Gazingatstars12
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Messages
- 121
I recently switched out a 5 gallon aquarium for a 20 gallon and under my girlfriends insistence put our fish into it right away. One 3 inch goldfish and two little pink guys about 1 inch long. The next day I got out my brand new bottle of test strips and .... OH NO!!! Things are all screwed up.
The smaller tank we never really took care of too much so I didnt know about cycling and everything else Ive learned about the past two weeks Ive been reading. Im currently trying to cycle the tank and keep the fish as healthy as I can until the bio filter gets established. They lived in toxic water for at least 6 months so I think they can take it. I seem to be keeping everything under control with daily water changes. My only problem is that (and Im sure its been said here on the forum many times before) EVERYWHERE I go I get conflicting advice. I was at the fish store today to get the ammonia tested one last time and pick up a test kit and the guy there told me my ph is really low and that its going to kill my fish, so I leave the store with the API test kit with the PH up/down bottles. I get home and try testing it with the liquid instead of the strip and now it says its too high.
Heres my question... the liquid test is saying 7.6 while the strips are telling me 6.8-7.0. I read the insctructions carefully, did the liquid test correctly and rechecked it about 5 times getting consistent results every time. Which one should I believe? And if the strips are THAT inaccurate on the ph are they as bad for testing everything else? I havent put any chemicals in, and dont think I will after reading here on the forum, but is this something I should worry about?
Any other advice anyone could offer is appreciated... I know now that I shouldnt have put the fish in the tank so soon. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?
The smaller tank we never really took care of too much so I didnt know about cycling and everything else Ive learned about the past two weeks Ive been reading. Im currently trying to cycle the tank and keep the fish as healthy as I can until the bio filter gets established. They lived in toxic water for at least 6 months so I think they can take it. I seem to be keeping everything under control with daily water changes. My only problem is that (and Im sure its been said here on the forum many times before) EVERYWHERE I go I get conflicting advice. I was at the fish store today to get the ammonia tested one last time and pick up a test kit and the guy there told me my ph is really low and that its going to kill my fish, so I leave the store with the API test kit with the PH up/down bottles. I get home and try testing it with the liquid instead of the strip and now it says its too high.
Heres my question... the liquid test is saying 7.6 while the strips are telling me 6.8-7.0. I read the insctructions carefully, did the liquid test correctly and rechecked it about 5 times getting consistent results every time. Which one should I believe? And if the strips are THAT inaccurate on the ph are they as bad for testing everything else? I havent put any chemicals in, and dont think I will after reading here on the forum, but is this something I should worry about?
Any other advice anyone could offer is appreciated... I know now that I shouldnt have put the fish in the tank so soon. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?