Recent Nitrate Aquariums News Items
Can Aquarium Water Be Too Pure? - Zimbio
With aquarium filtration becoming more advanced, a lot of reef aquariums are beginning to run extremely low nitrate and phosphate levels. Protein skimmers, bio pellets, chemical additives, and large/frequent water ...
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Your Home Aquarium - How to Set Up a Mixed Marine Aquarium - Associated Content
... particularly important for invertebrates since the nitrate level, which must be very low, is reduced. As important as water conditions, are the behavioral characteristics of the inhabitants of the aquarium and ...
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How to Take Care of Your Plants in a Freshwater Fish Aquarium? - Associated Content
Plants are the most important part of your freshwater fish aquarium after your fish ... It is a phenomenon that arises because of the high nitrate levels in the water. You should try to replace your water in such a ...
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| The significance of nitrates in the aquarium are arguably less understood by fishkeepers than the effect of ammonia and nitrites. Although nitrates are not directly lethal in ... |
| Nitrate is the result of the bacterial breakdown of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate which is the final stage of the natural biological metabolic waste conversion also known as the ... |
| Article dicusses the detrimental effect on nitrate on aquarium fish, and why it is the cause of Hole in the Head in freshwater fish and Marine Head and Lateral Line Erosion. |
| Nitrate or NO3 what this element in a saltwater aquarium is, where it comes from, what the acceptable level of nitrate is for fish-only and reef tank systems, and how setting ... |
Resolved Question: Have Pets at Home mis-sold me my tank?
I bought a 20 litre tank from Pets at Home a few months ago,
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/corner-20-litre-aquarium-by-pets-at-home-(available-in-store-only)-36895
since then all the fish I buy have kept dying. I left the tank running and then got 2 fan tail goldfish, as advised by the store. They told me my tank would be suitable for 2 fish. The first one got swim bladder as soon as I got it home so I returned it and got a replacement. I tested the water and the ph and nitrates were fine, so thought I was OK. The original one then died, then the replacement. So thinking I was just unlucky went and got just another one. Sure enough 1 week later this one has died. After reading all the advise one here it looks like I should never have put these fish in the tank, its too small. Am I right? If this is the case why have I been told on 2 seperate occasions by 2 different members of staff that the tank was OK for the 2 fish. Have I been mis-sold the tank, would you take it back? I told them I only wanted to keep simple goldfish so my 8 yr old daughter could look after them easily. Please help??
moreResolved Question: water testing help needed?
api test kit, ph reading as 6.8 as usual, just tested high range ph and its showing 8.8?? usually stick with the ph but out of curiosity i tested the high range to see what it says.. now ive just confused myself
also i had a death in my tank, a platy which wasn't growing, it was in a 50 gallon with 1 medium angel & a small blood parrot fish (others were picking on him in other tank so had him in a breeding trap in the bigger tank but he escaped as he was so small and got half eaten) hence the water testing, ammonia is 0.25 nitrate 10 and nitrite 0, ive done a 30% water change but don't really know what else to do, going to aquarium shop tomorrow so will ask the expert but for now, any advice appreciatedjust want to add, i have two filters running in the tank, internal 600lph random chinese crap i got off ebay, and external fluval 204.. all has been fine for over a year?? changed polishing pad last sunday but thats it
moreResolved Question: The filter in my fish aquarium screeching?
so i've been told by the local fish pet shop to add this stuff that helps the ammonia and nitrates in the water and a week ago i added some and the filter got louder then it started screeching really loud so had to turn it off for a while then it was fun, and today i added some more and it wont stop screeching and i keep checking if it's stopped and it's still really loudly screeching whats wrong with it?OMG it works LOL i took the filter out n like washed it out n put it back in and now it works, cheers!
moreResolved Question: My pH in my saltwater tank is 6.2 I set up my tank last tuesday. Can I make it higher? Whats wrong?
I just got this saltwater test kit, an my nitrate/ammonia/whatever is okay. But my pH is 6.2, to me i'm sure thats low for saltwater. This is my first time with saltwater aquariums. What is the ideal pH for saltwater aquariums???
moreResolved Question: Where can I buy bulk tropical fish pellets?
I have a 550 LITRE Juwel Vision Aquarium with large fishes such as oscars and an Arowana and a few tin foil barbs. My fishes go through allot of fish food a week. I currently use the high quality fish food pellet called Hikari Cichlid pellets (250grams) and it takes them less than a week to go through the bag. I consider myself a very experienced predatory tropical fish enthusiast who has 3 years ecxperience in aquatic retail. For this reason I know I am not feeding them too much, it is their demand that I am finding it hard to keep up with. The fish tank water peramters are perfect: Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate 0.5-1ppm (not overfeeding-not detrimental to fish).
I would be very greatful if someone could let me know if theres a relatively good quality tropical fish PELLET food (not flake) other than the Hikari brand as it is not very cost effective (unless you know where I can buy it in bigger bulk) please let me know! Thanks!Sorry i meant juwel vision 450. The arowana is still a juvenille so it is currently perfect for this tank. The diet of the food consists of Hikari pellets being its staple diet as well as live river shrimp/ live mealworm once a week and frozen blood worm every so often so there is some varying in its diet which I did not mention before.
moreResolved Question: Have I got everything I need to start my new tropical aquarium?
I've just been given an old fish tank and heater and I am starting a tropical aquarium. I have cleaned all the gravel and put that in, and I'm ready to fill it with water and then start the filter and add the appropiate chemicals. However, before I do I just wanted to check I have everything I need.
Firstly, my filter is quite old and I don't seem to be able to find a replacement sponge that fits it. Can I just give it a rinse and use the old one?
Secondly, what treatments do I need to add to the water to make it safe for my fish? I have bought a bottle to chorine/chloramine remover and a cleaning chemical which is supposed to degrade ammonia and nitrate which harm fish. Will this be enough?
