How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

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for How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

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bob hill - 7 years ago

iv got a nitrate issue , my tap water is above 20ppm of nitrate could I use amquel to neutralize it when I do water changes to avoid raising my tank water ? I keep shrimps wasn't sure if it's shrimp friendly

WoLfGlam - 7 years ago

Does the amquel + work for salt water tank

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

like others have said you need to cycle your tank. Using the vast array of chemicals to detoxify ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, will help temporarily but screws up the biological prosses. Regular water changes and a cycled tank is all you should need. Now as far as removing chlorine and chlorimines Stress Coat is a good one. Stress Coat does contain aloe that helps destress the fish and protects their skin and scales. If you have high ammonia after doing a water change your tank is not cycled, I would add bio-media to your filter if you don't have some alteady, and I would add benificial bacteria to the tank. Stress Zyme, Cycle, Biostart, Bio Boost, and Redistart all contain benificial bacteria and are available at you local fish and pet store. I would also recommend adding an air stone to the tank to help dissipate the ammonia. If after one week from adding the benificial bacteria the ammonia is still high do a 10-20% water change and add more beneficial bacteria. Do this once a week for a month and your tank should be cycled. Also during this period feed your fish very sparingly as to not add to much more ammonia to the tank. If after a month the ammonia is still high you may have too many fish in the tank, or the fish just might be too big for the tank, or your filter may not be big enough, or it could be a combination of those things.

Steve Moore - 7 years ago

Information thread - use of aquarium salt (sodium chloride)

Freshwater fish, have not evolved to breathe salt. Fish use a biological process by the name of "osmosis" to regulate their internal water and mineral balance. Adding salt causes the fish to dehydrate, as osmosis tries to clear the body of salt. Salt is a freshwater toxin and its use in the freshwater aquarium is scientifically out dated. For anyone who wishes to use salt, please read this list of complications.

Salt takes up molecular space in the aquarium, leaving less room for free oxygen

Salt is a toxic chemical and an irritant, it causes fish to produce extra slime, which can also inhibit breathing

Salt will alter electrolyte balance and homeostasis. Homeostasis is the bodily base line all living things need to remain healthy (think of it as factory settings)

Salt deposits in the organs of fish, unable to excrete the toxin, and poisons the organs even up to two years after salt use

Ich parasite is no longer salt responsive. To osmotically kill the parasite (what adding salt technically does) you will likely kill your fish first)

Bacteria are saline sensitive, but not all. So unless you have a microscope to identify said bacteria - do not attempt to treat with salt

Salt is not a chemical free treatment, salt is an alien chemical irritant and is much more toxic to freshwater fish than any over the counter medication ever could be.

Freshwater fish dehydrate, suffocate and drown in slime at the addition of salt
It does not improve osmosis or relieve stress. It causes stress and strains osmosis

Salt will not cure ich, anyone who has claimed it, the heat treatment has killed the parasite, not the salt. However ich is becoming heat resistant and using heat, you could potentially wipe your tank of fish, depending on sheer luck

Fish have evolved for millions of years to carry out osmosis perfectly, they do not in the last fifty, suddenly need salt to do it.

Google can only give opinion, anecdotes and myths unless you look at the scientific literature available. To do that you need to know what to look for, where, and understand the technical wording. Everything else is just someone's opinion

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Steve Moore I am glad to see that someone has actually done research not just take what is said on so many aquarist videos for granted. I have learned what you said is true several years ago. Even before I knew these findings adding salt to a fresh water tank always struck me as stupid. The fish come from salt free water, so why add salt? And you are correct all the salt does is stress out the fish on many levals. I wish they stopped selling Aquarium Salt and recommending it.

magzire - 7 years ago

can you use 100% sea salt?

magzire - 7 years ago

Well i use it to dip them in a small bath for 1 minute, seems to work. They don't flash after i soak them.

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

magzire unless you have brackish water fish sea salt will kill all your fish in minutes. I don't recommend Aquarium Salt either. Freshwater fish come from freshwater. Why would you want to change the parameters of the water with salt. Fresh water fish will not like it and it actually causes all kinds of problems in the freshwater fish.

George Calderon - 7 years ago

great video does it really works for the nitrates ,cuz is is always better to ready rather than sorry❓

George Calderon - 7 years ago

bmw328igrly
thanks

bmw328igrly - 7 years ago

George Calderon honestly the best thing is to do regular water changes but if you need to lower the nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia quickly, I recommend the AmQuel

jia Li - 7 years ago

The best way to remove high nitrite and nitrate in the water is partial water change (about 30%) over 3 days to gradually bring down the levels to avoid nitrate shock. During that time, look for reasons why there is so much Ammonia (not a cycled tank) Nitrite (due to rotting food or dead fish somewhere), Nitrate (stale old water or too many fish load) and remove the cause. Just pouring expensive chemicals into the water does not correct the underlying problem and can create more fish loss due to sudden fluctuations in water chemical parameters (eg, nitrate shock). Adding plants in the aquarium can help since plants utilizes nitrate and nitrite as a source of food. Also, if you do have plants, don't use salt since salt kills plants. With certain chemicals, combining it with salt can actually be dangerous especially to certain fish that are sensitive such as catfish and smaller fish like tetras.

