GrahamC Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I'm very new to keeping fish. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 160L tank off TM and have been trying to get the water right. I have 3 goldfish in it, and vacuum the gravel regularly to keep the mess down. Ammonia levels according to the API test kit say i have 0.25 ppm present in my tank, 0.25 ppm nitrite and 0-5 ppm of nitrate (matching colours is tricky! ). pH is 7.8 ( could be higher but that is as high as the strip reads). But when I tested the water from the tap, it also reads 0.25 ppm of ammonia. I had been doing 20% water changes every day to get the ammonia levels down ... but it seems my water source is already high. Should I just leave it like it is and wait for it to finish cycling? The fish seem to be okay, though my Oranda has lost a few scales, and one of my comets has a red mark on it which developed when the ammonia levels were 4 ppm. I've got the tank sitting on my kitchen counter, and since I am not there everyday, I setup a web cam so I can monitor them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I assume you have a filter? The tank is still cycling. Keep up the water changes. Are all your tests the strips? These are not as accurate, nor easy to read, as liquid tests. If you tap water says 0.25 ammonia I suggest your colours, or eye sight, are off a bit and the ammonia is more likely negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I've got an Aquaclear 50 HOB filter. I don't know how efficient it is cause I can see debris floating in the water all the time. Yes, it is a drop based system - 10 drops of bottle 1, and then 10 drops of bottle 2, shake and wait 5 mins to read. I do find the colours hard to match ... but I've heard that town supplies can have ammonia in them. I know the water is not chlorinated or fluouridated; Napier water is drawn from the Heretaunga Plains artesian aquifer and is untreated. I think I'll collect some rain water next time it rains and test that ... so see what colour I get! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hi and welcome! What media do you have in your filter - if it is just the sponge and noodles this does not stop the finer particles returning to the tank, you could try something finer such as filter wool to keep the water clearer. Goldfish are rather poopy fish and produce a lot of waste, and this finer material will need constant cleaning to stop it clogging. As far as the tests go, how old is the test kit? You could try testing against some RODI water such as Pure Dew that you can buy at the Warehouse or Countdown, or distilling some water and seeing what readings you get from your test kit. Your PH sounds rather high, you can get a high range Ph kit to test this, or you can ask if one of the LFS such as Deco City Pets or AquaFever to do a test for you if you take a container of water in to them, I am not sure if they will charge you for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Thanks. I have the sponge at bottom, activated charcoal middle, and the noodles at top. I've read that the charcoal is only necessary for removing chemicals like antibiotics and that I could replace it with another sponge. Perhaps the filter wool? The kits are only a week old. When I bought the pH kit from the shop, I read the instructions which said I needed a high pH kit for goldfish, and so I took it back to the LFS. They said it would be okay and so I then opened it and used it to find it wasn't The shop didn't stock the high pH kit and they said they would talk to their rep. Perhaps I should take a water sample for them to test. I think they said they would charge me $4 per test ... and that is after spending $100 on test kits from them! Perhaps I need to remind them of this. I did read that the Napier water supply is quite hard, and I can see all the water "spots" on my shower glass so this confirms that. But I also read that the goldfish can tolerate a high pH as along as it remains stable. I live in Wgton so will take some tap water back to the apartment to test tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I've got my IP camera running now ... http://118.90.101.50 The apartment blinds are all drawn to keep the heat down ... the water temperature was going up to 25C with the mid day sun entering. I don't have air con either so may be forced to move the tank if I can't keep the heat down when summer arrives. The tank looks rather empty ... I am hoping to add more fish once the tank has cycled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Clicking on that link needs authorisation, which I don't have. pH is not a problem as goldfish don't really care and will adapt to anything. My pond was over 8.0 (don't know what it is now as I never test it) with the fish happily living and breeding in it. I would add one more fish at the most. I know it looks empty but those fish are going to grow a lot bigger! Personally, I think comets ought to be in ponds only so look at the shorter bodied, longer finned varieties that can't swim very well. Goldfish can cope with a certain amount of heat (and 25C is not a problem) but not in a shut up apartment over summer in Napier with no aircon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 I think I solved it now. I got some water from the air hostess flying back this afternoon. In the sunlight the colour in the test tube for the Air NZ water (takaka aquifer) looks green, and the same colour