Finally, how long will it take after I've done all this for my water to be ready for the fish to inhabit? I know the tank is supposed to form bacteria before fish can live in it. How long would this take, and is there anything else I need to do?
Sorry for the long winded question. I just want to make sure everything is all right for my fish when I get them. I'm quite scared that I'll do something wrong and end up killing them or something.
Thanks.By the way, my tank is 45 litres (10 gallons).
moreResolved Question: Why are the goldfish dying ?
My mum has had 2 goldfish in a bowl for 6.5 years. She bought a 60ltr aquarium in January and I set it up for her then added the goldfish a week later. Three weeks ago she bought a Shubunkin, but one of the fish attacked it when she put it in, so she put it into the bowl. She added it again 2 weeks ago after I had done another water change for her and all was fine. We got her water checked last week as she wanted to add an algae eater and it was a bit high on nitrate. I done two more 20% changes, one on Monday and one on Thursday. The Shubunkin died on Friday morning, it wasn't looking too good on the Thursday night. She took her water in to get checked on Friday and it was all fine. She phoned me last night to say that the two goldfish were dying. I went over today and one is a very blood red instead of orange. Neither of them are showing any interest in food, even when we dropped in bloodworms, and they are just floating around. One was hiding under the treasure chest bubbler, but when I put the net in it came up. There is white stuff floating from their eyes. We have now moved them back into the bowl and I done another 20% water change today. What can we do. Does anyone think they can be saved or should we put them out of their misery. They are actually my nephew's fish, but they stay at grans.Thanks for your answers. I have had a look at the link that you sent, and plan to do another 15-20% change on Mon/Tue and then another on Friday. The filter does seem to be working OK and last Sunday was the only time the test showed a problem with the water. Yesterdays water was fine when tested, but I am doing more changes since the Shubunkin died and the other two are unwell. The fish were won at a fair and have thrived in the bowl. I feel a bit guilty now about talking her into getting a proper filtered fish tank. I have an aquarium myself that is going well, although I am still quite new to fishkeeping. We have only put the fish in the bowl as a temporary measure as they were happy in there for over 6 years. If they don't pick up how long should we allow them to suffer before putting them out of their misery.Both fish are now dead, one early morning, the other early afternoon. Thanks for your answers. I really think that the tank was fine, as the water test carried out on Sunday at the pet shop was normal. I think perhaps the Shubunkin may have had an illness when bought. I will water change again and then give her my two comets. Thanks
P.S. The water is always out for at least 24hrs, and is treated before going into tank.
moreResolved Question: Fish deaths, water quality fine?
I bought some fish yesterday (2 guppies, 2 German blue Rams and a shrimp) only to find out that most of them died this morning. The water quality is excellent with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and only some nitrate (like 20 ppm). They acted all weird from the very beginning, staying in weird places all inactive and being very afraid of my kissing gourami which is much larger but it wont even realise they are there. At first I thought that they were scared and shocked from being moved but even hours later they were looking bad. What could be the problem? I buy them from a place where they use similar water hardness and pH and I am always very careful when I add them in the aquarium (leaving the bags in for 30 minutes until the temperature equalises, no lights etc.). My kissing gourami is happy and healthy, yet everytime I add fish they cant survive. What the hell?
P.S.
Its not a new aquarium, I have had it for years with both internal and external filtration and constant water quality checks.Thanks K,
The kissing gourami is a very docile fish and it will only be territorial when other kissing gouramis are around. It doesnt even mind the smaller, different species...sometimes they even peck him while there is food around and he wont even bother. He completely ignores them.Trust me the gourami does not bother with them. It is very docile.I have kept fish with this gourami before and there has never been a problem. After an accident with the filter (filtering bacteria dieing) I lost all the other fish besides the gourami. Now months later, the water quality is perfect, but my fish died nonetheless.
moreResolved Question: Tetra Safe Start: Day 5 Readings - Tropical Aquarium?
Readings for past 5 days using TSS (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
24th Dec: TSS ADDED
25th Dec: 1, 0, 0.2
26th Dec: 1, 0, 0.2
27th Dec: Not Taken
28th Dec: 2, 0, 7.5
29th Dec: 3, 0, 7.5 (today day 5)
I'm worried - Ammonia looks high?. What should I do? or is this ok?In the tank is currently x6neon tatra, x4 platies, x2 bolivian rams
moreResolved Question: High Nitrate Levels In Aquarium....Please Help!!?
I have had very high nitrate levels in my aquarium now for some time. I have a 370 litre tank with:
1 tiger Oscar (5ins)
1 green terror (5ins)
2 clown loaches
1 plecco
The water is Reverse Osmosis water. I’m doing 25 litre water changes every day and Gravel Vac once a week and i clean the filter once a week.
Feeding regime is once a day, 2 teaspoons of Hikari pellets. The Oscar gobbles’ half of these in one go and the clowns and the green terror finish the rest within about 5 minutes all food is gone. Plecco has a couple of algae tablets every other day.
Am I over feeding? I don’t think I am over stocked? Do I need to change more water, although getting sick of daily water changes now as they aren’t making any difference anyway.
I have seen various nitrate reactors, sulphur based and the other ones that use alcohol, are they any good, worth investing in?
moreResolved Question: Give me your opinion- Considering getting a saltwater aquarium, should I?
