uh oh

[frankenfish]

my mollies seem to be not doing so well. the little one is swimming kind of sideways and the big one is just really slow. doesnt have his fin up like he used to. the only thing i'v been doing differently is bigger water changes every week. i'm gonna do a water test in a minute just wanted to get this thread up as soon as possible

 

[Newman]

right, give us your readings to help narrow down the problem..

 

[frankenfish]

readings:
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 0
hardness: in between 75 and 150
chlorine: maybe a little high. its a little above 0
alkalinity: 120
Ph: between 7.2 and 7.8

 

[Newman]

add some tap water conditioner ASAP! chlorine will kill fish.
and you need to get an ammonia test as well. you might be dechlorinating your tap water and adding ammonia to the tank as a result unless your brand of dechlorinator detoxifies ammonia. you will never know this until you get an ammonia kit and measure.

 

[frankenfish]

i just add the stuff right into the tank?

hopefully thats wat u meant cause thats wat i did. lol. wen i go get more water conditioner should i make sure i get stuff that gets rid of amonia also?

 

[OrangeCones]

Yes. Get one that says: removes chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals, and detoxifies (or binds) ammonia.

 

[achase]

unless your brand of dechlorinator detoxifies ammonia

So one should have a dechlorinator that combats ammonia when you tank is established?
Could you recommend a brand?

 

[littletankbigworld]

You don't absolutely need a water conditioner that combats ammonia, but it is good to have. Prime is a great brand.
Frakenfish, you should add water dechlorinator every time you add new water to the tank.

 

[frankenfish]

Frakenfish, you should add water dechlorinator every time you add new water to the tank.

i do. but since my chlorine was a lil high i was just wondering if it was ok to add the stuff directly into the tank where as wen i do water changes i first put it in a bucket to measure, and then pour the conditioned water into the tank

 

[Doomhed]

i do. but since my chlorine was a lil high i was just wondering if it was ok to add the stuff directly into the tank where as wen i do water changes i first put it in a bucket to measure, and then pour the conditioned water into the tank

yes, now never again add untreated water to your tank.

::hits frankenfish with a rolled up newspaper::

BAD frankenfish! BAD!

 

[littletankbigworld]

Do you add the dechlorinator and then immediately add new water? I was always told to wait an hour to let the dechlorinator diffuse through the water. I don't know if this is totally necessary. With prime, you can add it directly to the tank.

 

[ValRasbora]

yeah, make sure you add water conditioner next time *before* doing a water change. I've seen people who, when doing water changes, just pour a bunch of UN-treated water into their tank, then go looking for their water conditioner (wherever it is).

and about letting the conditioner diffuse throughout the water- sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't. I just shake up the water ususally then add it to the tank. Most often it says "instantly conditions water!", and instant dosen't mean you wait

 

[frankenfishlover]

I am sure you will get this thread up quick. I liked the name frankenfish since I am a big fan of frankenfish.

my mollies seem to be not doing so well. the little one is swimming kind of sideways and the big one is just really slow. doesnt have his fin up like he used to. the only thing i'v been doing differently is bigger water changes every week. i'm gonna do a water test in a minute just wanted to get this thread up as soon as possible