Kaynhine Dieogee - 7 years ago

I bought a beta fish. and it died. so I ended up buying a 5 gallon tank. put a heater. and filter. and bubbles in it. and I got 3 little 19 cent gold fish. comets. and they were fine. I got two big bottles called AquaSafe which dechlorinates, conditions, and protects. and another bottle called easyBalance, which regulates pH and Alkalinity. and adds other stuff, and reduces phosphates. it made my tank slightly yellow green when I added it. but oh well. but... this is about 5 days later and my fish died....all 3. I really don't understand what I did wrong. the only thing I give them is fish food. but I only do what it says to do. 3 times a day. only a pinch. they never really eat all of it though

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Kaynhine Dieogee Goldfish should be kept in large tanks. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia. Not only from there waste but they also secrete it through their skin. If the water turns slightly yellow it is due to high ammonia. The other problem is you added a a heater. Goldfish are cold water fish they can take water as low as 55 degrees Fahrenheit and will not tolerate water above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. One Goldfish in a 5 gallon tank can be done if you change 10% of the water every other day and change the filter cartridges every 2 weeks. This said the Goldfish will outgrow the tank and need at least a 40 gallon. The common Comment Goldfish can get 14+ inches long.

Ali K - 8 years ago

You shouldn't be needing all these chemicals and having all these problems if your biological filter is established. Patience is key to having a successful aquarium!

bmw328igrly - 7 years ago

Ali K You are right. Once the tank is established, there shouldnt be a need for chemicals.

10. comment for How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

JetRoar Videos - 8 years ago

fucking petco band me from shopping for any aquarium supplies just because I had high amonia in 1 of 4 of my fish tanks.

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Mike l API aquarium products are good. I am sorry your fish died switching to it. You need to stick with what you have been using. If you originally were using API you would have no problem. I use API products in my tank and the fish have been doing great for many years. What you experienced was a shock to the tank. The tank and the fish were used to the product you were using and switching to a different one can shock and change some of the parameters in the tank. each brand of solutions even though they give the same results work a little different from one another so switching changed something in the tank that shocked the fish and unfortunately killed it.

MAC'sGAMING - 7 years ago

they think that its good that they do that,because now no one will go there to buy pet supplies

Spaide man - 7 years ago

API solution sux, i changed my antichlorine to API and my 1 year old fish die within 2 weeks. Later found out from aquarium shop that USA solution is not suitable for our local water X(. not suitable and yet they sell it locally. !@#$%^

JetRoar Videos - 7 years ago

+TheOpelkoenjas live feeders for my freshwater moray eel and needle nose gar

TheOpelkoenjas - 7 years ago

Question: why do you even shop at Petco, knowing they have zero knowledge on how to properly keep fish? LOL

Wario - 7 years ago

JetRoar Videos damn bro

thetwinkleturnip - 8 years ago

It is likely that if you find yourself needing aquarium salt frequently (and it solves these issues) the problem is likely insufficient carbonate. Using coral sand, limewater (use caution, watch your pH, KH), limey rock (prob not limestone directly) or shells may help if your species requires "hard water" and a higher pH tolerance.

The theory here is that the salt is replacing carbonate. I do not know if it's an adequate replacement or not. Unlike salt, carbonate will help plants and will buffer the water to prevent pH variation.

Some parasites won't thrive in salty conditions, but this is sort of a different issue.

Drchiem - 8 years ago

Hi
Do you know the different between Aquarium salt vs Epsom salt? When my flowerhorn get sick then one of the fish guys at the Hobby fish place told me to separate the sick fish to different tank and use the Epsom salt therapy for my fish which is one teaspoon for every 10gals. Are they the same or different and should I use it regularly to make my fish healthy. Thank you....

Saturnz Barz - 8 years ago

If you have any Corydoras in your tank DO NOT PUT SALT IN THE WATER. It is incredibly unhealthy for them as they are a fish with no scales.

Funny Fish - 7 years ago

Jeff Frank oh okay I didn't know that thanks for correcting me

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Funny Fish Yes it is salt. It is not sea salt nor is it table salt but it is a salt. put some on your tongue and you will taste it is salty.

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Saturnz Barz this is true about Aquarium Salt. I just don't recommend it at all unless it is to help treat parasites and bacterial infections. Aquarium Salt causes the fish to produce more slime coat than they normally would. The reason it causes them to produce more slime is the Aquarium Salt is a skin irritant to them, and the irritant plus having to produce more slime is stressful on the fish.

Funny Fish - 7 years ago

some fag idk it's not salt it just called that

Chris - 8 years ago

just cycle your tank and occasionally change the water. just don't overfeed or overstock there should not be any issues ever

bmw328igrly - 7 years ago

Chris I agree! Thank you for mentioning that

michal sawicki - 8 years ago

Hi I have ammonia in my tank. 10 gal 2 gold fish
I do 50% water change every 2 days for a week now. I do not see any difference. I clean the gravel with the vacuum. How long should do that to see a difference ? What should I do? Thanks

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

michal sawicki I know my reply is late but... What I would to is only a 10% water change every other day. I would use a filter regulated for a 40 gallon tank with lots of bio-media in it as well as carbon and filter floss. The carbon I would change every other week and I would change the floss weekly. In all actuality a 10 gallon tank is to small for Goldfish. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia in their waste and also secrete it through their skin. 2 Goldfish under 6 inches should be in a 40 or larger gallon tank.

Chicago Blackhawk Fan19 - 8 years ago

Very helpful thank you

bmw328igrly - 7 years ago

Chicago Blackhawk Fan19 Thanks! I'm glad you found this video to be helpful!

dennis frankland - 8 years ago

Hi, just watched your video, I'm having problems with ammonia so just bought aquelplus, I've never used it before so hope it works, and more importantly I hope it does not harm my expensive cichlids. I normally add bio starter, aquarium salt and stress coat to the water. My filter has been running for 6 weeks now so it should be cycled so don't know why the ammonia is going up and down. Two weeks ago the ammonia reading was 1.5. I did 40 percent water change every two days for 10 days, then ammonia reading was 0.25. A week later is has gone up again to 2.0. This is not good at all. I think I might have two dead fish in bottom of tank as they have gone missing, so maybe that is the cause of the ammonia spike, any help and advice would be welcome.

dennis frankland - 8 years ago

Hi just watched you podcast. Very interesting. I am having trouble in my aquarium. I had very high ammonia reading 5 days ago, I did a 40 percent water change and added stress coat, bio starter, quick start and aquarium salt in the recommended amounts. I have tea tended the ammonia levels today, Easter Monday and finally the ammonia reading is down to, 0.25. But my nitrite and nitrate levels are at 5.0 which is too high. I have gone 4 water changes over the last five day. Any advice would be very welcome.

