Scared and needing advice

[Crowsmuse]

Hello my first post.

I have an 80g bow front acrylic tank that I started in 10/2012. I have a 20 % water change done 2x per month.
I have :
1 betta
2 koi angels
7 rummy nose tetras
6 zebra danios
2 otocinclus catfish.
I recently removed a high fin plecco because he/she had doubled in size over 3 months and was a waste machine, she has gone to a good home.
Now to what has me rattled.
Tonight,,I did some tank rearranging to remove all my nasty fake plants and some large lava rocks to add some real plants.
Now doing this stirred up a heap of waste.
The tank was frightening for some time and the fish were very stressed.

I have always had a small ammonia meter that has always been normal, and it raised very very slightly.

But Tonight I added A ph meter, and it is off the charts..it's solid red (8.2+)
So We decided to do an emergency 20 % change then and there,assuming it was all the crud we stirred up.

The ph has not budged in 2 hours, and granted , I don't know what it was prior as I just added the ph wheel
I'm scared that I really screwed up.
This is my first tank and I guess It's safe to say I'm terrified.

Any advice? I don't want to lose any of my babies, especially my gregarious angels, and sweet betta (who I still can't find..he's hiding on me)

 

[jbueno]

Adding drift wood and plantswill help the ph...
What was the ph before you stirred up everything?

 

[calfishguy]

Hello my first post.

I have an 80g bow front acrylic tank that I started in 10/2012. I have a 20 % water change done 2x per month.
I have :
1 betta
2 koi angels
7 rummy nose tetras
6 zebra danios
2 otocinclus catfish.
I recently removed a high fin plecco because he/she had doubled in size over 3 months and was a waste machine, she has gone to a good home.
Now to what has me rattled.
Tonight,,I did some tank rearranging to remove all my nasty fake plants and some large lava rocks to add some real plants.
Now doing this stirred up a heap of waste.
The tank was frightening for some time and the fish were very stressed.

I have always had a small ammonia meter that has always been normal, and it raised very very slightly.

But Tonight I added A ph meter, and it is off the charts..it's solid red (8.2+)
So We decided to do an emergency 20 % change then and there,assuming it was all the crud we stirred up.

The ph has not budged in 2 hours, and granted , I don't know what it was prior as I just added the ph wheel
I'm scared that I really screwed up.
This is my first tank and I guess It's safe to say I'm terrified.

Any advice? I don't want to lose any of my babies, especially my gregarious angels, and sweet betta (who I still can't find..he's hiding on me)

Test the pH with a liquid test kit, if by meter you mean those little plastic gauge like things it most likely inaccurate. I've never read anything good about those. Also test your tap water pH.

If you don't have a liquid test kit I suggest you purchase the freshwater master test kit by api. Its fairly cheap on amazon.

 

[BettaBabe]

Also ask your LFS if they will do water test for you in tubes not strips. With a little bargaining mine does my tests for a dollar or less depending on the guy working

 

[mohican]

Try recalibrating your meter. It may need adjusted again. Check with liquid test to confirm your levels before ripping the tank apart.

 

[Crowsmuse]

Thank you!

Jbueno - not sure what ph was before- for all I know it has always been high. these are the fish I cycled the tank with, except for the 2 Otos and 3 of the zebra danios. .I will definitely add a piece of driftwood, been wanting to, to try and get an Anubis to grow on it, but I can't get it to sink, even after soaking/boiling for 4 days.

Calfishguy - will do! I will get on amazon today. Heck, im on it everyday anyway

Bettababe - good idea, I think there is one in burien who will do for free while I wait for kit.

Mohican - not sure what you are referring to when you say meter, the ammonia and ph are suction cup colored wheel detectors, they change color like a Litmus test, but stay in water.

I have an aqueon 110 filter that I just changes the carbon on, do you think I should change the sponge (in a couple of weeks) or white nubbies? (sorry.. Early cant think of their actual name)

 

[Crowsmuse]

Here is my tank .(looks Like a plant came loose) and the wheels I'm talking about

 

[tiger terror]

Here is my tank .(looks Like a plant came loose) and the wheels I'm talking about

Both the ph&ammo indicators are notoriously inaccurate along with the test strips as well...API test kit is definitely the way to go...

 

[jbueno]

What kind of drift wood is it? Did you get it at your LFS?

The ph should not fluctuate...ph is comparable to humidity once we get use to it, we are fine same with fish...

 

[Rivercats]

Plants will not alter or affect Ph and bog wood for the most part is the type of DW that can greatly lower Ph. Those stick on wheels aren't very reliable at all so getting the test kit is a great idea. When stirring up alot of detris it's normal for something like ammonia to raise slightly and if you have that much detris doing a couple good WC's would be a good idea. You didn't mess anything up as getting excess detris out of the tank is a good thing. Personally if the fish are fine now I wouldn't worry about anything and then just test the Ph when your kit arrives. Then you'll get an accurate Ph reading. But whatever that reading is if your fish have always done well there is nothing to worry about as they have long acclimated to the Ph.

 

[Crowsmuse]

Thank you all again
Tigerterror - thank you
Jbueno - yes got at lfs, not sure what it is, will take a picture when I get home since it won't stay down, will only float to top, is now sitting in a spare decorations bucket next to tank.
Rivercats - thanks, it was a crazy moment for me, I'm still pretty skiddish on making changes. Heck I only have 18 fish in an 80g

 

[Crowsmuse]

It looks like my angels may have some gill burn from this change.. They are less active and it's bright red on their sides

I did the API tests, everything is normal,
I'm confused

 

[jbueno]

It looks like my angels may have some gill burn from this change.. They are less active and it's bright red on their sides

I did the API tests, everything is normal,
I'm confused

What change?

What's normal? Send numbers

 

[jessicafish]

if you are still having trouble getting your driftwood sink (I had to do this with mine) you should go to the hardware store get a piece of tile or slate then go to the petstore get some aquarium silicone glue the tile to the driftwood wait for silicone to harden then place the piece of driftwood in the tank and cover the tile with dirt/sand/gravel it will hold the driftwood down

 

[Crowsmuse]

Jbueno - the change I refer to is the change that initiated the original post. Adding the plants and disturbing the gravel, thereby releasing all the crud.

Jessicafish - thank you I will try that, is there anything I should watch out for when choosing a tile? Like something unsafe?

Pic of angels attached
Not sure how well the red part will show up.

 

[jessicafish]

I'm any tile you pick will be safe but you might want to boil it to be extra careful

 

[bevoholic]

I'm any tile you pick will be safe but you might want to boil it to be extra careful

Not necessarily. Make sure the tile isn't glazed or doesn't have any coating on it. If it does, it could start to break down and leech into the water. No need to boil it either, just wash it really well in hot water, but no soap! Any piece of slate tile for flooring should suffice.

 

[Rivercats]

Slate works great for anchoring DW.

As for angelfish be sure to keep them in really clean water and be sure to watch for any ammonia. Did you get your test kit yet?

 

[Crowsmuse]

Sorry for the delayed response, the app was down and I didn't see I had a reply.
Bevoholic and Jessicafish : thank you for the advice in slate, will take a look at the options out there, gonna check a pond store

Rivercats : the kit got lost in transit so I ran to petsmart and bought a 6 in 1 test strip kit and a separate ammonia test. Both came out perfect.
My angels are perking up and all the fish seem to be happy with the new set up, hiding in the fuzzy plants (sorry I'm still learning what all are called)
Thank you all again for your advice and help!

 

[Rivercats]

Just be aware that tests strips are not very reliable so your readings might be quite different from what they read.