# Fatal readings - reliable test?



## jeffnc (Oct 30, 2010)

I have a new aquarium that holds 15 gallons that we inherited. We put 4 little goldfish in there 1 week ago (conditioned water). Water looks good, fish look great - very active, alert and hungry. Filter (Eclipse with bio wheel and carbon) appears to be working fine and has a new filter in it.

Part of the equipment we inherited was water test chemicals. I gave it a try, and the pH is in the 8.5 - 9.0 range and the ammonia concentration reads as 5.0 on the TetraTest chart (poisoning with deadly effect - nitrification system completely out of function).

I find this all kind of hard to believe since the fish look so healthy. I see little bits of poop occasionally but then it goes away - apparently filtered. Needless to say after 1 week there isn't any sludge or dead fish laying on the bottom. I see no extra food laying around - I feed them once a day - maybe 12-15 sinking granules for the 4 of them to fight over. 

Is it my test chemicals that are "completely out of function"?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Well honestly,it depends on several things.First,check the date of the chemicals.I was told that it expires and gives readings off a little.(I dont use a test kit,just a PH test)Also though,it could be true.How often are you changing the water?Goldfish are messy and honestly,your tanks will not last for them too long.Soon you will need much bigger space for them.Do you see any clamped or lowered fins?Redening and swelling around the gills?And how big exactly are the fish?From nose to tail base?


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## jeffnc (Oct 30, 2010)

Well I'm not "changing" the water, because I only plan on doing that once a week, and this is the end of the first week. As I said, there are no signs at all of any problem with the fish. The fish are about 2 inches. I've read things like 20 gallons per fish but that ain't gonna happen. If 100 fish live in a 30 gallon tank at the pet store, how bad can 4 be in 15 gallons?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Honestly it can be fatal like that Goldfish defacate a TON.On one two inch goldfish the MINIMUM should be a twenty gallon,just for growing room.With four you will need to do alot of maintenance,or rethink your fish options.If you want a school of fish,sell the goldies,and go for small tetras such as glolights and neons,or platies,guppies or other smaller fish.You could easily add a nice school of tetras to a fifteen,and even overstock a little,if you keep up the waterchanges or add live plants.

Oh and on the fish at petstores,they are on a central filtration system,which helps a little.Plus they move so many fish in and out on a daily basis.


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## jeffnc (Oct 30, 2010)

OK back to the original question please...


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## jeffnc (Oct 30, 2010)

I tested it on plain tap water that I had conditioned waiting to exchange some tank water, and it came out as 1.5 on the Tetra scale, "Dangerous to fish: potentially deadly. Major disturbance of nitrification."

So I'm going to assume the Tetra test is crap, or it's too out of date to work.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

The test set could be old, but the results sound like what I would expect at this stage on your tank. The fish eat, which produces ammonia. After a tank has had something kin it producing ammonia long enough it will grow a batch of bacteria that converts ammonia into nitrates. These are also deadly to fish. After even more time another camp of bacteria stats growing that converts nitrates to nitrites which are not as toxic to fish. That's normally takes at least a month and is often the first thing a new aquarium owner learns about the hard way (i.e. Fish mysteriously die).

I don't own goldfish..so I can't say a lot about them with authority but they are notoriously messy, and the rule I have read is 20 gallons for the first goldfish and 10g for each extra. Regarding most other fish the rule of thumb is 1g per inch of fish. You might be okay with 1 goldfish and nothing else (they do get pretty big), or you may want to consider other types that you can put more fish in with like neons. Pick a god hardy fish for the first month though..that's why the gf are doing well so far. They're pretty tough.

Good luck!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Definitely go get another master test kit. Get the API kit.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

jeffnc said:


> If 100 fish live in a 30 gallon tank at the pet store, how bad can 4 be in 15 gallons?


Pretty bad. What is the turnover of your filter and what kind of goldfish are they? A common goldfish can easily get over 10 inches and live 15 years (the maximum numbers would be much higher).

There are several factors that makes a difference to fish in the pet shop including certralised filtering, large water changes and a quick turn over but often the truth is that the fish are just not expensive enough to care that much about. There is a good chance that many of those fish will die in the shop.

Very short term your tank might be okay but for your fish to stay healthy you are going to have to get a bigger tank or find a new home for at least 3 of your fish. If the tank is not cycled the situation is worse. You probably need to do 50% water changes every day or two for the next weeks. Never change all the water at once in your tank. Normaly 20% a week is enough but more water changes are needed in a new or overstocked tank.


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## jeffnc (Oct 30, 2010)

Yeah, I realize growth will be problem. Obviously, we cannot have 4 6 inch fish in there. If they grow, they'll have to to someone's outdoor pond. My son snookered me into this at the fair, so we do the best we can with what we got.

I didn't really consider more water changes, but I'll try that while this gets established.

I tried a new kit and the ammonia is at .04, and the pH for some reason really is at 8.0+. I got some sulfuric acid solution that I'm adding little by little to neutralize that. I assume it's coming from our tap that way, which sounds a little weird.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Better off leaving the ph alone. Your fish will adjust to it and more than likely whatever you do it will be right back where it was a couple of hours later.


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## jeffnc (Oct 30, 2010)

Really? OK, I guess I'll try that 

The funny thing about this hobby seems to be that 10 different sources will give you 10 different answers, all sounding fairly authoritative


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

LOL, I hear ya. The best thing to do is disregard your local fish store. I have only found one or two that actually know what they are talking about. They just want to sell you their products. Better off looking to the interent on sites like this. But, answers will vary regardless.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Lol I remember winning a goldfish at the fair when I was little and then I ended up adopting several that other kids had won and didn't want. I think most of them did actually live but it was a small miracle because I didn't understand how to look after them. My dad ended up making me a pond in the garden out of a bath tub!


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