I have raised fresh water fish in the past and did a little research then on fish in general. Correct me if I am wrong but from what I understand in order to start a saltwater aquarium the aquarium itself needs to be 30 gallons+ with a heater of course...the regular nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and ph lvls have to be monitored along with the salinity which is a biggy. Id like to raise live coral too in the aquarium... Big questions for me however are...If I wanted to buy a smaller say 5-10 gallon tank or two to seerate fish eggs into would this be of adequate size or is bare minimum 30 gallon even for young off-spring?.....Also since I am planning on breeding ,a fliter which sucks water out of the tank will bring the eggs with it so what are some alternatives to filtering the water?...Oxygenation stones and Tubes seem to work really well from past experiences...Any good hints or tips that I might need to know to get it up and running efficiently?..Easiest salt water fish to care for right off the bat?....I hate to spend a lot of money on fish my wife thinks are pretty and have them die because I didn't do my homework...Thanks for the answers ahead of time
moreResolved Question: useful marine science websites?
im currently studying how to maintain fish tanks, to oversimplify it. im looking for fun and helpful science websites to help me better understand the material. i havent had much luck finding anything since my material is so specific. if anyone could help me find some good websites thatd be great. my test is this thursday so please let me know as soon as possible!!
below, ive pasted the practice test so you all have a better idea of what im studying.
thanks everyone! :)
1. Why are smaller tanks more difficult to maintain than larger ones (our tanks are small)?
2. What are the three types of systems and their strengths and weaknesses?
3. Why is it a good idea to have natural or man made objects in the tanks?
4. How much light is necessary for a healthy marine aquarium? What type lights do we have? What are their limitations?
5. What is the purpose of the power head in our tanks?
6. What type of filters do we have? How do they work?
7. What is live rock? What nutrient does it help to cycle? What other benefits does it have in the tank? How is live sand different from live rock?
8. Specifically what does it mean for a tank to cycle? How long does it take? What chemical measurements allow you to keep track of the cycling process?
9. What are appropriate (healthy) values for each of the following: temperature, pH, salinity (in specific gravity AND ppt), ammonia, nitrites, nitrate?
10. How often should water changes be done and why?
11. What are the 10 classic setup mistakes (p. 120-121 in Fenner). Which ones have you made? How will you avoid the rest?
12. How often and how much should fish be fed? What are the dangers of overfeeding?
moreResolved Question: i have high nitrates and ammonia and ph in my aquarium water - what shall I do?
should i just do regular water changes, add 'cycle' and 'aqua plus' or is there anything else I should add/do that might help?the tank is 38 litres with filter in that came with it (elite 35) about a month old - I set it up for a week then added 5 danio's. 2 weeks later, water quality was good so pet shop advised that it was ok to add more fish so added 4 harlequin rasbora's but 4 days later 2 were dead. 1 now hs missing tail fin ?fin rot?fin nip and one of the danio's that have been fine til now has some white patches on t and looks it. pet shop says its fungal and got meds to treat but not sure if its bacterial. not sure how to improve the water quality and worried am going to lose them all. pet shop said poor water quality is due to too much water change - this conflicting advice is confusing me and dnt know what to do for the best!
moreResolved Question: Nitrates and Nitrites?
My tank has been running for at least a month and a half. I have checked my water today using 5 in 1 Aquarium Test Strips from API.
And I have found that my Nitrite is 0 but my nitrates are about 20 ppm. what should I do to bring that level down or is it okay?I was thinking about adding Tetra NitrateMinus to reduce the Nitrate level. But how safe is it using chemicals?
moreResolved Question: Very,very, tough algae in my aquarium! How best should I remove it?
I think I've read of this very difficult algae before. It is green in colour very low on the glass and will NOT come off. How would you recommenced removing it?
I don't really have algae problems, my ottocinclus eat most common, soft, types; It isn't in a bright room and I turn of the light after about eight hours; I aso use tetra easy balance which reduces nitrates; not to mention I have lots of plants which use up the remaining nutrients.
However this type has been slowly creeping in and it is seemingly impossible to budge! I use my magnetic cleaner but after furiously going over it numerous times very little is removed and, although slowly, it is spreading. Has anyone had a similar algae and how did you remove it? Without damaging the glass, of course.
Like I said, it is like lots of dots over the glass forming a patch, it is very small as in close to the glass, bright green in colour, and will not go!
THANKS.Like I said my tank is chocker with plants and I can't clean my tank with vinegar with the fish in and I wouldn't like to put them through the stress of that - I've just got a shoal of cardinals happy and established. Thanks anyways.
moreResolved Question: When can i add more fish to my cycling biorb aquarium?
I have one fish in it to start the cycling process, its only the second day of cycling. I tested the water this morning and the readings read:
Nitrite=0.5
Nitrate=20
ph=7.0
Unfortunately i have no ammonia tester. I have another tank (my old tank) which still has some cloud miinows in it waiting to go in my new tank when possible. I tested this tank and the readings read:
Nitrite0.5
Nitrate80
ph7.0
Please bare in mind these fish in the old tank are fine and healthy so the tank has cycled correctly.
So when can i add my 4 cloud minnows to its new biorb tank? Any help Is appreciated thanks
moreResolved Question: Ammonia levels in my aquarium are puzzling me.?
The ammonia levels in my tank are going crazy. Just did a 50% w/c cos the following results:
PH 6.0
Ammonia 4.0ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 40ppm
I'm puzzled as I've not added anything to the tank recently. Help.Just did a 2nd test and the ammonia is down to 1.5, nitrites at 0, ph at 6.6 and nitrates at 20. is this a good enough improvement for me to stop worrying and just do a water change tomorrow.
moreResolved Question: Angelfish difficulties? very simple questions!?
I have a 12g freshwater tropical aquarium, here are the stats:
pH: 7.5
Temperature: 81F
Water changes: every week, on tuesday, 25%
ammonia:0.0ppm
nitrite:0.0ppm
nitrate:0.0ppm ( it is, i tried several test tubes and it's 0.0ppm for sure )
tank size:12 gallons
filter: 110-120GPH
plants: anacharis and anbubias
inhabitants: 5 Rummy nosed Tetras, 1 small 2" angelfish, 1 male molly and 4 guppy fry ( in breeder net within the aquarium )
I had 2 angelfish and no other fish except 3 guppies, the angelfish killed 2 guppies and i returned the big angelfish and added a molly and 5 rummy nose tetras, ever since the big angelfish has left, his top fin ( dorsal, i think ) has been down, it rises up when he gets angry at other fish or when he eats.
