Author Topic: Still stuck, stuck, stuck, stuck.......... (Read 31703 times) 154 replies

Fiona · « **Reply #100 on:** October 15, 2014, 06:42:01 PM »

20-40 isnt bad AM it comes out my tap like that and actually reduces in my tanks because of all the plants. Did the guy shake the bottle out of curiosity?

Roll on day 40..

Aquamaid · « **Reply #101 on:** October 15, 2014, 06:44:43 PM »

Haha i don't know but i will take my kit in and see how he reads that some time soon

Fiona · « **Reply #102 on:** October 15, 2014, 06:54:19 PM »

I bet the lazy so and so didnt. I took some water in to my MaidenHead Aquatics just to give me a chance to chat a while ( a bit of leaning over the fence and chewing the cud with the neighbours type of thing) all 3 of the staff that work there have their own aquariums at home and it doesnt hurt to build up a good relationship with them.

Sue · « **Reply #103 on:** October 15, 2014, 07:14:00 PM »

A lot of shops use strips as it's against health and safety to use noxious chemicals ie liquid testers $:-\$

On day 37 - you added ammonia up to 4ppm and next day it had dropped to 1 with 0 nitrite? Something happened to that ammonia and to the nitrite made from it.

I'm going to say something that'll make everyone gasp in horror - get some fish

Empty the tank before you do to remove any ammonia in the water, fill up with warm water (the temp the fish will need) then go out and buy a few fish. Only a few. Acclimatise them by floating the bag in the tank for 15 mins-ish (to warm the bag water to the same as the tank) then add a bit of tank water to the bag every 10 mins for an hour. Then using a net, transfer the fish from the bag to the tank.
Test next day for ammonia and nitrite. And the day after. If you see anything other than zero for either of them, do a water change. If you have four or five days with zero readings, get a few more fish. But if you do have readings above zero, wait till you have a week of double zeros before getting more.

dbaggie · « **Reply #104 on:** October 15, 2014, 07:37:06 PM »

Quote from: Sue on October 15, 2014, 07:14:00 PM

I'm going to say something that'll make everyone gasp in horror - get some fish

Aquamaid · « **Reply #105 on:** October 15, 2014, 07:43:45 PM »

Oooooh errr!!

well can i maybe postpone till next week, i'd rather know where im at with the tank, and am prepared to wait till after weekend, if so should i put more ammonia in soon?

Sue · « **Reply #106 on:** October 15, 2014, 07:47:00 PM »

If you are going to wait, I would top the ammonia up to 3ppm sooner rather than later. It may go down by itself - good - or it may not, in which case it doesn't matter whether it's 3 or 1 ppm as you'd have to do a water change to remove any ammonia before getting fish.

Aquamaid · « **Reply #107 on:** October 15, 2014, 07:56:00 PM »

Thanks Sue, yes i think this is the only course of action now isn't it, i will top up to 3 ppm tomorrow and continue to monitor till weekend, then if no change for the better do as you say and risk fish in next week $:-\$ How many Platy fish do you think i should introduce under the circumstances, two or four?

Fiona · « **Reply #108 on:** October 16, 2014, 12:53:54 AM »

Quote from: Sue on October 15, 2014, 07:14:00 PM

I'm going to say something that'll make everyone gasp in horror - get some fish

blimey

Resa · « **Reply #109 on:** October 16, 2014, 01:25:44 AM »

Quote from: Sue on October 15, 2014, 07:14:00 PM

I'm going to say something that'll make everyone gasp in horror - get some fish

Ok.....who are you? And what have you done with Sue???

Aquamaid · « **Reply #110 on:** October 16, 2014, 10:32:54 AM »

Morning guys, Nitrate UPDATE!! I have just had a Nitrate test dual with two members of staff at Maidenhead Aquatics, because one guy read it as 0 and i read it as 20- 40ppm so i took in my tank water and my Nitrate bottles and let two of them do the test, they both got slightly different readings of 0 and 0.5 so i did the test too infront of them and guess what i shook and shook the bottles and YES i got 20- 40 They rang senior person who confirmed what you have all told me THE MORE YOU SHAKE THE BOTTLES, THE MORE ACCURATE THE TEST IS
so i think i can safely say my tank results for today are Ammonia = 0.50 - 1 ppm Nitrite = 0 and NITRATE = 20-30. I have just dosed the tank with Ammonia and its up to 2.00 ppm so see what it is tomorrow.

