Post
by Diana » Wed Jun 17, 2015 9:32 pm
With ammonia and nitrites showing positive on the tests there is something wrong with the water.
The nitrifying bacteria ought to keep the ammonia and nitrite at zero.
They turn these into nitrate, which should read higher than 1ppm. I do not know of a common aquarium test that actually reads in 1 ppm. Usually 5 or 10 ppm is the lowest noted value above 0.
While there is ammonia and nitrite showing, do enough water changes (volume and frequency) to keep the ammonia under .25ppm and the nitrite under 1.0 ppm. Use a dechlor that locks up the ammonia and nitrite. Seachem Prime is one example of a dechlor that does this.
Add 1 teaspoon of sodium chloride per 20 gallons of water (does not matter if it is American gallons or imperial). This will minimize the amount of nitrite that crosses the gills.
You can also add the bacteria this tank needs. Look for Nitrospira species of bacteria. Do not waste money on anything else.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!