Testing and reading water results - liquid test kit

[HeatherW]

OK, I have read that the liquid test kit is the best way to go vs the test strips. it should be more accurate. I am having difficulty with these test results. I figured I would use my new test kit and then compare it to the test strips that I get read for free at my local pet store. My results do not match and my ammonia and Nitrite levels are very high. Am I doing anything wrong or are my tanks just a mess? these are new tanks. the 2.5 and 5 gallon have been up and running for at least 15 days. I did have them up before that but did a complete water change in both and started over. the fish I have right now seem to be OK but the levels are not.

I am using the API Master Test kit

 

[Mumma.of.two]

OK, I have read that the liquid test kit is the best way to go vs the test strips. it should be more accurate. I am having difficulty with these test results. I figured I would use my new test kit and then compare it to the test strips that I get read for free at my local pet store. My results do not match and my ammonia and Nitrite levels are very high. Am I doing anything wrong or are my tanks just a mess? these are new tanks. the 2.5 and 5 gallon have been up and running for at least 15 days. I did have them up before that but did a complete water change in both and started over. the fish I have right now seem to be OK but the levels are not.

I am using the API Master Test kit

Hi and welcome!
Your tanks are cycling. Cycling is the process of growing bacteria in your filter to process your fishes ammonia output. I will post a link for you too read.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html
You will need to do water changes everyday to keep the levels from getting too high and harming your fish.

I see you have a Betta and neon tetras in a 2.5g tank and two platys in a 5g. Unfortunately these two tanks are too small for your fish. Two platys need a 10g, the neons need a 10g and the Betta needs a 5g or a 2.5g with no tank mates and very frequent water changes.

 

[HeatherW]

Thanks for your advice. I know my tank is cycling, but am I supposed to be worried about the high numbers? I was also told that if I keep doing water changes all the time then I basically always just have new water and my tank will never really get established. this is why I am now confused as to what I really should be doing.
but here is my real question: is there a trick to reading the test results in my test kit? I tested my water using my new kit and then took the same water to the fish store and had them test it. my results say the ammonia in the 5 gallon is 8.0 and the fish store says it is only 3 (I know both of these numbers are terrible and I have added ammo lock) also my NitrIte reading says 1.0 and the fish store says 3.0 what number do I go with and how can the two readings be so different? am I doing something wrong?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Thanks for your advice. I know my tank is cycling, but am I supposed to be worried about the high numbers? I was also told that if I keep doing water changes all the time then I basically always just have new water and my tank will never really get established. this is why I am now confused as to what I really should be doing.
but here is my real question: is there a trick to reading the test results in my test kit? I tested my water using my new kit and then took the same water to the fish store and had them test it. my results say the ammonia in the 5 gallon is 8.0 and the fish store says it is only 3 (I know both of these numbers are terrible and I have added ammo lock) also my NitrIte reading says 1.0 and the fish store says 3.0 what number do I go with and how can the two readings be so different? am I doing something wrong?

The best advise I can give you is to follow the instructions to the letter. I like to shake all the bottles ti make sure the solutions are mixed prior to testing. It is common to have the fish store get different results because some employees don't follow the instructions. Also hold the test tube against the white in the results sheet in a well lit room.

When cycling a tank you need to establish the filter not the water itself. IMO the more fresh water a tank gets the better. Water changes will NOT hinder the cycle. Your ammonia and nitrite are very high and could be harming your fish. Do a water change using your dechlorinator ASAP and try and get them down. Water changes will be needed every day. Test your water and if ammonia or nitrite are over 0.25ppm do a water change.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

No need for the ammonia lock either. Water changes will do the same thing and are better for your fish IMO.

 

[HeatherW]

OK, I did a water change. I add the stress coat (water conditioner), the stress zyme, and I have been adding salt. my PH is lower than I want it to be, so does adding salt help lower or raise my PH?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

OK, I did a water change. I add the stress coat (water conditioner), the stress zyme, and I have been adding salt. my PH is lower than I want it to be, so does adding salt help lower or raise my PH?

Fresh water salt will do neither. Your thinking of cichlid salt or marine salt. If you want to increase your pH safely, add a little bit of crushed coral to your filter. pH chemicals can be dangerous.

No need to add salt to the tank at all (except of a treatment for something like ich).

Test your water again in an hour and if the ammonia and nitrite are still over .25ppm do another water change. Test again an hour after that.

