Fry Tank needs HELP!

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MiamiFishy

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jan 10, 2006
Messages
120
Location
Miami, Florida
Hello everybody!
8O I need almost desperate HELP!
I notice last night that my fry tank ( really a 2 gal pan) were I have been keeping my Danios babies ( they are now almost 3/4 in big if not a whole inch) has gone from a nice 7.8 pH to an alarming 6.3 acidic condition.
My Jungle Labs 5 in 1 test kit reflected yesterday the following results:
bare with me a little, my memory is not the best!
pH. 6.3
Alkalinity 0?
Harness. Soft
Nitrite. 0.0
Nitrate ( cant remember the value, but in the acceptable SAFE zone.)

I do PWC bi weekly, I have an air stone thru a spone and a seeded filter media summerged where the fry seems to love to hide and collect.
This fry tanks has been set up for almost 2 months if not longer ( bad sense of time from my side).
All was good, now all of the almost-suddent the water has started to change. Just recently too I started feeding Hikari Tropical Micro pellets?? instead of the usual First Bites... I think is micro pellets... very small like flakes kinda tiny rounds??...
I need help, suggestions on what to do to keep or bring the pH to safe side ( for Danios) of 6.8-7.8? Im on the cycling period for a new 29 gal ...so I need to buy some time... any suggestions??
Thank you all in advance...!!!
 
Increase the frequency of the water changes. It should bring up the pH.

You need to get a liquid reagent test kit. Over time the strips start to become very inaccurate. It could be that the strips are just giving you false results. Aquarium Pharmecuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit is the best IMO.
 
Thank you FishyFanatic,

I use the Jungle Labs strips for quick testings, I'll be using the new test kit from Red Sea I bought two days ago, and do a 50% PWC today, and keep it every two days, and see how it goes...

Something else, and this is kinda weird, with reference to the test kits, I have an AP Ammonia liquid test kit, and the Red Sea Master test kit, with the AP i get ammonia result way up in the 8.0 areas ( if i remember my scale right- or darkest shade) while the Red Sea shows me a more lower, at 1ppm or 2.5ppm. The water been tested is from a cycling 29 ga tank at 82-84 temp and slowly appearing nitrite... on 7th day!
Could the Red Sea test kit be old or the AP have gone hair wire??
 
Does the AP kit have two bottles of test solution? How old are each of the kits? It could be that one is expired. Which declorinator are you using? Some give false readings.
 
The AP test kit has two bottles, and its about 1-2 months old ( at least in my hands).
The Red Sea test kit I bought it about 2 days ago from Petco.
I used Prime to clean prepared the water... and some AP stress Zyme to boost the biological filter ...

Im thinking on buying another AP Ammonia test kit ( liquid bottle) but am afraid to spend the money in vain....

any ideas?
 
Prime should not be causing any false readings. One of your kits is probably off. For peace of mind, I would buy another AP ammonia kit and see what it says. I've never used Red Sea so I can't attest to its reliability.
 
Thank you, will have to buy the AP kit tomorrow, and will take a sample of the water to test, see what the LFS gets as results... I could, just thought of it, test the water from the faucet with both kits, should get the same results...would I???

MMmmmm.... if only Sherlock Holmes were here! LOL...
 
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