Water test help

16 posts • Page 2 of 2

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


mzhantsche
 
Posts: 115
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:27 am

by mzhantsche

I have a top fin 30 (ment for a 30 gal), an aqua clear 50 (ment for a 40 gal), and a small internal filter (ment for a 5 gal). So all together 75 gal of filtration. I dont know the gph cuz im at work and cant look it up. sorry. I did 30% water changes in both tanks lat night and tested imedatly after change and the test were still sky high. I am using a kit called master aquarium or something. It has all the diffrent types of tests sold in this one kit. Its the most common kit sold at petsmart.

My fish look fine and the water is so supper clear now. I am really wondering if its something wrong with the kit or my testing.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

Seachem or API are the best liquid test kits. May want to look into this.

between the top fin 30 (150 gph) and the aqua clear 50 (270 gph), you have 420 gph and on a 20 gallon tank, this is excellent filtration, so you are set here

keep doing the water changes...but get another liquid test kit, individual test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph (API is cheaper than Seachem, both perform quite well)...run about $40.00 offline. I bet this is the problem, because at 160 ppm, I'm telling ya, your fish should be dead.

Clear water does not necessarily mean everything is okay. A tank can be full of ich in a clear tank. Of course it is good you have a clear tank, but ammonia too can be at high levels and the water is crystal clear. JUst a thought.

Just get a new liquid test kit(s), I bet this is the problem


mzhantsche
 
Posts: 115
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:27 am

by mzhantsche

I have API. Damn. Ok well ill just keep testing and changing water.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

API does expire after a year...but you just got yours, so it is not the liquid test kit

put more live plants in if you can (live plants will feed off the extra nitrates)

worse case scenerio is, breakdown the entire tank and start over again


snostorm
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 7:48 am

by snostorm

a year?! Dayum it was so pricey, I might as well test every day to get the most out of it!


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

well the bottles should last more than a year, but to get an excellent reading, it is best to test with chemicals that are not over a year old...every January 1 of each year, I throw out all the liquid test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph...I use API, I get new tests, and I am absolutely certain of accurate readings

just a thought

Water test help

16 posts • Page 2 of 2

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