He spends the majority of his time in the plants or staring at the corner of the aquarium, gills moving, eyes moving everything normal except for that fin.
He is very short tempered with all of the fish, i fed him a baby guppy ( healthy )
Should i do an early water change? ( everything is perfect )
he has been in the tank for aobut 2 weeks now and has never been this lethargic, he moves but doesn't really swim around, only once in a while, he does not like the molly and warns the tetras to basically f*ck off.
Everything is great, the tank is cycled and everything
BTW, the tetras and molly were added about 2 days ago, they are healthy and schooling actively.
What should i do for the angelfish or is this a stage?
And a question for the tetras? once in a while, one of them leaves the school and swims really fast like a maniac, just darting everywhere, than he sees his school and returns, and everything carries on, is this normal or should i worry?
I checked several times for ich, dropsy, fin rot and so on but nothing, they are all as healthy as can be.
FYI: i had 7 baby guppies, two got very white and died ( they were eating and everything but they died ) and 1 i fed to the angelfish, would this be a problem?
Thanks a lot!This 12g tank is only a 2 month commitment for the fish, they will be re-located as I am moving countries, YAY!
moreResolved Question: Something wrong with my aquarium, cloudy water at first now AMMONIA!?
I have had my aquarium for 3 years now, it has been well established, not overstocked and I have had 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some nitrates. One day out of the blue the water went all cloudy (milky like) and I have had very high ammonia levels! I have already lost two of my fish and I cannot understand whats wrong...I keep doing water changes, I have cleaned both my filters (internal and external canister) in case they were too dirty (I cleaned them in aquarium water and please keep in mind that I am experienced with aquariums). Could this mean that my beneficial bacteria colonies have been lost? My nitrite levels are at 0 though, which means that bacteria are doing something..Any help or experience with this kind of situation?yeah, filters were cleaned at different intervals...
moreResolved Question: Tropical freshwater fish dying..... Don't know why?
I have a 50 litre wall mounted aquarium, tropical fresh water. We have a few shoals of Rasboras and Tetra which we have had no probs with. But our Corydoras and shrimpies keep dying, we have lost 2 corys and a large shrimp over the weekend and I don't know why.
The nitrites/nitrates/ammonia/ph/temp is all ok, have checked them yesterday. There's no visible disease or problems with any of the others. The ones that have died slowed down over the day and were still for ages then died. We removed them straight away.
Any ideas why they are dying? They were bought from 2 different places, Pets at Home and another aquatic shop.They just eating the algae, had the tank running for 6 weeks before we put em in. Should I get them their own food then? Argh didnt know that, the 'experts' in the shops didnt say!
moreResolved Question: does rainwater contain nitrates if yes what level? what is best for freshwater aquarium tap or rainwater?
i have quite a high nitrate level in my tap water up to 30ppm and was wondering if i would get better water quality if i used a water butt to collect rainwater do you use rainwater? are there any potential nastys that you can import to your tank? all answers would be appreciated so thanks in advance
moreResolved Question: Am i on the Right Track Seting up My Saktwater Aquarium?
Ok i have ordered a 60l marine BiOrb from the net ( i no its not the best tank and it aint recommened for marine fish but thats how life rolls).Anyway this is how i plan my set up when i recieve my tank.First i will open all the packaging and scrub the tank and ornaments with fresh tap water.Then i will place all my ornaments cerimic media heater etc in the tank but first i will set up the filter then i will mix the water with the salt provided i think its a cup for every 2 gallons correct me if im wrong.Then i will mix until clear water . i will then pump it slowly into the tank using the cleaner pump i purchased add some conditioner reading the label for the suitable amount to add then run everything eg. heater filter etc. and let it run for 24hrs.Then i will test for ammonia the next day with the liquid tests. i will keep testing for ammonia every day taking a sechule of my results when it finally reachs 0. i will give a test for nitrite the next day .after days of testing nitrite and writing down my results when it comes to 0 i will test for nitrate then after days of hard work i will test again and when it reachs 0 i will leave it for a day or two. I will then check the pH to make sure its at the right level for my occalris clowns .Then i will start stocking the tank with 2 clowns and a few inverts no more thn this because i no a BiOrb should have no more then i will feed them hikkari pellets twice a day a small amount and then every week i will change 1/3 of the water in the tank replacing it will fresh saltwater and pumpinjg it slowly back into the tank making sure its conditioned before i do this process.
The other is that is it ok if i add fully cured or non cured live rock into my aquarium while in the middle of my cycle
I will also make sure i do a fishless cycle.
Is my set up Ok
please make changes if you wish
Oh and sorry for the really misspelled words and mistakes im rushing this as im very tired.Oh and something i forgot to add: when i mix the salt and water i should get an SG of 1.020 - 1.024
and i always forgot to say i should check the temp to make sure its between 72-78 degrees F (76 DF)
moreResolved Question: Is this how you test a saltwater aquarium?
First you cheeck the pH.(What level should the pH be on how do i lower and higer the level of pH to the right level)
Then after your pH is correct you check the ammonia when that reachs 0 after many tries you check the nitrite after that reachs 0 check the nitrate when that reachs 0 you can start stocking the tank
is that the way you do it. if not will you supply me the the right instructions and do you only do these test at set up or do you do the test after the set up every month or something please help tnxThank you very must Tracey C you have really busted my confidence.I have been doing research from the start of 2009 and feel like i know mostly everything now thank you very much with your answer i have had freshwater nearly all my life i feel like i want a bit of a challenge and need abit of work to do with marines . tropicals and coldwater dont take much to keep them alive but i no im up for keeping reef fish in a marine aqurium . so im going to give it a go hope fully i will be succesful with all the reasearch i have been doing over the last 2 months . and again thanks for the great answer you will be my best answer
moreResolved Question: The amonia level in my tropical tank is fine, but nitrate and nitrite is really high, what can i do?