Sum Pun - 8 years ago

should I use nitrifiers constantly or can I stop once the tank is cycled.
but should I still add nitrifiers after each water change

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Sum Pun You can stop once the tank is cycled or you can use it after doing a water change and cleaning the filter to help add the bacteria that was lost

20. comment for How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

dennis frankland - 8 years ago

Hi, just watched your video, I have a American cichlid tank, it's 180 litres. I did testes yesterday, found I have very high ammonia , also nitrate and nitrate levels so I did a 40% water change last night and added liquid bacteria, stress coat. Today I've Just done another test and still have high ammonia, high nitrate and nitrite levels, any advice would be welcome. Don't want to lose my expensive cichlids.

Alexander Yip - 8 years ago

If my fish is stressed out, like they swim so fast when there's some movements, is it because of the nitrate or nitrite? Would really appreciate if you can solve this out for me. Thanks

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Alexander Yip check ammonia levals.

Heey J - 8 years ago

I have stress coat+, stability and water conditioner. Does that work for betta? Do I have to add anything?

Zoid Burg - 8 years ago

LOL!!!!!!!!!

Dante - 8 years ago

+Zoid Burg ok wait hahaha this is funny but really sad at the same time dude wth lol

Zoid Burg - 8 years ago

+Heey J Add 1 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water. Kill all nitrates.

19jenh82 - 8 years ago

I have a 55 gallon fresh water tank. 6 gouramis and 1 red tail shark. none are full grown. pH 7.0 ammonia 0 and nitrite 0. but my nitrate is always high on the chart. pet store told me more water changes. my tank is clean and more water changes lowers my pH. and suggestions??
thanks!!

19jenh82 - 8 years ago

I use prime, the salt and the stress coat. right now pH up.

Kyrie Fluffins - 9 years ago

Does the aquarium salt make your tank murky? Is Stress Coat the same thing as Start Zyme (bacteria)?

unTAM3D Photography - 9 years ago

No it's does not make your tank merky. If anything I have noticed it will help clear up your water. And no stress coat is a water dechlorinator(gets rid of chlorine in tap water thus making it safe for fish) stress zyme is a "bacteria" that helps decrease water changes when really it's a non aquatic bacteria that doesn't actually do either of those things. No product will decrease water changes those need to be done once a week or every other week. Another thing is you want real nitrifying bacteria in your tank buy either tetra safe start or safe start plus, these products are what I have used to cycle both of my tanks no problem.

Phuc Truong - 9 years ago

if your tap water have ammonia, i would recommend you guys boil the water first.

pakpukik - 9 years ago

Aquarium salt for a fresh water aquarium? How does this work? What's the dosage? And how often do you use it??

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

pakpukik Do not use it. Aquarium Salt causes a lot of long term problems. It in short causes your fish stress due to lower oxygen levals, and over producing slime coat.

TXGA VM - 8 years ago

one tablespoon for ten gallons, one quarter of a tablespoon for goldfish bowls

Insert Name Here - 9 years ago

What are those little bottles of Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia called? Do they come in a package? If they do please tell me where I can get it and what it is called?

Insert Name Here - 9 years ago

+bmw328igrly Thx!

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Cloe Sandra Hi Cloe. Those bottles are part of the aquarium test kit. Here is a link to one on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255NCI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000255NCI&linkCode=as2&tag=mrjasbl-20&linkId=5LDZFGROQNMDAIGR

Christi Throop - 9 years ago

How soon after using Am Quel could I receive proper readings in my aquarium water

Bob Fussell - 9 years ago

I have 3 tanks - 125 gal, 55 gal, & a 45gal. The 125 gal - I have no problems with. The 45 & 55 gal is a hand full. Even with once a week water changes (10-15%), the water stays a milky white. I've used AMMO-LOCK (i understand that it does not give a true ammonia reading) Ammo-Chips, Ammo-Carb,Stress Coat, Stress Enzyme,Aquarium Salt, etc. All the tanks have Shubunkins and are fed once a day (very little),I just can't seem to get rid of the milky white appearance. All 3 tanks are using the same filtration systems. Nitrates & Nitrite levels are good. Do you have any suggestions, AND - is there any products on the market that will give 'TRUE' ammonia reading? BTW - PH levels are also good!

Christopher Keene - 9 years ago

the goldfish produce huge amounts of waste. you should really have 1 shubunkin per 20G as these grow to be about 30cm. You probably have more shubunkins then water and therefore the milky substance in your tank is fish poo. Shubunkins also do not have stomachs so the food goes directly to digestive system and becomes instant dung. are you over populated?

30. comment for How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

cardwellent - 9 years ago

Interesting. I agree with you though that chemical solutions should be a last resort. Im currently running a 75 gallon discus tank with a 29 gallon tank I converted to a moving bed filter. I want to add a static bed filter to this to remove nitrates. Do you have any suggestions on how to build an efficient DIY static bed filter? Also I plan on having a 3rd phase to this sustem with an algae tank to further reduce nitrates. Do have any suggestions for this also?

cardwellent - 9 years ago

+cardwellent Oh and I have to add that I cant use salt as this will raise the PH. I need to keep the water slightly acidic for my discus and other amazon species I have.

