Aw so cute!
I noticed something I had never experienced before
- Thread starter GenKang
- Start date
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OP
OP
GenKang
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Thank you...but after going home from dog sitting my best friends pup...I found my pleco dead and my opaline died right in front of me. How can I have 3 maybe more baby gups and still have fish die?. So I'm doing more water cycles today and getting purified water or boiling water before I refill tank and I have taken yet another sample of my water to bring to the tropical freshwater store near me where I purchased both pleco and gorami...it has got to be nasty Lowell Massachusetts water..lol
I dont think you ever said how long you have had the tank? The thing with poor water quality is that it takes time for it to show up as fish deaths. You might have good water quality now, but its what they were in a couple of weeks ago that might be causing your issues.
Getting the actual numbers from the tests/ notate the numbers to keep and kind of do a log of where you are on them as much as possible. Until the tank stabilizes.
I'm so sorry about their passing..
I'm so sorry about their passing..
OP
OP
GenKang
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I have finally got some numbers thru my newly purchased freshwater test kit.. sooo..2 days ago when my pleco and opaline died I was fed up and went to the local chain store for another water test kit...this being 2nd test (and was appalled that the local mom and pop as well as local chain store tested with strips) that I bought a kit..so..on Thursday the test showed the following:
PH- 7.6 On saturday... PH-7
HIGH RANGE PH- 7.4. On Saturday 7.6
AMMONIA- 4 TO 8. on Saturday 1.5
Nitrite-.25 on Saturday. 0
Nitrate- 0 Saturday 0
I did a water cycle of 50% Thursday and then again Saturday. Twice. .
So far no more fish have died. And 5 babies still thriving...
I also purchased a moss ball..is this good for my AMMONIA issue.
Also, my tank has been up for about 3-4weeks now
Also boiled 2 gallons of replacement water. Not sure if this helps..
PH- 7.6 On saturday... PH-7
HIGH RANGE PH- 7.4. On Saturday 7.6
AMMONIA- 4 TO 8. on Saturday 1.5
Nitrite-.25 on Saturday. 0
Nitrate- 0 Saturday 0
I did a water cycle of 50% Thursday and then again Saturday. Twice. .
So far no more fish have died. And 5 babies still thriving...
I also purchased a moss ball..is this good for my AMMONIA issue.
Also, my tank has been up for about 3-4weeks now
Also boiled 2 gallons of replacement water. Not sure if this helps..
Last edited:
1.5 ammonia is too much. Back to water changes to get down to 0.5ppm or lower.
If you really want to get into technicalities, at your pH and a typical aquarium temperature, 1.5ppm ammonia is where you start to get toxic issues. But keep ammonia + nitrite combined no higher than 0.5ppm will steer you clear of issues and avoid things like pH fluctuating giving you issues.
Not sure that boiling water will do anything.
Moss ball. Any plant will help
If you really want to get into technicalities, at your pH and a typical aquarium temperature, 1.5ppm ammonia is where you start to get toxic issues. But keep ammonia + nitrite combined no higher than 0.5ppm will steer you clear of issues and avoid things like pH fluctuating giving you issues.
Not sure that boiling water will do anything.
Moss ball. Any plant will help
OP
OP
GenKang
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I was able to bring Nitrate down with moss ball..I will keep doing a water cycle as it seems to be working. I went from a 4 to 1.25 in two days so it is working. I boiled water due to high level of chloride in local town water..not sure If it helped but figured it couldn't hurt.