I have a new tropical aquarium (it been running for about 6 weeks now and has had fish in it for about 4 weeks). I am regularly checking the chemical levels. The pH is a bit high, but it is constant and not changing, the amonia level is virtually zero, but the nitrate and nitrite levels are both at the top of the scale. How can i reduce this or do i even need to?
moreResolved Question: Should I add bacteria during a cycle (goldfish)?
I'm cycling a tank with 2 goldfish, I'm just over 2 weeks into it and it seems to be going fine with ammonia and nitrite going down and nitrates going up,
My questions;
1.Should I add some extra bacteria (good quality from a reputable store) to help the process along?, would it do any harm to the fish or the cycling process at this stage?.
2. Should I add aquarium salt at this stage?.
3. Is it okay to add the salt and the bacteria at roughly the same time or is it best to do it a day or more apart to avoid stress?.
I'm doing all necessary partial water changes with dechlorinator every other day and am being extremely vigilant.
Thank you in advance.EDIT To the first response: A monosyllabic "no" isn't a very helpful answer...EDIT To fishy: I have read many times that adding aquarium salt to goldfish aquariums during the cycle can help protect them significantly from the effects of nitrites, that's why I'm asking. I realise goldfish are not saltwater fish.Please note I;m SPECIFICALLY talking about the cycling process, not general everyday care.
ThanksEDIT fishy; thanks for the info, from that block of text the part which applies to me most is;
"Salt is a wonderful remedy to treat ailments, or to control the toxicity of nitrite/nitrate spikes, but as a normal maintenance procedure it is a no-no for goldfish."
That's helped to confirm what I was asking.
Thanks.
moreResolved Question: nitrate problems how can i reduce it?
hello all im new to all this i have a 120ltr tank i have 10 zebira danios 6 platys 5 phamtom tetras and 1 red tail shark!! my ammonia and nitrite are perfect but my nitrate is very high between 40 - 50 mg/l i do a water change once a week about 40 ltrs. i was wondering should i plant my aquarium if so what plants should i use !! or what should i do? thanking you!!
moreResolved Question: Poorly oranda... pics of problem, please help.?
We've got a 65l tank, with 2 Orandas- one 2", one 3.5"- water levels are fine (don't have readings as took to petshop to have it tested, and they advised water quality good.) The 2" fish, Marilyn, has developed patches on her tail since we introduced Finando- his tail was a little raggedy when we had him, but otherwise he seemed healthy enough. She has now got red streaks, white patches, and tears in her tail- she's eating fine (alternate mixture of peas, pellets, daphnia and bloodworm,) her dorsal's up, she does seem a little lethargic though, more prone to sulking at the bottom than usual. The tank's been set up for about 3months- she's been in for maybe 2 months, and fat fish Finando's been in there a month.... and since we brought him in, the problems have started.... :(
It's really upsetting me now, I would be GUTTED if anything happened to either of them, they're the loveliest things, and I'm really at my wits end at the moment. We've done a 60% water change, introduced a total of 3tsps of aquarium salt, and raised the water temp slightly for them. Yesterday, I medicated with Anti Fungus and Fin Rot treatment (Phenoxyethanol) but today it seems worse... please, please, please help- I've included some pics.
(My feeling was ammonia burn/poisoning, but I'm baffled as we've had water tested now by 2 different petshops, who have both said ph/nitrate/ammonia etc are all fine.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32524452@N04/3037732475/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32524452@N04/3037732401/
moreResolved Question: Please help fish keepers! Why did this happen to my Oscar?
Yesterday evening just before I turned off the aquarium light I had a good look at my 10" Albino Oscar , orange , cream , beautiful intelligent fish. He was fine , living with 2 x 8" Plecos. I fed him some cichlid sticks and tiny pieces of cut up turkey and ham, not a lot, just enough for him to be interested when the aquarium lid opens. This morning when I came down he was stone dead. The water temp was at 19 degrees Celsius , my fault on that one as I took the heater out last week to wipe the algae off it and must have unknowingly lowered the temperature. Being a large hardy fish though I am surprised that he died of this. Nitrates , nitrites , ph and ammonia levels are all fine, Im just disgusted. It was eating into me all day and then one of my friends said he probably choked on the meat but I am very careful on quantity and size of portions. Another thing is that his whole body was COVERED in thick slime that was very visible in the net afterwards. This has never happened before to any fish I have had. I rarely have strange deaths occurring like this. The Oscar was 4yrs old , big broad and strong, and to go from being seriously active at feeding time to dead 12 hours later is strange, Thanks Iain L : FYI , its not the first time I have given turkey and ham that was cooked the very same day that I myself had for dinner. Both meats were rinsed thoroughly before giving to the fish.
moreResolved Question: Best way to reduce nitrate (NO3)?
I know that constant water changes is the best way, but to my surprise, my tap water Nitrate levels are quite high (almost 25 ppm) which in turn is like 30 ppm in my aquarium...My ammonia and nitrite levels are 0 by the way. So algae blooms and it really becomes an eyesore. Any other ways of reducing it? I do have lots of live plants too and I am about to use tetra's NitrateMinus and a NitraZorb pouch in my filter canister...Mikey F make sure to read question descriptions too....catxcatxx I did do a research (Thames water) and the Nitrate ppm in my area is from 20-30ppm which is also within the allowed amount found in tap water...
moreResolved Question: First time water change?
I have just done my first water test,i cycled/cleaned the tank last Tuesday 50%,and tested the water today (just brought a API kit).
The results are:-
PH---------7.2-7.6
Ammo-----0ppm
Nitrite-----1-2
Nitrate-----5
High R.ph--7.4-7.5
Are these good readings or not?