Christian Cordova - 9 years ago

I have a Lionhead an this morning I noticed he has bloody marks, kinda stains. I've been goggling and I guess it could be Ammonia poisoning. I went to a store and got a bottle of Prime not sure if that would help. (I've been using Stability for my new 10G tank hes the only fish there with a 50G filter (barely gravel) 2 small fake plant decoration. But also has like a thin layer of white all over his back(fungus) not sure and one of his fins are half broken. His gill is red...There's defintely something wrong with him. He has been hanging around where the water current from the filter exactly where the bubbles are. Any tips? Anyone please.

Matthew D - 9 years ago

Keep in mind when using any salt: the salt does NOT evaporate, it stays in the water like a mineral, the only way to remove the salt is thru water changes. If your treating you tank with salt you need to have a hydrometer or a refractometer to measure salinity, you could be over dosing the animal with salt, this will cause stress and organ failure sooner then you think. Salt dips are better then treating the entire tank. Also, the salt will start to kill off your beneficial bacteria in your filters and tank substrate, and to much salt will cause a bacteria wipe out and your tank will start to cycle again (some medications will do this as well).
There is a product made by Seachem called "safe", it is exactly like prime but power form, does 2000-20000 gallons plus, and is only $12-20. A lot more economical and is a lot more concentrated then liquid prime.

Christian Cordova - 9 years ago

Well it's been a month I just got the API master kit my parameters are Ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0.5 so it's all good here. He just went through a treatment of quick cure and protozoan bacteria is gone (that's what it was) but now my fish is stressed... he's at the bottom of the tank close to his favorite fake plant swimming at the bottom since last night. I prob stressed him when i accidentaly rubbed his back part and took him out of the tank for a second to do a water change bc he seemed really dsiturbed when i used the last 10 drops of quick cure. Any tips for stress? I already used 2 tbs of seasalt and API stress coat (double dose) since one of his fins was cut in half 2 weeks ago by the filter i assume. It's just sad to see the fish that has been all happy for 1 1/2 months and now hes just sitting there at the bottom not eating.. :(

3drhodes - 9 years ago

Small tanks are usually the hardest to maintain. The problem could be you didn't let the tank cycle long enough to build up beneficial bacteria that would help control nitrates and amonia. You should do 50 percent water changes every week. A good tip sit your water next to your tank for at least 4 days so it will be the same temperature as your tank water, any treatment you use add it to that water not directly in the tank. Good luck

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

I have used Prime and Mardel before but I haven't used Stability. Maybe it is a new product? If your fish has parasites, you will prob need to do a thorough cleaning of your tank to help rid the parasite issue, Sounds like the salt is helping! :) Hope this helps!

Christian Cordova - 9 years ago

Hi I'm currently using Stability and this weekend I got him a bottle of prime. Have you used these products? I went to the petstore and I bough Mardel quick cure and aquarium salt. The white spots seemed to be protozoan parasites. They went away with the 3 day treatment i guess the aquarium salt should take care of the rest since theres only a little bit left. The red bloody marks are getting better but hopefully a Bottle of Prime that I bought should help... have you used this product before? Thanks for replying!

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Chris D'Mazelli sounds like maybe ick and ammonia burns? its hard to say. Could be that he is suffering because of the tank going through the cycling process too. Maybe you might need something to speed up the process of starting up the tank.

Bryan Canter - 9 years ago

Note: I tested my nitrate and is at zero. Really mind boggling with ammonia.

Bryan Canter - 9 years ago

Hello, thanks for the informative video. I'm battle a low trace of ammonia for the last 4months after my fish died. I have been cycling my tank without fish for 4 months but remain getting a 0.25 low ammonia reading. I just cannot get my test down to zero. I have a 29 gal bio cube saltwater tank. I used ammonia lock back in October 2014 when one of my fish died and I tried to save my other fish from dying with no success. Now 5 moths later and several water changes I'm still showing traces of ammonia. Do you think Amquil+ will eliminate my ammonia? And does Amquil+ give false ammonia test readings like Ammonia Lock does? Thanks!

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

Yes, agreed! Filtration is key. I usually like to recommend double the filtration for the tank size. So for example, if you have a 10 gallon tank, a 20 gallon filter will help keep the tank much cleaner.

Steven C. - 9 years ago

+Bryan Canter you better have proper filtration. Like some basic mechanical filtration & biological filtration. I suffered the same thing. best wishes to your fish!

Matthew D - 9 years ago

Test your tap water, 90% sure you have ammonia (NH3) or ammonium (NH4) right out of the tap.

Bryan Canter - 9 years ago

Thank you!

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

Glad to hear that you figured out what it was. Don't feel stupid; I have made some mistakes myself. When I first started out, I killed quite a few fish for things I should have known not to do. It happens to the best of us! ;)

Bryan Canter - 9 years ago

OK Thank you very much for the info. I feel stupid because I realized I did not have any ammonia after all because I was using the wrong Ammonia color chart. I was using the chart for freshwater and not saltwater to colors are different. So I took a water sample to my local fish store for testing and they inlighted me that my water was in perfect condition and provided me with the correct ammonia Saltwater color test chart. I bought some new fish and anenomes and they are doing great now.

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Bryan Canter Hi there Bryan. Hopefully this info isnt too late to help. Amquel will not ompletely get rid of the ammonia but it will help reduce ammonia in the tank. There are other products on the market that you could use to better treat the ammonia issue. The best thing to do is keep up with the water changes and make sure to clean the rock/gravel in the tank. Hope this helps!

