June 12, 200521 yr comment_52823 I have just tested my tank water to find that ammonia is back up to 2.4, nitrite is 0.1 and nitrate is 5. These are all Hagen test kits. Did my weekly 25% water change on friday, new plants are growing well and filter running fine. I found a dead fish at the back of the tank, could this be a possible reason? Report
June 12, 200521 yr comment_52825 i have never check ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in any of my tanks and its never bothered me Report
June 12, 200521 yr comment_52830 I don't actually check mine either but if you are having problems with your tank, these tests will help work out the cause. Report
June 12, 200521 yr comment_52831 Doesn't mean it's good advice Maxy: dead fish would almost def be the cause of the spike, poss do a 10% water only change, just to dilute the ammonia some if the fish look uncomfortable, otherwise just keep a close eye on the readings and be ready to waterchange more often if needed as things balance back out again. Report
June 12, 200521 yr Author comment_52834 I was doing 10% daily for about two weeks then did a tank overhaul and things improved vastly, hence my frustration tonight. Ammonia hasnt been zero yet, but sat just above 0.6 after the overhaul. The plants are quite thick at the back and perfect for hiding a dead fish. Everyone seems happy enough, maybe he wasnt a very popular fish and they plotted against him?! Anyway will test again tomorrow and let you all know. Report
June 21, 200521 yr comment_53764 Hi there, yes ignorance is bliss alright, I too don't have an ammonia test kit and all my fish are doing fine too. I use stress coat to get chlorine etc and heavy metals from the tap water and hasn't been a problem. Lots of plants good filtration and lots of air into the water seems to have helped for me. Some fish are just weaker than others and tend to kark it easier. Survival of the fittest. Report
June 22, 200521 yr comment_53948 Ammonia gets more toxic at higher ph levels, I find the most important thing to check is ph. I test my tanks when there is a problem but always advise begginers to be alot more thorough in doing their tests as they don't yet know tell tale signs of somthing about to go wrong. Plus just because fish arn't dying doesn't mean they are living comfortably in the conditions they would in the wild. The biggest cause of disease in fish is stress and in my experience the most common cause of stress is the wrong ph Good luck Daniel Report
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