Had the tank for about 4 weeks,first water change last week,because the pebbles,substrate,were getting dirty with old food and fish poo,suctioned the gravel in the process.
Just tested the tap water for nitrate,the reading is,yellow,0ppm.Are these readings ok then.
I have 3 platys,in a 5 gallon aquarium,the aquarium shop owner said this was a acceptable amount for the tank,and he advised me to buy a API freshwater master test kit,which i have.
This may be the explanation for the tank,i will get a bigger one as soon as i can afford http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=259107&hl=
P.S all the fish seem alright again,all swimming about etc,no more changes,might of been a change from big tank to little(stress)?
As i said i know nothing of caring for fish,it was either i take them in(as ignorant as i am)or they were to be literally flushed down the toilet.I know nothing of cycling,in fact nothing at all really.That is why i am asking for advice.
I just thought i was doing the right thing by saving the fish.
moreResolved Question: can somebody help me with a problem I appear to have with my tropical aquarium?
I have had a 2 foot tropical aquarium for about 18 months now all was going fine I had 1 large angel and Gibitus plec a red tailed black shark and several Glow light and penguin tetras. The stocks were running low so I decided to add a few more fish, this was one week ago and I added 5 five banded barbs and 5 cardinal tetras, Since then i have lost approx six fish, including my pride and joy which was my plec who has been in the tank almost from the start. I have checked the water and it appears that Nitrate is a little high but Nitrite and Ammonia are clear. Could it be that the new fish bought a disease with them or were they just a bad choice to add and perhaps not compatible.
moreResolved Question: wat do u think of this?
FEATURES:
1. Enclosed Denitrifying Bacteria Activator, used to culture large quantity of positive anaerobic denitrifying bacteria quickly and intensively decompose nitrate which accumulates in the aquarium.
2. Restrains the growth of algae prevents pH value from decline.
3. Purifies the water and prevents from toxic agent.
Details
Weight1.00 kg
Price:€ 77.00
its made by azoo
moreResolved Question: New Fish Tank Advice?
Well. Basically, my friend has just bought a 125L Juwel Aquarium, with a very large internal filter. He ahs set up, decorated it, filter and air pump are now running. He understands that he must only stock 1-2 per week, and must test ammonia, nirite and nitrate levels over the cycling period.
We basically would like a list of good community fish, and the amount of them, that he can ad over time, that will make a perfect community tank, however, we may need to compromise as he has his mind set on angelfish.
Many thanks, and kind regards
Andrew
moreResolved Question: cloudy fresh water aquarium?
my aquarium is cloudy, kind of milky, I have done partial water change, added various chemicals including algae inhibitor, I have replaced fresh plants, cleaned filter and checked ph and nitrate levels. I have lost all fish except large Cray Fish. What else can I do?I forgot to mention this is an established aquarium. I have had fish in it for months with no problem. Could it be the type of food , as I have just started giving the Cray Fish frozen fish instead of pellets.
moreResolved Question: A question about high nitrate levels and fry...?
I've been testing my water in my tropical aquarium because I had to get a new filter as the old one broke. This means that my tank is going through its maturing period again and my nitrates and nitrites are quite high.
I know when these levels are peaking I need to do a 10% - 20% water change for 3 days and not to feed the fish for this time.
However, I have 14 fry in a breeding trap and know they need to eat regularly but am unsure what to do whilst I'm denying food to my other fish. I do have a rearing tank, but I only set that up on Wednesday so that's going through it's cycle as well.
I am just wondering if I should stop feeding the fry or will this affect them (if the nitrites don't get to them first)?
Thanks in advance.
:-)With the new filter, I soaked it in the dirty water from my broken filter foams then put the old filter foam in some mesh and weighed that down in my tank hoping that this might help the maturing process. I also soaked the rearing tanks foam in the same water.
:-)Yet more details, sorry!
The fry I have are platys. They're about 10 days old. Some are quite large and grey while others are smaller and yellow. Their mother is a yellow mickey mouse platy. Is this normal for them to grow at different rates and colours?
I'm sorry about all this. I'm still new to fish keeping.
:-)
moreResolved Question: sorry, more questions about discus?
how important is it that the conditions the discus are in at the shop match your tank
MY TANK
P.H is 7
ammonia,nitrite are 0
nitrate 5 (cycled by congos)
temp 84
no salt
-------------------------------------
AQUARIUM SHOP
P.H: 6.5
ammonia, nitrite: most likely 0
nitrate: ???
temp: 84
some salt
do i need to ajust anything or should it be fine
many thank to all
moreResolved Question: My fish have White spot,&I am using Interpet Anti White Spot Plus No.6) Advice needed with Juwel Filter Please
Hi all!
I need some advice on treating my fish for White Spot. Have just noticed they suffer from the disease and have Interpets 'Aquarium Treatment no.6 Anti White Spot Plus'. I Have a built in Juwel Compact/Compact H Filter System. The filter system has a carbon sponge and a nitrate removal sponge. When reading through the booklet of instructions for the treatment it states: " Remove carbon and zeolite (ammonia remover) filter media from aquarium.". Does this mean I have to take out the carbon sponge from the filter? If so, can I keep the filter running, but just take the carbon sponge out? I switched of the filter completely before and my tank got in such a mess so quickly! I have an air stone in the tank too.John K: How come the poly pad has to be removed too? So you just ran the filter with the blue fine filter sponge? Did you use the Interpet treatment? (Thank you for your answer sweetheart)What does the carbon filter specifically do to the treatment? Does it remove it?
moreResolved Question: I need with a Nitrate Test kit I have for my fish tank?
I have a test kit but I've lost the documents that came along with it.
Does anyone have this kit and can tell me how many drops and the amount of tank water I need in the test tube?