Carlos Calderon - 9 years ago

Can you email me pleas I need help carloscalderon1@mail.com

Carlos Calderon - 9 years ago

What do I do if my angle fish keep passing away

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Carlos Calderon is there something that I can answer for you here? Maybe there is someone else that could benefit from your question being answered here as well :)

Tammy Haga - 10 years ago

2 days ago my fish began staying at the top of the tank. This evening a guppy passed away. My tank is 2 months old, 29 gallon using mostly R/O water and some tap water for PH reasons. All my parameters are perfect except the Nitrite which is bouncing from 1 to .5 ppm. I just changed my water today (and do regular water changes). Still the Nitrite remains between those two areas. I have a 2 day old canister filter (the nitrite levels were this way before adding the canister filter). My water temp is 80 degrees and my water is brackish. I have 7 small fish and 7 fry babies (in breeder tank inside the 29 gallon tank). I cannot think of any reason why my nitrites are high and I cannot figure out why my fish are all at the top of the tank gulping air and breathing hard. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Jeff Frank - 7 years ago

Tammy Haga I know I am giving you help years late, but if the fish are gulping air at the top of the tank it is due to high ammonia. The tank in question is just not cycled properly and could be due to too many fish, to big of a water change, to many water changes to soon, or even overfeeding can cause an ammonia spike and the tank to go out of cyle.

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Tammy Haga Hi there. So sorry to hear about the fish problem. I havent been to this channel in quite some time. In this situation, it sounds like there may be an ammonia issue along with the nitrite issue. Do the fish have red gills? these could be ammonia burned gills. I hope that your issue was resolved by now.

HalfMan HalfCichlid - 9 years ago

your nitrogen cycle is not yet established to the degree when it can break down the nitrites faster than they arise from the breakdown of ammonia. Either you are feeding too much, or have too many fish for the level of bacteria in your tank. I would change water and stop feeding for a few days and let the bacteria catch up with your bio-load. Then start feeding again - slowly

caren earle - 10 years ago

So Im dealing with new fish that I'm not very familiar with which are the Tiger, Albino and green Barbs along with Red and Black Minor fish. Normally i set up my tanks with Spring water too keep from having to use chemicals but i just didn't have the money to buy 75 gallons of it this go around to set up my newest tank. So i set it up my levels of everything was fine. But then i did a water change and my fish started dieing left and right. I bought a freshwater mast kit and found that my nitrate and nitrite levels were out of control. Do i still need to use these chemicals if i do a 50% water change? And as far as the salt do you use that in freshwater tanks too?

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+caren twitty Yes, you always need to use chemicals when adding in any new water. There is chlorine present in tap water and if you dont use anything to de-chlorinate the water, the chlorine will be in the tank. As far as salt goes, you may use salt but I dont recommend using it when you have scaleless fish or invertebrates in your tank.

Mike Kollin - 10 years ago

How do you know how much salt is in your water? Is there a test for that?
I just watched another video and it says Salt is really good for your fish in a lot of ways! I am pretty sure my tank is low because I have forgot to add salt, so I added a little tonight!

Any way to test salt levels?

Thanks!

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

Anytime! :)

Mike Kollin - 9 years ago

Thanks! :)

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Mike Kollin Yes, actually there is a way to test the salinity in water. You can use a hydrometer like this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00019JOSO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00019JOSO&linkCode=as2&tag=mrjasbl-20&linkId=PV77U56WD55N2YZC

ExBruinsFan - 10 years ago

Aloe Vera?

Do fish typically swim in aloe vera? Deosn't sound natural to me.

Tops - 10 years ago

Yes you can use all of these in a freshwater tank. Not only is there a freshwater tank in the background, but I also use all of these products in my african cichlid tank. Aquarium salt being a great product.

Tops - 10 years ago

Alexis Vasquez - 10 years ago

I have a betta fish. He it's obviously freshwater but he does seem inactive. How much aquarium salt do I use per gallon? Thanks.

Alexis Vasquez - 9 years ago

I use tanks. If they're in a bowl, they can't make bubble nests +bmw328igrly

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Alexis Vasquez Is the betta in a bowl or a tank?

Ironiic zero - 9 years ago

If he/she is still eating it could be something else such as a strong filter current

Daminion1000 - 10 years ago

Hi, You use 1 level tablespoon per 10 gallons of water.

omar alazzawi - 10 years ago

Can I use salt for cichlids?

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+omar alazzawi I believe you can but I would definitely check other sources; I don't have much experience with cichlids.

Ben Olson - 11 years ago

@ Ron Gordon
You might have overstocked your tank initially, its best to only add a couple fish at a time to an un-cycled aquarium. If this is not the case then just be patient and continue with frequent water changes as it can take possibly up to 8 weeks to fully cycle your tank. Best of luck to you (:

Ken Haynes - 11 years ago

Do you use Aqu. Salt in a Fresh Water Tank?

bmw328igrly - 9 years ago

+Ken Haynes You may use aquarium salt in a tank. I don't recommend using it though if you have scaleless fish (or snails or any other invertebrates) in your tank. The salt can hurt them.

Animal Lover101 - 9 years ago

yes

camofox8989 - 11 years ago

try using melafix and a aquarium uv light works like a charm on algae and other micro organisms

Ron Gordon - 11 years ago

I have done 2 - 30% water changes and 60% change loaded with bio additives and still have ammonia of 4.0 cant seem to get any lower. I believe my filtration in my sump is good goes through 6 in of srube pad material 2" rock and Activated charcoal them 6 in of shower scrubbie material then around pump is more filer materil about 10 in all have been cycleing for 3 weeks I am at a loss for why it remains high Help Ron

nick linkzelda - 11 years ago

Stress coat is a wonderful product but Prime has the same benefits and it reduces the nitrates as well.

nick linkzelda - 11 years ago

Fluval clearmax is an excellent product to use. The resin mixture absorbs nitrates, nitrites and ammonia. The only tried and true method to reducing nitrates is to do partial water changes on a regular basis. You should also check the plants in your tank and BE SURE they are true aquatic plants. You can try using Nitra Zorb as well. In conjunction you can also dose with Seachem Prime. High nitrates are not necessarily bad...but they are a good predictor of nitrites and ammonia to come.

