AwesomeMarioFan
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2014
- Messages
- 11
Hey it's me again,
Unfortunately we had another molly die again. We added pH increase chemicals the night before because the testing strips are reading low pH. I understand now that it is better to use something like crushed coral or baking soda because the chemicals cause a temporary spike, correct?
I also read that the testing strips may not be accurate and could be reporting false readings, I was wondering if it would be a better option to buy an API Master Kit? We've been getting low readings on the strips (Below the chart on the bottle showed it seems) after letting the strips sit for a few seconds. Do they need to sit out longer for the readings to be accurate?
The nitrates/nitrites are also rising, maybe because the acidic water is killing off the bacteria? We may also be overfeeding them, so I will try a 25% water change a few times this week to try to stabilize it.
Let me know if the above sounds good,
Thanks,
- AwesomeMarioFan
Unfortunately we had another molly die again. We added pH increase chemicals the night before because the testing strips are reading low pH. I understand now that it is better to use something like crushed coral or baking soda because the chemicals cause a temporary spike, correct?
I also read that the testing strips may not be accurate and could be reporting false readings, I was wondering if it would be a better option to buy an API Master Kit? We've been getting low readings on the strips (Below the chart on the bottle showed it seems) after letting the strips sit for a few seconds. Do they need to sit out longer for the readings to be accurate?
The nitrates/nitrites are also rising, maybe because the acidic water is killing off the bacteria? We may also be overfeeding them, so I will try a 25% water change a few times this week to try to stabilize it.
Let me know if the above sounds good,
Thanks,
- AwesomeMarioFan