 

[HeatherW]

OK, so a question on the PH
I have three tanks and each one has a different PH. should I be trying to adjust the PH or not worry about this? where do I get crushed coral and how do I add that to the filter? I have a waterfall type filter on the two smaller tanks. do I just place it on top of the filter that is in there? the two small tanks are those aqeon kit tanks with the filter included if that helps

 

[Mumma.of.two]

OK, so a question on the PH
I have three tanks and each one has a different PH. should I be trying to adjust the PH or not worry about this? where do I get crushed coral and how do I add that to the filter? I have a waterfall type filter on the two smaller tanks. do I just place it on top of the filter that is in there? the two small tanks are those aqeon kit tanks with the filter included if that helps

The smaller two tanks are in the middle of cycling so the pH can change during it. The more water changes the more stable it will be because you are constantly replacing the buffers in the water that keep the pH stable. No need to adjust the pH UNLESS it is constantly falling. If that is happening then you need to add the CC to your filter. You can buy CC from you LFS (local fish store). Just put a little but in a media bag and add it to your filter where the water flows through. You may need to add or remove some to get it right. Try and keep the pH as stable as possible. The more fluctuations the more stress it will put on your fish.

Can you check your tap waters pH please? Get a cup of tap water and let it sit out overnight to gas off. This will give you the true pH of your water.

 

[HeatherW]

I did 2 water changes on the 5 gallon tank and the numbers still don't seem any better.
PH - 6.4
Ammonia - 8
Nitrite - .25
I didn't test the Nitrates because they were fine before. The PH is looking better, but the Ammonia is still very high and not moving. Just out of curiosity I tested the tap water for Ammonia and it tested .5. I have a bowl of water sitting out and will test the PH and Ammonia again in the morning. I know my ammonia does not have to be this high because the 20 gallon tank that I am setting up has the following readings:
PH - 7.6
Ammonia - .25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0-5.0
any advice??

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I did 2 water changes on the 5 gallon tank and the numbers still don't seem any better.
PH - 6.4
Ammonia - 8
Nitrite - .25
I didn't test the Nitrates because they were fine before. The PH is looking better, but the Ammonia is still very high and not moving. Just out of curiosity I tested the tap water for Ammonia and it tested .5. I have a bowl of water sitting out and will test the PH and Ammonia again in the morning. I know my ammonia does not have to be this high because the 20 gallon tank that I am setting up has the following readings:
PH - 7.6
Ammonia - .25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0-5.0
any advice??

The reason the new tank hasn't got readings is because there are no fish. Keep the water changes up. You really want to bring it down as fast as you can at the moment. Don't worry too much about the pH changing at the moment getting the ammonia down quickly is what you want to do now. You maybe loosing the battle because the tank is so small. The larger the tank the more stable the water will be. So I would like to suggest you move all your fish from the two smaller tanks to the 20g. That way the ammonia won't build nearly as quickly and you will only have one tank to test and cycle at once. Easier on you and healthier for the fish.

 

[librarygirl]

How large of a water changes are you doing? You're going to need to almost empty each tank and refill a few times to get the ammonia to drop. Also you're overstocked for each tank so the fish you have are putting out too much ammonia for such a small space; I fear it'll be a losing battle in the end.

I highly advise moving all the fish except the Betta into the 20 gal; as Mumma said the Neons and Platys need a larger tank anyway. Then drain the 5 gal and refill, wait 30 minutes and test; if ammonia is still over .25, do another water change and keep doing this until ammonia is as close to 0 as you can get it. Then put the Betta in the 5 gal. You'll still need to monitor both tanks as they cycle and do water changes as needed but with some of the fish in the larger tank and the Betta in a more appropriate tank size the levels shouldn't rise as quickly and they'll be happier. No fish really belongs in a 2.5 gal tank.

 

[LyndaB]

I know my tank is cycling, but am I supposed to be worried about the high numbers?

The high numbers = toxic environment. It's very important to get these numbers down. This is why we always advise doing a fishless-cycle.

You've been given great advice by the ladies above. You should follow it.

 

[HeatherW]

I am doing the water changes and my numbers are dropping, but slowly. how many water changes in a short time are too many? Someone told me that neons were sensative to water changes. I have thier tank down to
Ammonia .5
NitrItes 0
I did another close to 50% WC and will do another in a few hours. don't figure I need to test between these as I am sure the ammonia will still be too high. is this a correct assumption?
I am working on the 5 gallon to get the numbers down, but it is slow. I have the two platys in there. will they get too stressed out if I do 3-4 50% WC in 3-4 hours?