Def Master D BroughamCoupedeville - 11 years ago

Can you use these product in a fresh water tank? I see you have aquarium salt

50. comment for How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

westiballer - 11 years ago

how the fuck do u lower the salt level?? keep changing the water with fresh water?? as the water keeps evaporating the salt level spikes. someone help

Luis Fernando Guzman - 11 years ago

My goldfish stay at bottom of the tank. What product can i use?

Christopher Hale - 11 years ago

find all your fish/aquatic needs on EBAY!.....most ship free!........just know what you need!

Grant l - 11 years ago

i put much on accident my fish should ok right?

IHVHandmind - 11 years ago

Is it okay to put some salt in my' planted tank if it's a low dosage to promote at least a less stressful water condition for my' guppies? there are only guppies in this tank which is 9 gallons. Recently two have died from either fungus or velvet and finrot. thanks. I don't want my' plants to die, what I want dead is the fungus or parasites and bad bacteria in the tank and on or in the fishies lol thanks

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

Yeah, me too. I try to use as little chemicals as possible. I only use chemicals if I absolutely have to. :)

SurprizdArv'n - 11 years ago

thanks for that! i dont use stress zyme often, unless i see a lot of waste at the bottom of the tank :)

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

yes, you can try amazon. ive had lots of luck finding aquarium supplies there

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

your tank is prob in the starting phase of cycling

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

sounds like stress, i would keep a good regimen of tank changes. Also test your water on a regular basis. that should help. :)

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

they are right. scaleless fish will be harmed with the salt

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

excess is never good. I'm assuming the fish would go into shock and die. not sure. im always very careful when i measure out any chems being put into my tank

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

also, do regular water changes to bring the levels down

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

check the water hardness. if you moved to a different city, it could have different amount of chemicals in the city water. that could affect the fish

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

where im at, the amquel usually runs about 13 dollars for the medium sized bottle

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

yes

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

glad i could give you some helpful info! :)

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

so sorry for late response. :( the best thing to do is regular water changes especially on such a tiny tank. tiny tanks get dirty very quickly and will need water changes more often

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

well either they are bottom dwelling fish or they are ill

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

sorry for the late reply; havent been on in a while. cloudy water is caused by floating particles. sometimes it is also caused by overfeeding the fish. the best thing to do is regular water changes and regulating the feeding. :) hope this helps! If you need more help, you can find me on fb. the fb account is: howtocareforfish. I'm on fb more than youtube. I can give you a response much quicker there

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

yes, as long as you dont have any scaleless fish. salt harms scaleless fish

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

regular water changes are the best. When did you start up the tank?

bmw328igrly - 11 years ago

better yet, i have an fb account where you can post questions so that others can get answers too. the fb account is: howtocareforfish. I'm on fb more than youtube. I can give you a response much quicker there

Will C - 11 years ago

could i have your email, i would like to get your perspective and guidance with a few issues that i am having with my tank. Thank you in advance.

Gruffhades 98 - 11 years ago

hey i need help all my fish died from ick so i check the ammonia and nitrite so the the ammonia has 0.25ppm the nitrite has 0.25ppm and ph has 7.6 what should i do because because i wasted a lot of stuff for the fish so i need something cheap also i have stress coat

rafal kulik - 11 years ago

Can i put in the salt when my fish are in the water???

Stephanie Wolfe - 11 years ago

Hi! Great video (: I was wondering...what makes aquarium water cloudy? And how do you fix it without "coating" it with a water clear supplement bought at the store? I've heard buying that stuff isn't good... because it just hides the cloudy water and doesn't actually fix anything except the eye sore of cloudy water. Thanks!

Andre Santos - 11 years ago

why are my fish on the bottom

Angie_bee06 - 11 years ago

Would you use all three of the products at the same time? I have just a small tank 1.5 would would you suggests the doses if each be? Please my fish is not doing well.

Samuel Graham - 11 years ago

Nitrates at 160ppm please help

knightingalesaid - 11 years ago

Thanks for the vid good information.

Bob Nugget - 11 years ago

yeah, no shit he's dying. you have a horribly stocked tank, and you probably didn't even cycle.

Amy Carey - 12 years ago

Hello we just had had to move and I have 30 gal tank I managed to save 15 gal from old tank. Some of the old decorations had mould so they were tossed. Over the tank was in good shape. Now I restarted with 15. Gal and new water some new decor. I lost 5 neon tetras within 5 hours. I did a water test ammonia off the scale ph high. I put in ph down and some of the amquil. Is there anything else I should do.

c43939 - 12 years ago

how much was the amquel because i want to buy one for my fish

shredapocalypse - 12 years ago

he may be stressed because a rainbow shark is too big for that tank

SurprizdArv'n - 12 years ago

with the API stress zyme, what happens if i over dose?

luis vargas - 12 years ago

is aqarimsalt safe for all freshwater fish because i have a african dwarf frog and some corycats and people say its not good for them and other people say its ok what do you think?

Cj Hartlin - 12 years ago

hi i did a ammonia test on my 20 gallon it read 8.0 ppm its a guppie tank with 6 males 7 pregnant females i also have 2 plecos and a additional tank that is being setup july 31 for my females and 1 pleco im curious what is the best to kick my tank back in shape i did a water change and used aquasafe conditioner and aquarium salt just curious is it gonna help what i did as a temporary solution til the 31st the guppies seem not phases but the plecos jump alot in my tank

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

thanks for replying to slim! :) good advice!

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

Hi. Sorry for the late response. How are the fish?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

did you just start up the tank? if so, it could be cycling. The cycling process does stress fish out and in some cases kills them.

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

it depends on the size of the tank that you currently have. What do you have?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

yes there is. :) you can go to your local aquarium store and find one there. You can also find them on the internet. If you need some links, pm me. Hope this helps!

