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I guess being new to having fish, I must learn from my mistakes.

I changed my water today and then checked my ph. It was pretty high, so I added some ph down. Then I checked my ammonia, and it needed some help, so I added some ammo-lock. As always, when I had change my water, I added some algae destroying liquid. Within an hour of adding these three things, one of my x-ray fish was struggling, and it has now passed on.

I usually do ph on Monday, ammonia on Wednesday and algea destroy once a month. I was going to be out late with various family things this week so I thought I could do it all in one shot. BAD IDEA!!!!

I hate losing fish, it makes me wonder if this is worth it. I don't want to be mean to any fish.

Do you guys think it was all the chemicals at once, or was his time just up?

Thanks,
Don

i think it was from pH shock from changing the pH so fast.

PH ajusters as I mentioned in your other post really don't work.

A cycled tanks should't have ammonia readings. What are your test results for ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte.

Also you may want to look into other ways of dealing with the algae than dumping more chemicals in the tank, I'm sure your fish dont appreaciate it . If you're continually having problems with algae it is pointing to an imbalance in the tank...if we can figure out what it is and fix it you'll have one less thing to worry about .

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Thanks for the help guys.

Babelfish, I don't have an alage problem (knock on wood), I was told that by adding a little of this each month, I could prevent an alage problem from happening. Do you think this was bad advice?

Also, my ammonia test was ok, but the book that came with the ph test said that if my ph is extremely high, that there may be a chance of high ammonia also, so I added that ammo-lock.

Maybe I am over doing it a little trying to get the best water quality possible. Maybe I should just add my tap water and go from there.

Thanks again for the help,
Don

Yep I think the algae chem is entirely unnecessary, but hey it's your bank account .

Never heard of high ph causing high ammonia....that just sounds well...fishy .

Maybe I should just add my tap water and go from there.

Add dechlor if you're on city water, if you're on well water there's no need for anything. In this case less is more. Just trying to alter things causes more trouble than good.

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your way overdoing it.

All you need to add is water dechloranitor (SP?) after water changes.

nitrates, nitrites and ammonia can be controlled with water changes. If pH is a big problem, try acclimating your fish to the higher pH or perhaps changing your water source to something that better fits your needs. I use bottled water that gets delivered. I tested it and fits my requirements very well. Also, I don't like the idea of adding chemicals to the tank, aside from the occasional stress coat and chlorine killer (my bottled water is chlorine free). I hear a lot of them don't really work and I don't know what it'll do to the fish.

Last edited by divertran at 28-Dec-2004 12:02

Babelfish, at higher pH's, the ammonium-ammonia equilibrium is shifted more toward ammonia, much more toxic than ammonium.

Ammonium + OH(-) <--> Ammonia + H2O

NH4(+) + OH(-) <--> NH3 + H2O

At lower pH, there is more H+, so more H+'s attach themselves to ammonia to form ammonium which is less toxic than ammonia. Our test kits only measure the total amount of ammonium and ammonia. So, the same amount of ammonia is more dangerous at a higher pH.

But, ultimately, as pointed out, the cycled tank should have none whatsoever, so this is not really a concern -- and the pH shock from fluctuating the pH is incredibly bad to the fish.

Like bignose said ammonia is more toxic at higher ph but that shouldn't be a problem in a tank beyond 1month or so old. It should be cycled but some ammonia nuetralizers will give a false reading showing there to be ammonia when there isn't. Algea killing chemicals are bad for plants and not always good for fish. Also completely unneccessary unless you have an algae problem. Even then an algae eater is a much better long term solution. A little algae is good for a tank and a sign of a well balanced tank as long as it isn't getting out of hand. I leave algae to grow on the back of my tank and some caves. It seems content to stay off the front glass that way. Most fish will adjust to any ph so don't mess with it unless you have to. My amazon fish are reproducing in my liquid rock water. Ph adjusters are unstable and fish do much better with a stable ph outside of their preferred than one that is constantly being reset to a lower value.

Don

We all have made some shockers of mistakes some will possibly never admit to any. I dont think I could count the mistakes I made over the 30 years. Some were very costly indeed.

"If in dought DONT" is an old saying, so is "He who makes no mistakes makes nothing"

You are doing the correct thing by asking here, and learning.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I agree with Keith we all have to learn and the best way is to ask and yes the other way is by learning by our mistakes and yes we all make plenty of them. So you keep asking and making those mistakes and you will soon be an expert but if in doubt do nothing (although I don't think any of us ever will be that expert) Well said Keith

Last edited by tessa38uk at 31-Dec-2004 03:02

Last edited by tessa38uk at 31-Dec-2004 03:04

http://www.greenspersonalprinting.com/

When i first started keeping fish i was so obsessed with putting chemicals and fix-alls in my water that i lost every fish i had....when i started leaving things alone, thats when my fish thrived.

I agree...When I first started, I stressed all the time...testing, worrying, wondering, adjusting. Then I stopped all that and its much more pleasurable to just keep the tank clean and enjoy the fish. No algae, no deaths, no diseases. Even after moving 3 tanks.

If it aint broke...dont try to fix it!

Remember the less chemicals the better. Algea destroyer is a no no you dont need it if you dont ahve any algea. ANd imo a little algea isnt going to hurt anything. Get a bristlenose plec if you want to keep algea away. Ph down is not hte best to use if your fish are doing fine in there ph already. Its much better to have healthy fish a little outside the normal ph then to try and shock them while getting it down. lock it just isnt clickin. This stuff really doesnt work believe me it just declorinates the water. THe best way to remove nia is by Doing regular water changes.


Fish1