Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A while back, I'd posted that one of my fish was clamping his fins. I fixed it by completely changing the water. Now, though, it's starting to happen again. That got me to go get an ammonia testing kit and these fissy pellets that are supposed to help get rid of / neutralize ammonia even in overstocked or underfiltered tanks.

Maybe I'm not reading the results quite right on the testing kit - it has a list of colors to compare the result to - but changing about half the water in the tank and adding a proportional part of a fizzy tab didn't seem to make much of a dent, if any, in the ammonia level. That was yesterday. I checked it again today, and I think it might be better - but still, the color comparison is confusing me. Is there another test kit that doesn't rely on color for the results?

For the kit I use it's clear for 0ppm of ammonia (which is ideal). There are also strips you can get that you dip in, but i think they are colour coded too.
I use "cycle" on my tanks, and put in the recommended amount every week, and have never had a problem with ammonia (my tank has quite a few fish). I used this to first cycle my tank, and it only took 24 hours or so. I also do about 10-15% water change every week. What kind of filter do you use in your tank?

All I have is an air pump/filter/whatever thing. The tank is only 6.3 liters, just under 2 gallons. I know, I know, it's 'too small' for two goldfish, but I can't afford anything bigger (yet). I try to take care of them the best I can with what I have. I change maybe 25% of the water every week, replacing it with tap water that's been treated and left out for several hours to give things time to evaporate and to get it to room temperature, same as the tank water.

I have a little five gallon tank, and was having problems with it. I got a little stingray filter that is under the surface for under $30. I also started using the cycle in it and it helped a lot.

All of the ammonia testing kits (and other testing kits as well) that I know about are all color coded. My ammonia testing kit also reads clear when your ammonia level is 0 ppm. Mine is a tetra lab or something like that... it's got all the essential tests and it was relatively cheap (about $20 for 5 tests, and multiple drops for each test).
I would also like to add that you probably shouldn't be using the fizzy things, as this will probably give you false results. Chemicals that claim they reduce ammonia only do so for a little while, and your ammonia level comes back to bad readings. Cycle on the other hand, is not a chemical; it has the bacteria your tank needs to get rid of all the ammonia naturally... like a healthy, not overstocked tank should do. Although I must add, even not overstocked tanks can run into ammonia problems if you don't keep up with the maintenance.
-----
Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Hm, Cycle is something the other person mentioned, too. I suppose I'd have to go to a pet store instead of Wal-Mart to find it. I think there's one close to my house I could check.

I believe cycle is sold at Walmart. You could check it out. It should be about $4.
-----
Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Update:
I think I didn't give the tank enough time to settle in to 'normal' mode, which takes about a month, or something like that. Shiney's doing just fine, now.

What I've noticed - and I -think- this is a good thing - is that both Shiney and Glitter are over 2 inches long. Glitter, who actually started out the smaller of the two, is bigger than Shiney now, getting close to 3 inches, I think. It's hard to measure their length while they're swimming around. Of course, this means they just might be needing a bigger tank, er... needing it more than they already need it, if they get to breeding age/size. I think that's somewhere around 3"-3.5", from what I remember reading.

YAY! I'm happy to hear everything is going well.
-----
Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Yes, it takes anything from 2 weeks to several weeks for the tank to have a large enough population of "good" bacteria, which gets rid off ammonia and nitrites.
Fizz tablets, as well as other "Ammonia removers" do not actually remove ammonia; they simply converts it to a less lethal compound: ammonium. You could accomplish the same by lowering the PH to below 7.0.
Test kits will still show the presence of ammonia, after adding the "ammonia remover", since they also detect ammonium.
So, the best thing is to let the tank cycle (generate enough bacteria.) Once the tank cycles, you don't need to keep adding chemicals, as long as you do weekly water changes and partial substract clean up. Also, the smaller the tank, the most difficult is to keep it balanced. Those need to be tested at least once a week for ammonia. Larger tanks (50 gallons), you can get away with once a month testing (more often if adding new fish, or feeding too much.)