wouldn't really consider them sporadic, I am just having trouble deciphering which color is closest to the color in my test tube.

[pankelephant]

Originally Posted by FishyKisses

I have yet another question...I have been taking the water for tests right off the top. Is that ok, or should I dip it into the tank more? I just tested ammonia and nitrates again before I change out any water. Ammonia is between 0 and .25(it's hard to tell for sure, and I'm having trouble ready nitrates. The test is very red, but 160ppm looks too maroonish, and 80ppm looks duller?! I'm not sure what it is. The test card is pretty hard for me to read still.

Can you take a pic and post it? Try standing the card up against something with the tube standing just to the right of the column. Using the flash might help.

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by pankelephant

Can you take a pic and post it? Try standing the card up against something with the tube standing just to the right of the column. Using the flash might help.

I will try that now! I didn't empty the tubes, in case someone wanted to see!

[FishyKisses]

Ok, so after I considered all the advice on this thread, and in my pm's I did a 40% water change. 1 hour later my nitrates are reading 40ppm!!!!! I am so excited!! My ammonia is at 0! Now what do I do? Should I retest a few times a day until it stabilizes, and do water changes when something spikes? How often would y'all suggest water changes, and how much? I had no idea that water changes could fix these problems..,or is it a temp fix? Also, what about my pregnant platy with a white lip?

[pankelephant]

Re-test in 24 hours. If your ammonia or nitrates are up again, do another water change. Depending on the numbers, you'll probably only need a 20% or so. It sounds to me like your tank is going through a cycle for some reason. If tomorrow your numbers are back up, do the w/c and test again in 24 hours. Rinse and repeat until your numbers are where they're supposed to be - ideally 0,0,~10-20. The nitrate number is variable, but under 20 is safe.

The chemistry is in your water. If there's too much ammonia or nitrates, taking the water out takes some of the chemicals out. You're replacing it with ammonia/nitrate-free water, thereby making the water safer for your fish until the cycle completes.

About the platy - no ideas. Your numbers so far don't sound critical enough to injure your fish - I would guess they'd just be a bit stressed. It would surprise me if the white lip is related.

[Smcoyle87]

Glad to see your numbers are going down!

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by Smcoyle87

Glad to see your numbers are going down!

Me too! I just have to figure out what's wrong with my fish now...

[Smcoyle87]

Can you get a picture of it??

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by Smcoyle87

Can you get a picture of it??

Give me just a sec!

[FishyKisses]

[FishyKisses]

Two of my platies are skinny, and their coloring is off. They look faded. They lay at the bottom a lot, but eat and swim well. The other platy is very pregnant and has developed a white "lip"

[Smcoyle87]

Yeah i can see the 'white lip' but have never seen it before. Does it look fuzzy or anything, or does it just look like part of the fish that literally turned white? Was that understandable?? lol

[FishyKisses]

Originally Posted by Smcoyle87

Yeah i can see the 'white lip' but have never seen it before. Does it look fuzzy or anything, or does it just look like part of the fish that literally turned white? Was that understandable?? lol

She won't hold still long enough for me to get a good look. It doesn't seem to be fuzzy...