I have a marine tank (not that this matters lol)
Identifying the test kit:
The Nitrate test kit if for salt / fresh water. It appeared to be named as No3 .. and made by a company called Aquarium pharmaceuticals ltd.
Here's a picture of the box: http://www.msponds.com/images/categories/C413.jpg
Any help would be brilliant
Thank youI need *HELP with a nitrate test kit.. haha yes!
moreResolved Question: Why have my balloon mollies died?
3 days ago i bought 5 balloon mollies for my aquarium and 2 have just died suddenly within an hour of each other for seemingly no reason. My tetras and clown loach seem fine as iv had them a while. Are balloon mollies quite sensitive to nitrate and nitrite levels. i tested my tank and ph kh and everything seems fine except nitrate and nitrate are up a little since adding them so i put in some tetraaqua stuff to get the levels down but i dnt know why they died. any suggestions what i can do. i don't fancy waking up tomorrow with all my fish deadI think i've sorted it now. They seemed to be gasping for air at the surface and had rapid gill movement which i just read is a sign of nitrite poisoning. I've carried out a partial water change to reduce them and im going to keep doing so until they fall to zero again. thanks for you're help it seems i added too many at once. we learn from our mistakes. shame the poor mollies were the ones that paid for it. i still have some left though i guess survival of the fittest lol
moreResolved Question: pH levels & hardness of water?
I have a 2 week old tank. I have done water tests using 5 in 1 test strips and found the following:
pH level - below 6.4 which is the lowest on the chart.
GH - lowest on chart is 0GH and the results seem below this!
KH - between 3-6.
Nitrate - 25
Nitrite - 5
I tested my tap water (from Scotland) and is the same.
I'm concerned about the low ph and hardness levels because i was told this will stall the cycling process.
My options are:
1. baking soda - I think this would only be temporary and wouldn't do anything for the hardness
2. limestone in the tank - not sure if this is readily available in Scottish LFS?
3. API proper pH - I bought this then realised it shouldn't be added to planted aquariums so will need to return it
4. crushed coral put insight the filter secured by stockings
Any advice gratefully appreciated.Sorry i meant that the pH & hardness was same in tap water. Nitrate/Nitrie was zero in the tap water.
I cannot see an expiration date on the test strips. I bought it on eBay. The white tube says "Precision Labs, Inc".
I would be ok finding fish that accept this lower pH as Lanab suggested. However, my concern is that the cycle will not complete at such a low pH level.Just back from the LFS who tested my water without charge. I was told that the Nitrate and Nitrite was a bit high (which was expected since I'm still cycling). The pH was found to be 7.2 to 7.4! So does that mean now I am in the opposite situation where I should try and lower my pH?!
I will be buying an API master test kit and getting rid of the test strips. One thing I wondered about however, was the alkalinity and hardness levels. This isn't included in the master test kit. Do I need other test kits for this or should I just concentrate on getting pH, nitrate and nitrite correct?
moreResolved Question: Nitrate and Nitrite levels in a freshwater aquarium?
I have a 100L tank holding a goldfish and 2 blackmoors. All measures are fine except Nitrite and Nitrate. I purchased some treatment from pets at home and added this to the water in porder to fix the nitrite but nothing has changed.
I am currently changing 20% of water every two weeks. I do not think I am overfeeding the fish either. I have been instructed to offer enough food to be taken within five minutes and the fish eat what is put in within seconds.
Please help!
moreResolved Question: Guppies - help keeping them. Please :)?
Hi,
I am having a problem keeping Guppies and am looking for some information. I am relatively new to this hobby so I accept that I could possibly be doing something wrong. I have decided that I am not going to buy anymore until I am sure I have found the cause of the problem. I will give a rundown of the tank and setup below.
Ok, first off I did a water test recently. Everything appeared to be fine bar nitrate which I admit was quite high and I had been noticing some algae lurking inside the aquarium glass. I did a 15% water change last night, trimmed back any of the dead vegetation of my plants and cleaned the inside of the glass with an algae cleaner. The aquarium I have to say now is looking really well. I am going to do a 10% change over the next 4-5 days and then test the water again. I am conscious of overfeeding and only ever feed twice a day. I had been doing a 10% change every 2 weeks so I think going forward I will make it a weekly task to help keep the aquarium in good shape. I also clean the filter media in the water I remove from the tank when doing a cleanout.
Aquarium itself is a 60litre (I think that is approx. 13 gallons). I have a Swordtail and 3 Red Eye Tetra's and some Corydoras catfish. The Red Eye's have got pretty big since I got them first and they chase each other around a lot. The Swordtail can be a little aggressive and has figured out how to scare off the catfish and get a quick meal from the catfish wafers!
I have lost 2 Guppies in the last 2 weeks (and several before that. All other fish appear fine.) and they appear to have had part of their tail missing. I am not sure if either the Red Eye Tetra or the Swordtail has attacked them or if it is something to do with the water quality or some other factor. I was losing them at an alarming rate. For example, last week I bought 2 male Guppies from my local fish shop and added them to the tank for company for my other male Guppe. Over the course of the weekend I lost 2 and the last one died overnight last night. I usually find them at the bottom of the tank dead.
I love Guppies and don't want to buy anymore until I am sure I can keep them alive.
I am looking for some advice on maybe something I am doing wrong or some help/suggestions?
Sorry for the long post, just thought I would try and give as much information as possible.
Many Thanks
Regards,
Donal :)
moreResolved Question: Emergency! Marine tank keepers please help - Puffer fish very ill? Newbie!!!?
Hi I have a Dog Nose Puffer who all of a sudden has become depressed, I've had to put him on a "diet" after the salesman wrongly told me to feed him every day - he also told me that a puffer his size would be perfect for my size tank (wrong again, its way too small and producing too many nitrates just being there). The fish shop wont take him back, and my only other local fish shop cant take him either.
