Help! Levels are Bad!!!

[NewFishmomma]

I posted last week about how I put my fish (Mickey mouse Platy-2 male) in my fresh water tank,(10 gallon) before cycling it. They have seemed fine until last night they are staying towards the bottom, unless I feed them. The tank is cloudy so I decided to buy a 5-1 test strip. The PH level is at 8.4 - Kh is at a high 300- GH is hard-very hard 150-300, Nitrite is 1.0-3.0 and the Nitrate is 20-40.
Temp is between 70-80.
I just did a 25% water change over the weekend and vacuumed the gravel.
This is week two of having these fish and the tank.
I have been feeding them the bag of fish flakes that came with the tank. I think they are being over-fed. I have cut down since today.
What do I do? I feel awful!!!

 

[khua]

Test strips aren't accurate at all. Go for a liquid test kit like the API master test kit.

 

[NewFishmomma]

Do you know where I can purchase one? I didn't see any liquid one at Walmart. Just the 5-1. Thanks.

 

[khua]

I bought mine online from Amazon but I've seen them at petsmart.

 

[jessipanda]

They're a bit pricey, but worth it. In the meantime, you should consider doing water changes every day. I haven't seen your previous posts yet, so not sure what was said, but in an uncycled tank, ammonia and nitrite can become deadly quick. I would suggest an immediate 75% water change--leave just enough for the fish to stay in the tank. Make sure you temp match the water so you don't cause too much stress. Too cold or too hot and they could easily die from that drastic temp change. Also, treat the new water with a good water condition such as Prime. It makes the water safe for the fish, and also helps reduce stress and build their slimecoats. Then, do 50% water changes every day until the water tests show no nitrites or ammonia (the strips don't show ammonia, btw). Once you have a liquid kit, you can test for ammonia too. When you no longer get readings for ammonia or nitrite, you can reduce your water changes to once a week. The amount you would need to change would depend on your nitrate levels. You'll want to keep them as low as possible, preferably below 5ppm, but it's not exactly deadly until it reaches higher concentrations. Definitely keep it below 20ppm.

Also, check out the beginner stickies on the nitrogen cycle, water changes, and basic info. It's always good to do some thorough research. Good luck and I hope your fish are okay!