My fish keeps dieing. - Page 2

Sniperelite8243 · 02-19-2007, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesusnet2

even if they don't have fish they should have the test kits
atleast i would think they would lol

yes this is true. she went 5 years without trouble which imo is pretty darn good. personally i always have test kits on hand. i plan on upgrading my testing supplies friday and a new airpump that can handel a 200 gal.

anyway how old is your filter? has it lost some capacity since you put it in o use. it might not filter as good as it use to. are your heaters working good. you do have heaters right? is the temp fluctuating during the night lately. extra cold nights that would cause the temp to fluctuate in return would cause stress.

lordlovinglady · 02-19-2007, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniperelite8243

ah 5 years, thats a long time, i would not return the fish. maybe its just old age. but i would go get some liquid test kits asap. we will need to know the nitrate and nitrite levels to figure whats killlig tghe fish accuratly. are they acting strange> hard to swim. not eating? i would keep an eye on the fish.

(I have had the TANK for five years.) But ya'll been a lot of help. I'll let yall know after I go get the test kit. If I can find one.

lordlovinglady · 02-19-2007, 02:31 PM

Will the local fish stores didn't have the test kits, I even went back Wal-Mart to see if they have any and they don't.

Sniperelite8243 · 02-19-2007, 06:25 PM

for now do a 30% water change if you havnt already, and if you want do one more. if there are any ammonia,ect the water change will take some out and dilute it for now. sry had to leave for work, but maybe you can order a test kit online if you arn't on a budget. this friday i will purchase this test kit myself, you should think about it. its worth the money

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113074

this will give you all the necisary test kits plus more. plus its drsfosteersmith. highly recomended by alot of people on this site including myself. should recive order this week if you order online.

lordlovinglady · 02-20-2007, 03:52 PM

I went to Pet Smarts today and they had the kits.
PH 6.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

But I took 30% of the water out last night.

Sniperelite8243 · 02-20-2007, 06:13 PM

hmm very confusing. well guppies can take a ph between 5.5-8.0 and platties 7.0-8.2 ( www.liveaquaria.com )

if you acclimated them right it shouldnt be a problem. i to have platties mysteriously die. i still do not know why. hmm. have you used any medications. ick outbreaks. anything? could you tell us how you acclimated them. is their a excess of a metal in your tank.

personally if it was platty you lost. i would bet my money on ph. my ph is high. all my other fish lived but i have lost 7 platties for a mysterious reason. just my opinion. i think its ph. has your water had any chemical added lately. water softener. how long have you had the platties. guppies? 5 years?

but you never know how old fish are when you buy them. were the fish that died purchased on the same day. possibly born on the same day. but like i sais my bet is on ph/old age. ill keep searching.

Loman · 02-20-2007, 08:41 PM

These numbers do not look right

Quote:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

In an established tank you should definitely see some level of Nitrates. IMO There is something about the water tests that is not right. I would try to get the LFS to give you a second opinion on hte numbers.

BJP · 02-21-2007, 06:47 AM

The numbers look normal to me if the liquid API ammonia test kit was used. It want show how much ammonium is present in acidic water. I'd add the Jungle dip strip test kit for ammonia/ ammonium to your collection so you can get an accurate picture of what's going on. It tells you how much ammonia and ammonium combined is present. I found mine at walmart. The Mardel version worked equally well.

It's possible the tanks never cycled and all you're doing is keeping your ammonium level dilluted with water changes. Ammonium is less toxic than ammonia but still a problem. In acidic water which you have, ammonia gets converted into ammonium making the liquid API test almost useless. Hopefully you'll never get a reading with it.

lordlovinglady · 02-21-2007, 06:56 AM

In an established tank you should definitely see some level of Nitrates. IMO There is something about the water tests that is not right. I would try to get the LFS to give you a second opinion on hte numbers.[/quote]

Well I checked it two times and came up with the same color both times. The LFS around are don't know nothing. I know more then they do. The only one that knows what they are doing is 50 miles away.

BJP · 02-21-2007, 07:00 AM

The LFS can give you false results also if they are using the same liquid test kit. Retesting should continue to give you the same result for ammonia. There is none in acid water if it's all being converted into ammonium. You're flying blind with the liquid test.