Whats worrying me is that the nitrate levels have sky rocketed and the puffers left "arm" fin is completely tucked into the hole it comes out of... by this I mean the blackish round bit behind his fins. At first I thought it had been bitten off or something and then it "Popped back out again", I've been really badly advised by the pet shop so heres a run down of what I have and any help you could give a newbie would be really appreciated! (Ive done a half way water change with R/o water from fish shop) No luck, it seems worse.
Realise it must be frustrating for all you pro's reading my problem, as I've had bad advice, and have completely great intentions and respect for the fish I keep. Please go easy on me!
I have:
Juwel Vision 180 Marine Aquarium system
proline Skimmer
Fluval 304 external cannister filter unit.
live rock
dog nose puffer
1 large hermit crab, 1 small
1 clownfish
1 yellow and blue damsel
1 humbug damsel
I know, I know its overcrowded, I think I caught my fish stocker on a bad money day and he needed to get his profits up... Hence my mistake
Again, please help and go easy on me!!
xx
moreResolved Question: Fishless Cycle!?
Ok, I got lots of help on here re: which fish to get for my aquarium but I'm now getting conflicting advice on how long I should wait before I get any fish...
One pet shop said wait a week - a site on the net said it could take up to 7 weeks!?!
Tank is Juwel Vision 180 - been running 3 weeks with integrated filter & air bubble line.
Temperature has stayed a steady 27 degrees C.
Tank includes 2" of gravel, 6 real vallis potted plants, 2 smaller plants that don't look so good with brown spots (but had them when I planted them!), 1 big plastic plant, 1 big stone tree stump thing, one big rock with loads of hiding places & one smaller rock.
I've been adding a small amount of flake food each day & pH down as my pH has stayed at 7.8 for ages!
Pet shop checked my ammonia & nitrate & they were fine & I've acquired quite a few snails from somewhere.
My tank seems REALLY clean though & I was told it should go cloudy first.....
Do I just need to be more patient or is there anything else I can do?After the answers left so far I went out & bought 3 clown loaches, 4 platys (2 silver, 2 orange) and 2 black mollies yesterday.....so far so good, in fact they look like they're loving it!! The mollies like swimming in the current of the filter flow pipe and the loaches are mental!!
I hope to get the plec next weekend then the angels the weekend after - I hope that seems ok?!
Oh, this morning I checked the pH & it's already at 7.2!! x
moreResolved Question: Water quality?
Is PH the softness and hardness of the water?
Also what is ment by general hardness and does it really matter if gh and ph not at correct levels, as for kh i dont think it will apply to me as i have a fresh water aquarium.
I have kept lots of different species of fish and some have had fry but i have never done anything about the PH GH and KH and all my fish have always been fine. I let my new tanks cycle and use filter media from cycled tanks. I do my weekly water changes, vac gravel and only ever test for nitrate and nitrite.
I must be doing something right not to have fish dying on me all the time.
moreResolved Question: How easy is it to set up a saltwater aquarium?
I'm just wondering because i have a few tropical and coldwater tanks which i have had for a few years and just fancy a new addition to my house. What put me off is that there is not many places that sell marine fish and getting the right balance of salt in the water would be another worry on top of nitrite, nitrate and ammonia. Once you have the tank, how expensive are they to set up? im in the uk. Also, are they easy to keep running? tank size is 60-70 litresI know it will be harder to set up than a tropical tank but the fish are much different and a wider range for marine tanks
moreResolved Question: new aquarium, cichlids, water changes but still high amonia/nitrate done everything by book, what can we do?
got tank up and running, left it, took water samples down before fish, got fish but everytime we do a test, bright pink and green, done water changes, changed filters etc, done water change yesterday, today back to pink and green, what can we be doing wrong, is there anything else anyone can suggest. Lost one fish, tanks been up and running for about 4 weeks. aquarium man said it just needs maturing but do 50% water change regular. Help!!!!
moreResolved Question: Fish Tank Nightmare!! HELP!?
Right, a bit of a long one! i started a fish tank that is 24 inches by 12 inches width by 15 inches depth. it is a coldwater tank and i cycled it before adding fish for about 4 days, i took the water to be tested and it was perfect so i added two orangas. They have been perfectly happy. the tank also has 3 live plants in it but still plenty of room. i have a light and also a filter running all the time. This week i took the water to be tested again and the ammonia levels are perfect, the nitrites are off the chart and the nitrates arent much better... although not as bad. so we did a 25% water change and added further Aquasafe to the new water. left it a few days and no change so did a further 25% change, added Stress Coat and Stress Zyme and rinsed the filter under the old aquarium water.
3 days later there is still no change. So we have now done a 40% water change, added further stress coat, stress zyme and aqua balance. Any more ideas?
Also should we be turning the light off?Just to add, i have sand as my bottom cover, not gravel. it is aquarium sand though. im unsure as to how to clean this? im feeding one to two times per day and they eat it all!
moreResolved Question: Aquarium heater...?
I am currently cycling my tank, and since Saturday, my thermometer is showing temperature of 84F, 28C - this is way too high! My heater is set at 25C. Is it just because of the hot weather we've had? I have turned the heater down to 22C this morning, so am hoping this will go down.
Luckily, I have no fish in tank at the moment, but if this were to happen when I have fish in - what would I do...?!?!?! It takes a while for the temp. to go back down, so surely they would all suffer?
All my water tests are fine - pH 7.2, nitrate 25, nitrite 0, ammonia 0...
moreResolved Question: I have got a Tetratest 5 in 1...?
....water quality test kit. Can anyone please list the correct results that should be showing for my aquarium? The pack tests for: Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3), GH, KH and pH.
Also, I have just cleaned my whole tank out completley, and started my whole process again. How long do I need to wait before I can add fish?..no fish at present, but am thinking of getting 2 dwarf gourami to start, (or can I have just one?) then maybe 4 neons, and an oto...
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