Sue · « **Reply #111 on:** October 16, 2014, 10:53:41 AM »

Good news!
Is your tapwater reading the same as the tank?

Though do you mean the two readings were 0 and 5? You can't read a level of 0.5 with the nitrate test.....

Aquamaid · « **Reply #112 on:** October 16, 2014, 11:03:14 AM »

Hi Sue, their readings were one of 0 ppm and one of 5.0 ppm (sorry) mine the well shook one is 20 -40 ppm both in tank and tap (not so good then?)

Puffin · « **Reply #113 on:** October 16, 2014, 11:46:52 AM »

Whoop! So you taught the MA staff something!
Well I have to say I'm not amazed at Sue's suggestion to do a full water change and get fish. Looks to me like you've had your nitrite spike (day 28 and day 31) and it's now clearing. (Day 37)
So maybe your ammonia rest kit is a bit dodgy, I've heard that before several times.

Btw I'm such a geek I did a graph if anyone want to see it!?! Lol.

Sue · « **Reply #114 on:** October 16, 2014, 11:49:16 AM »

The legal limit for nitrate in drinking water is 50ppm in the UK. A lot of regions have levels almost that high. Yours sounds like one of them, unfortunately. You could check on your water company's website. There should be a water quality report somewhere on there, it's usually as a pdf. That should tell you your tap nitrate. I find it is usually listed as part of a table that tells you the number of samples they tested and the maximum, minimum and average results.

Puffin, after 38 days or whatever it is now (lost track!) Aquamaid should have enough of both bacteria to cope with a few fish. Provided she stocks slowly like a fish-in cycle, she should be OK. It's getting a tankful of fish at once that would be dangerous for the fish.

Puffin · « **Reply #115 on:** October 16, 2014, 11:57:17 AM »

Ah yes, that's what I meant.
You did say a few fish, not a tank full of fish.

Aquamaid · « **Reply #116 on:** October 16, 2014, 11:59:27 AM »

Ok this is the plan, i have dosed up to 2.00ppm Ammonia, if it goes down to 0.50 in short space of time, i will empty tank at weekend and get...how many Platy 2 or 4? on Monday if they have the ones i want in : ) and Puffin graph of what?

Puffin · « **Reply #117 on:** October 16, 2014, 12:09:14 PM »

Your data, aquamaid.
But don't worry I'll keep my evidence you are nearly done to myself! It probably only means something to me anyway as I did a graph of my own cycle results.

Aquamaid · « **Reply #118 on:** October 16, 2014, 12:24:51 PM »

Oooh! i bet it looks like a rollercoaster ride at Alton Towers, "The Neverender"

Fingers crossed for me, that i get it up and running next week, i will be so glad to end this topic, start a new one, put the frustration of all this behind me and hopefully find out that fish keeping can actually be a pleasant experience.

Sue · « **Reply #119 on:** October 16, 2014, 12:26:33 PM »

Why not post your graph, Puffin. I, for one, have never thought of doing a graph! My fishless cycle results were only as a table.

Aquamaid, for fish-in cycling, the recommended max is 1 inch of fish (adult size not the size in the shop) per 5 US gallons of water. You have slightly over 20 US galls so you should be OK with 5 inches of fish. In theory you should have grown some of both species of bacteria so you should get away with 6 or 7 inches. Platies are a bit awkward to calculate as the ones in shops tend to be hybrids of Xiphophorus maculatus and X. variatus so we have to decide which size to choose. The profiles on here give 6cm, which is around 2.5 inches. You would be OK with 2 platies, or 3 if you want to risk it.

Once you've done the water change, check the ammonia and nitrite are zero before putting fish in the tank.

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Still Stuck, Stuck, Stuck, Stuck..........

Still Stuck, Stuck, Stuck, Stuck..........

Author Topic: Still stuck, stuck, stuck, stuck.......... (Read 31703 times) 154 replies

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