Caper Posted May 18, 2005 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 Hi all, I am going to Halifax tomorrow morning...ah...Wednesday that is ...they have all kinds of pet stores there...I'm going to see if I can get a nitrite test kit, and a nitrate test kit. Wish I could bring some fishie home with me :lol: My ammonia is staying O and my pH between 7 & 7.2. Anything else you folks suggest I may need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted May 18, 2005 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 I don't think so. That is all I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billaney Posted May 18, 2005 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 that sounds like a good set of tests to me also , its all i test for. how far away is this place from you , i have trasported fish up to 7 hours with no problems double bagged in poly boxes and more than 3-4 days with the help of a temp tank i set up in the motel room , so i don't see why you can't get some fish if you want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 Thanks Wok & Billaney So, I'll see if I can get them. Halifax isn't far, around...5 hours give or take a bit. I'd love to be able to take fish back But maybe coming home on Sunday and the stores aren't open here on Sunday. If come back on Monday, holiday! Anyway it's off to Halifax I go...toodles...and thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Hi all! Was only able to get to 2 pet stores...darn. The first one insisted I didn't need a nitrate kit, (he had none in stock anyway!)but I got the nitrite kit. I have to admit... :oops: ...when I went to a different store the next day, I was so in awe at the fish...I forgot :oops: Finding it difficult to read the nitrite, if I hold it out a bit from the white (as opposed to holding the tube right on the white) it looks close to .3, if I hold it right on the white, a bit darker. Should the tube be held right against the white to check. Really hard to compare this one, I don't have any problems with the ammonia and pH. I've tested my ammonia, 0, pH, 7-7.2. Should the tube be held right on the white to check? What a difference in those pet stores than what I see here. All the tanks have gravel, plants, real & I think some artificial. I could have stayed there for hours just looking The second store I went to had a lot of tanks, well kept too. The only algae eaters they had in stock though were the plecos. I played completely dumb :-? , not hard to do when it comes to fish and me :lol: Anyway, told them the things I was told here...not on here...at Walmart & the pet store. AND just like you folks, they told me the opposite! How I wish we had a pet store like that here! So many fish and such variety. Anyway...if someone could help me with the testing for nitrite, I'd appreciate it. Also, I was told by the guy (who said I didn't need the nitrate) that the pH & ammonia could be fine but the nitrite could still be too high, checking with you folks on this? I was also told that if the nitrite was too high then just do a water change? I ALSO saw how big a 55 gallon tank would be....mmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 All test kits are different and all can be hard to read. Some are read from the side, some the top. Sorry but you will just have to read the instructions carefully and figure it out, make sure you are in good light, once you have done it a few times you will be able to tell the colour without even really looking at the chart. PLus you are really looking more for changes than an exact number, as your tank keeps cycling you will see the colour changing. Nitrate is a funny one really, if you have it, it means your tank has cycled (or is getting towards the end of the cycle) so it is good to know but doesn't really matter because you can tell from the fact that your nitrites have/are dropping. You can use it to judge if your changing enough water because it is the main thing that you are trying to remove when doing the water changes. But unless you have an unusual setup, i.e. very high fish load (test will tell you if your not changing enough), or maybe low fish load and lots of plants (test will tell you if you can ease back on the water changes), just doing standard regular water changes will take care of it (about 10% per week) so why worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Thanks suphew! After the guy telling me that I could have a good ammonia & pH reading but the nitrite could still be too high, and where I was having such a hard time with the coloring, I got worried. You've put my mind at ease thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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