KF - 12 years ago

I hope it is not too late. You will need to perform large water change (>90%) to see a reduction in your nitrite level. Use prime while performing such changes to detoxify nitrite.

KF - 12 years ago

Aquarium salt and bacterial supplement is useful to a small extent. However you may need to give your tank/filter time to re-establish the beneficial bacteria. Cloudy water is a result of bacterial bloom. You will need to test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. Perform large water change (at least 90%) a day to remove the toxins in your water to keep your fishes healthy. You may also use a conditioner such as Prime or API Ammolock to detoxify ammonia.

Gudda Wayne - 12 years ago

Will aquarium salt and bacteria supplement help my tank get its clear look back b cause the lady at petsmart saidmi have cleaned myntank to much and ended up takimg things ou the tank that my 4 parnahs and pacqo needs to survive is it true that my tank should be back to normal within days is habe cleaned 40 to 45 percent of water ot my 100 gallon tank 2day and yesterday can u holla at me please hahaha thank u

kentman37 - 12 years ago

I have a problem! I tested my nitrite and nitrate levels, nitrate levels are fantastic, on the other hand my nitrite levels are diabolical! I have had 6 fish die on me within the past few days! I have done 20% - 25% water changes within 3 days (about 4 changes I believe) I really get under the gravel and get up as much crap as I can each time! I even test the new water and that's perfect...until it goes in my tank! My tank is 25L/5Gallon. I have chemicals to help but no change at all. Help!!

KF - 12 years ago

perform 90% - 100% Water change once 1 to 2 times a day. This will keep ammonia in check as we wait for the beneficial bacteria to grow in your filter

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

How much of a water change are you doing? How often? How old is the tank?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

I don't have any violet gobies but those are pretty cool fish! :) You probably saw my dojo loaches.

100. comment for How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

I have seen people put it in containers. you could poke holes in a plastic bag then add it if it helps. :)

randi dalton - 12 years ago

we have tanks that are reading 8 amonia& adleast 5 nitrite we have tryed water changes, stoping feeding, salt, api amonia remover and that is doing nothing, we have also tryed speshal blend that did nothing we also tryed api amonia chips that did nothing. and amonia and nitrate and nitrite keeps going up. the tanks are not over populated. what do we do? we cleaned out the fiter toob as well.

Kenny Nguyen - 12 years ago

is that a violet gobi in you tank?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

I add it only when needed; Like if there is a disease in the tank or when I add new fish. For my tank, I cant really add it too much because I do have fish in my tank that can be harmed by the salt.

willlouis69 - 12 years ago

How often do you add the aquarium salt. Would it be alright to add some once a week, or only when needed?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

55 gallon with 155 gallons of filtration :)

Dark Angel - 12 years ago

What size is your tank?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@marilyn00700 You are very welcome! Glad I could help :)

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@mcds87 Sounds like an algae bloom. Algae blooms can start at the beginning of setting up a tank. Give it a few days then test the water. Continually test the water so that you know when the aquarium is ready for fish. :)

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@lildrummaboy16 Thanks! :) I don't always use the amquel when I do water changes, but I do add it every now and then

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@TAP6TS I've used it in my tank with live plants and haven't had any problems. Each plant may respond differently so I'm not sure how any other plants would do.

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@ShadyPanda The aquarium salt does work to a certain extent, at least in my experience. To each his own. :) In my experience with the amquel, it has helped lower the nitrates but I found that the best way to lower nitrates is to do water changes. The less chemicals you add to the tank, the better. :)

Janet Peterson - 12 years ago

I haven't found that aquarium salt does anything for my tanks, I think it might actually raise the pH levels, which I don't need. This hasn't cured any of my fish from illnesses or harmed them as I've had guppies, Betts, pleco, barbs, tetras, goldfish, and danios. Does the amquel here actually reduce the nitrate?

ATW6 WONDERS - 12 years ago

is salt good for live plants?

lildrummaboy16 - 12 years ago

Very informative! I got the same aquarium salt and Amquel plus!! :)) do you use the amquel plus every time you do a water change?

Marilyn Alvarez - 12 years ago

i try the salt it lowerd ammonia so fast and my fish are more active then ever thank you

New American Fishkeeper - 12 years ago

@bmw328igrly No, the filter is horrible. I put live plants in and do water changes to get rid of nitrate, and ammonia and nitrite are taken care of because i moved about half the bio-load from my slowly being destocked 10 gallon.

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@ben191209 Excellent filtration system?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@Kairuka Thank you for reiterating the point. Scaleless fish will die if you use salt in the tank

New American Fishkeeper - 12 years ago

@bmw328igrly Hey, I just set my guppy tank up about 2 months ago, and it is very heavily stocked It has no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. Know why?

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@spamllpitdept I believe it is an API freshwater master test kit. This vid was done a while ago and since then I've thrown away that kit

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@romeo9229 Sorry for the late reply. You don't need to use all of these at the same time. The best thing to do is to keep doing water changes. The chemicals are meant to help your fish out until you can get the water to more stable levels

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@ben191209 Likewise!

New American Fishkeeper - 12 years ago

@bmw328igrly You are very welcome. God bless!

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@ben191209 Thanks Ben for responding to eric :) I haven't been on here lately. I would have said everything you did. :)

New American Fishkeeper - 12 years ago

@ericfan1223 You can (most likley should) add some of this AmQuel plus. It is pretty efective. It detoxifies chlorimines, chlorine, Amonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. In addition to this i would also add AquaSafe with Bio-Extract and a small amount of API or other brand Aquaira salt. God bless!

Eric Selden - 12 years ago

i just got my tank today dy and my ammonia is vary high, what do i do? i based my tank off yours thank a lot for helping

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@Miguelguzman360 It doesn't really "cure" per se. It does help treat a lot of diseases though. It helps treat diseases such as ich. :)

Miguel Guzman - 12 years ago

What can aquarium salt cure??

