Need help with API test charts please

[Desdemona]

Hi,

This is sorta a long post and I hate to do this because I've never posted here before - but I thought this would be the place to go. I have some questions with a little history. I have a 34.5 gallon tank that I "thought" I cycled with 3% pure ammonia over a months time. I had no way of getting my figure 8 puffers here in Reno NV because we have no more LFS here as they all went out of business due to the economy. So I went a month with supplementing my tank with ammonia until I could drive to Lake Tahoe and Truckee for my figure 8 puffers.

Two weeks ago I bought three figure 8's to put in my 34.5 gallon with a fluval 305 and one big HOB Filter with Bio wheel from marineland to filter this sucker. I did a drip acclimation method for 4 hours once they came home. Once I put them in my tank one died two days later, no idea not sure if it was my mistake or just a sick/stressed puffer from being dumped in the fish store with a GSP who was fin nipping and harassing the heck out of them. I went to lake Tahoe to replace him and the new figure 8 is doing fine. After the first one died I decided to test the water and to my surprise the ammonia was different then what I expected. it was kinda green on the chart showing ammonia if your looking and the freshwater card and a off color from the saltwater card. So for the past 2 weeks I've been doing non stop water changes once, maybe twice a day depending on what the chart looks like. The puffers look fine, not showing signs of stress and are eating all their food. I thought "maybe" it's a mini cycle, or it's the API charts and I don't know how to average them out since it's brackish water. My question is should I be looking at the saltwater or freshwater cards ? Do I have ammonia in my tank or am I cycling again? What should I do? So confused.....

Here's some water parameters:

SG: 1.008
Temp: 79 Degree's, 78 most of the time
Tank Gallons: 34.5

Pics of API test kit done an hour from my post:

Freshwater Card:
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Saltwater Card:
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Nitrites ( Saltwater and Fresh ) Card:
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Freshwater Nitrates ( all I had ):
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My Nitrates were around 5 pmm before I started doing water changes on a daily basis.

[mrgreen]

So you've had them a couple weeks. I have a 30 with one F8 and a dragon goby, but I had two F8s for 3 weeks. I cycled with some questionable TetraSafestart- was old/frozen/open. When my filter turned off for 24 hours a week ago, one of my F8s died. I got some used filter media from the lfs and its fine now.

I also use the API kits, though my SG: is only at 1.000-1.002 at the moment. I use the freshwater chart for mine. If you're only at 1.008, I'd say use the fresh. Any ammonia or nitrites at all means you need to do at least a 50% water change. Nitrates 20 and under just mean you're probably going through a cycle. Let me look at your pix... If you're worried about it being cycled, you can always get some used filter media if you trust your lfs, or buy Tetra Safestart or DrTim's cycling bacteria. No other products work for freshwater tanks. Period.

[Pufferpunk]

Never acclimate a fish more than 1/2 hour. Did you add the water from where they were acclimating into the tank?

[mrgreen]

Ok. I looked. You definitely have ammonia- looks like 0.50. Nitrites are 0 and nitrates are less than 20 so you're good there. Keep doing water changes of at least 50% and get some used filter media if you trust your local fish store- though I guess its kinda far away now. You can order Tetra Safestart online. Not every store carries it, but it works well. Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria also works.

[Desdemona]

Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria also works

I bought this online, waiting for it to arrive. I also have a established 8 gallon tank I can put some filter squeezings in there but I'm not going to petco or petsmart for any used filter media since we have no LFS

Never acclimate a fish more than 1/2 hour. Did you add the water from where they were acclimating into the tank?

I got a lot of mixed messages from people online on how long to acclimate fish for. No, I didn't put any of the water from their bag into my fish tank, I didn't want any diseases that the FS might of had. Was this a bad idea?

[mrgreen]

I wouldn't go to Petco or Petsmart for filter media either! I've been to Petco once when they were going along taking out dead fish- there must've been 10 and they weren't done yet. Some fish loss is obviously part of the package, but this seemed excessive when every time you go there there are multiple tanks with dead fish.

I know you were asking PufferPunk, but I never add the fish store water to my tanks.

[Desdemona]

Thank you both for your super quick responses!

Now I know to use the FW kit instead of salt. I cut off some filter media from my other tank in hoping that it will help some. Only thing I can do now is water changes even though I tried my best to avoid a fish cycle

sigh

[mrgreen]

Just keep it up. I had mini cycles when I first set up my tank, too, because of the lack of good cycling bacteria. Adding the filter media from a cycled tank sent my ammonia to zero basically immediately, after my filter was off for 24 hours and all the good bacteria died.

Keep me updated.

[LilGreenPuffer]

You probably didn't use enough ammonia when you cycled. Water changes, water changes, water changes! Good luck!

[Pufferpunk]

I got a lot of mixed messages from people online on how long to acclimate fish for. No, I didn't put any of the water from their bag into my fish tank, I didn't want any diseases that the FS might of had. Was this a bad idea?

Just stick with what you read here. There are a lot of long-time fishkeepers here. I've been keeping them probably longer than you have been alive...
I repeat--never acclimate anything more than 1/2 hour.

[Desdemona]

You probably didn't use enough ammonia when you cycled. Water changes, water changes, water changes! Good luck!

For a month during the cycle I put in 2-3 ml of ammonia at one point then 10-11 drops. For maintenance I used 10 drops. Maybe I didn't use enough for maintenance or I put to much in first the first place? I didn't have an issue with the other tank that I was cycling with during the same time.

I repeat--never acclimate anything more than 1/2 hour.

Gotcha!

[Pufferpunk]

To help you unserstand the science of fishless cycling, try the article in our Library on that subject.

[Desdemona]

Update: I cut off filter media from my other freshwater tank, hasn't seemed to do anything. I've already done my two water changes for the day keeping the ammonia down. I can't take all the ammonia out for some reason, even with 90 % water changes. Fish seem okay they're still eating- haven't noticed any sign of illness yet ( and I'm watching them like a freaking hawk! )

The Cycle article states pretty much the same thing I did - except I take one thing back, I started off with 8 drops then gradually increased to 2 - 3 ml raising it to 4 ppm. the end result of the cycle was Nitrate: 100 + ppm. I have a feeling something went wrong during the "maintenance" period of keeping the tank cycled.

[Pufferpunk]

Could very well be... Have you read the emergency cycling article? That's what you need now.

[Lil' Swimz$]

PP, why can't you acclimate a fish for longer than 1/2 an hour?