My water is all messed up.

[Persistency]

I have had fish tanks for at least 8 years, but I never thought of testing my water until recently. I was sick of fish dying randomly, so I decided to buy some test strips, since healthy water is the first step to a healthy tank. I found that my hardness, alkalinity, and pH are as high as my test strips go. Also, one of my nitrates was a little higher than it should have been when I tested the tank again.

I've been looking at different additives, but I don't want to spend money on things if they aren't going to work. What should I do?

 

[KcMopar]

You do not need to spend any money at ALL!!!!! You just need to do about 10-30% water changes a week!!!!!! For the most part when your water gets to 20-40 PPM of nitrate it needs enough water change to bring is down to under 5PPM nitrate. You may also need some water conditioner if you have city water to remove the chloramine and or chlorine from the tap water. Do not get sucked into the water additive gimmicks. Water changes and water testing are your best choices to insure healthy fish.

 

[Persistency]

I tested the water after I did a water change, which is when I got all of these crazy numbers. I've been putting conditioners in my water all along, too. I don't understand why it's so unhealthy.

 

[KcMopar]

If its bad just keep doing about 10% or so a day until the numbers come to safe parameters.

 

[Persistency]

Should I be adding more conditioner than the bottle says if my hardness is as bad as it is?

 

[KcMopar]

Harness is of no concern if its always from the same source and at least a day apart from water changes.

 

[KcMopar]

hardness actually makes the tank more stable unless you have a fish that will be harmed by hardness.

 

[Persistency]

Thank you very much for your help.

I have another question, and since I just made this thread, I may as well post it here.
I bought three guppies, and while I was away, one of them apparently started hanging at the top all of the time. It couldn't stay down at all unless it was under something. That fish then died before I returned home (this was within about a week.) Now another of my guppies seems to be having the same problem, only that today it has started being able to swim down a little. What on earth happened to them, and what can I do to aid this poor fish/prevent it from happening again?

 

[KcMopar]

Have you tested your water? What are the parameters?

 

[Persistency]

Um.. Still the same as they were the last time I posted? lol.

 

[OrangeCones]

Also, one of my nitrates was a little higher than it should have been when I tested the tank again.

Um.. Still the same as they were the last time I posted? lol.

You said that one of your nitrates was a little higher than it should be. There is only one nitrate, so I'm not sure what you are meaning.

The parameters to monitor are ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Can you post those values?

 

[Persistency]

The test strips that I bought have 5 different panels. I just tested my water this morning before I started treating my tank for parasites.

Nitrate: 40 PPM
Nitrate: 0 PPM
Hardness: 300 PPM
Total Alkalinity: 300 PPM
pH: 8.4

 

[Thyra]

Where's the ammonia??

 

[OrangeCones]

Nitrate: 40 PPM
Nitrate: 0 PPM
Hardness: 300 PPM
Total Alkalinity: 300 PPM
pH: 8.4

Perhaps the '2nd' Nitrate is NitrIte? 0 would be a good reading for Nitrite.

Nitrate at 40ppm means you are overdue for a water change. The water should be changed to keep it under 20ppm.

But without an ammonia reading, its not a complete picture.

 

[Persistency]

I've obviously been reading that wrong this whole time. The NitrITE is at 0.

 

[Persistency]

Nitrate: 40 PPM
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Hardness: 300 PPM
Total Alkalinity: 300 PPM
pH: 8.4

I did a 50% water change after the first test because I'm getting ready to medicate my tank, and none of the numbers changed. Is this normal? What do I do to get my parameters back where they should be?

 

[Thyra]

Why would you be medicating your tank. You haven't described anything that normal regular changing of water won't rectify. Medication is used as a last resort once you have identified a disease that can't be cured any other way. We are still curious about your ammonia reading.

 

[Persistency]

My fish are showing signs of internal parasites. Several of them are pooping long strings of white stuff, so I've medicated them with PraziPro.

The only time ammonia is mentioned on my test strips is along with the Nitrate and Nitrite. The bottle states: "Nitrite is a waste product produced by bacteria in the biological filter as it breaks down ammonia." "Nitrate is the byproduct of nitrifying bacteria in the biological filter breaking down ammonia and Nitrite."
I assure you that I'm not withholding anything from you, but perhaps the strips that I purchased don't test for ammonia specifically. I am also unable to go out and buy different ones at this moment, because I live in a very rural area, and I'm not driving 60+ miles for new strips.

 

[KcMopar]

Those strips are hard to read so its no abnormal to what you describe. The liquid test tube results are much easier to compare color to then the strips and, they are much cheaper in the long run when you look at the number of tests each do.

 

[Thyra]

I am neither familiar with the test strips you are using or the signs & symptoms of parasites in fish, but having grown up in northern Wisconsin, I do know about rural. You might get on line and check out Petco or any of the Pet supply places for anything you might need. The shipping costs would beat the cost of gas. Someone posted this site which has the cheapest price for the test kit many of us use.
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit Aquarium Freshwater Test Kits
(I paid about $30 when I bought mine locally) It might seem like a lot, but it is much cheaper in the long run.