as my tank. I then checked my tap water and again it's the same colour. But when I view it under the blue aquarium light, the tank test tube remains green, but the other two are now gold, which is 0 ppm. So, perhaps I have some slight green blindness ... I should ask one of female neighbours to check the colours for me. I've got a few weeks yet to solve the heat problem ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 I think I solved it now. I got some water from the air hostess flying back this afternoon. In the sunlight the colour in the test tube for the Air NZ water (takaka aquifer) looks green, and the same colour as my tank. I then checked my tap water and again it's the same colour. But when I view it under the blue aquarium light, the tank test tube remains green, but the other two are now gold, which is 0 ppm. So, perhaps I have some slight green blindness ... I should ask one of female neighbours to check the colours for me. You should always compare color charts in natural sunlight. The color spectrums of most fish tank lights are WAY off natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 So it's odd that I can see the colours correctly under the aquarium lights and not sunlight :slfg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 It is a combination of being a blokey thing (colour blindness is far more common in men) and the distortion by your fish tank lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 It also explains why men can't find the socks when they are right in front of them in the sock drawer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Men are far too busy being head over heals with their partners to think of mundane things like socks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 and toeing the line? How is the water now Graham? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 nitrite levels jumped to 1 ppm a couple of days ago. I had the original smaller ( 50L ) starter tank from a few weeks before I had to move to the current tank and that had 0 ppm. So, I was thinking that that tank had cycled since its ammonia was 0 and so i could move my fish into that tank. But because it is small instead I took the filter out of that tank and added it to my 160L one, and nitrite levels have dropped back to 0.25 ppm. I continue to do 20% water changes daily. Ammonia remains at 0.25 ppm, and nitrate at 0 ppm. But there's algae now on the glass .. so shouldn't this mean that there must be some nitrate around to support the algal growth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I'm spending a few days away from the apartment every week, and although I can see them swimming on the camera, I have no idea on what's happening with the water. I'd like to setup at least some minimalist automatic water change system. Hopefully my tank will soon finish cycling, but I gather you should still do frequent water changes to remove the growth inhibiting hormones they release ( unless the charcoal does that? ). I've thought about this for a few days, and watched some videos on some very complicated AWC systems, and want something bullet proof, and preferably does not rely on too much electronics. In my thought experiment I purchase one of those 50L water tanks they use for brewing beer, or for earthquake preparedness. I put a tap in it ( at the bottom ), invert the tap so that it points up, and then position it so that the tap level is the same as the maximum level of my aquarium. I then fill it up and turn on the tap. Hopefully the vacuum inside will prevent any water coming out of the tap. I then connect an airstone to some air tube, fill it with water, and then place the airstone in the mouth of the inverted tap. I then drop the other end into my aquarium. The siphon should start, and not stop until the two ends are at equal height. The airstone prevents air entering the source of the siphon I think due to capillary action. I then create another siphon where I put the airstone into the aquarium positioned so that lowest part of the airstone is at the lowest part of the level I want the water to go ( can't go below the height of the water in the HOB filter as otherwise in a power failure the HOB filter will fail to restart ). One issue is that if the flow is slow, then the water might degas and create an air bubble at the highest point in the air hose breaking the siphon, but that would just mean the water change stops. I can't flood anything. If the water container develops an air leak, and water starts to rush out of the tap, then I just need a way to redirect the water into the sink .... I guess the questions are, are there any flaws with this? Is the water change significant enough to bother with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Water is no nil for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates A quick experiment ... an air hose with an air stone can pull 1L in 30 mins so more than I wanted. Guess I need to put a clamp on it to reduce the rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 The safest,idiot proof way for automatic water changes is to build an overfow weir and then all you have to do is adjust the rate that the water flows in. Siphons can be dodgy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted November 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Presumably for an existing aquarium, you have to drill a hole into the glass ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.