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@mexicanamerican21 You're welcome. I'm sure it is due to the amount of waste that the fish are producing. If you keep a regular water change routine, you will notice a major difference in the quality of the water. :)

mexicanamerican21 - 12 years ago

@bmw328igrly ok thanks alot, i have a rare peacock cichlid, a red tail, arowana, an2 oscars an i forgot how dirty the oscars are an im trying to get rid of them, idunno if their shit messes up the water but it just gets dirty quick

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@mexicanamerican21 Also, please check out my website. I have a great article on how to lower ammonia. :) I will send you a pm with the website link.

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@mexicanamerican21 Water changes are the best thing to remove ammonia. Over time, the water levels will come back down. In the meanwhile, If any fish are suffering and need some relief, I recommend using the amquel plus after a good water change. :)

mexicanamerican21 - 12 years ago

@mexicanamerican21 its a 55 gl an ive already put my stress coat an salt, but i have ph increase an decrease, any advice

mexicanamerican21 - 12 years ago

how do i get my ammonia levels down to 0ppm

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@MRKD90 Will do! :) I will see if I can add it by the end of this week. Please subscribe to keep posted. :)

bmw328igrly - 12 years ago

@MRKD90 Thanks! :) I think I got the treasure chest from either walmart or petco. You have to use an air valve to regulate the amount of air going to it. Otherwise it stays open and has a lot of bubbles. lol! I can make a tutorial on that if you'd like. :)

Regina Johnson - 13 years ago

I have some fishes and they die because they had stress i did not know that they will die so i got some more fishes and i brought some stress coat and some Aquarium salt for them .

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@visualkeirockstar They do help somewhat but not to the degree where they remove them completely. Water changes are the best at removing high levels of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia.

visualkeirockstar - 13 years ago

doesn't the plants absorb them?

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@RussianSpetsnaz0123 You are most welcome! :) Please stop by anytime!

RussianSpetsnaz0123 - 13 years ago

@bmw328igrly Thank You it helped me a lot

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@RussianSpetsnaz0123 Salt can help but I recommend doing water changes before using the salt. Also, If you have any scaleless fish, such as a pleco, don't use salt in that tank. The salt can harm the scaleless fish. I'll do a write-up on HITH on my website soon for you. :) Just check out the website in the video.

RussianSpetsnaz0123 - 13 years ago

does the aquarium salt help HOTH in oscars because i am getting oscars and dont know if i should get something just for HOTH or aquarium salt just in case they get HOTH

Bryan Barcelo - 13 years ago

watch?v=P_uegYycxbk&amp

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@chinolal Actually it does remove nitrate, nitrite, ammonia; it doesn't remove all of it but it removes some of it.

Judo Chop - 13 years ago

no amquel + does not remove nitrates, ammonia, nitrites. These compounds will still be in the tank but in a non toxic form for a limited amount of time. Within that period of time, a good biological filtration will remove ammonia and nitrites. However, nitrates will still be there so water changes are needed.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@Pop12646Okami Can you send me a pic of the filter? Send it to mrsjaymay23@hotmail.com. What size filter is it?

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@Pop12646Okami Glad to hear the water changes are helping a little. Also, try doing a good cleaning of the filter. It could be that the filter is clogged and is not working at optimum. What size filter do you have? What size tank? It could be that you have too much bio load for the filter.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@Pop12646Okami I'm guessing the nitrates were really high. Did you try a water change as well? If you do a water change then test, the test results aren't always accurate. Try a water change. That will significantly lower the nitrates. :) Keep me posted. :)

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@ATP6TS you should add 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons. Once you do the water change, add the 3 tablespoons. When you do another water change, don't add another 3 tablespoons. You can use a hydrometer to see how much salt is in the water as well. If you need more help, please e-mail me at mrsjaymay23@hotmail.com

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@Pop12646Okami Did you retest the water? How do you know it didn't work? I personally have never had a problem with Amquel working. Maybe you got a bad bottle? It could be that you had too many nitrates to start off with. Amquel doesn't remove all the nitrates. It only removes some.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@don83030 There are others but I don't like to recommend products that I don't use or have experience with. The best thing to do is a water change. The water changes work miracles. :) Hope this helps.

Ironiic zero - 13 years ago

are there other conditioners that removing nitrite

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@shannonm86 Do you know if your tank is fully cycled? Are there any other chemicals that are out of whack? High nitrites could mean either your tank isn't cycled or the fish are being overfed (lots of ammonia that turned into nitrites).

shannonm86 - 13 years ago

I need some help removing nitrites. Ive already had one fish die. I have a 65 gallon tank with 5 (used to be 6) zebra danios. Thats it. No live plants. the tank has been set up for about 1 month. My nitrite levels are through the roof. The first day I did a 20% water change, and replaced that water with Nutrafin aquaplus conditioned water. and added Nutrafin cycle. FOr the last 5 days Ive been adding nutrafin Cycle to the tank with no change in my levels. What do you suggest?

bergi85 - 13 years ago

@bmw328igrly Cool thanks!

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@bergi85 Yeah, you can add it anytime. Just make sure to keep a hydrometer on hand; Too much salt can harm the fish. The salt does dissolve within a minute. :) Hope that helps!

bergi85 - 13 years ago

Can you add aquarium salt at anytime? Does it dissolve?

WWpictures100 - 13 years ago

@bmw328igrly Overfeeding can lead to stress problem just be careful of how much you feed them 3 minutes to consume the food

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@500bmw1 That isn't a good sign. Could be a parasite or ich.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@WWpictures100 You could do that but I prefer to feed my fish on a daily basis.

WWpictures100 - 13 years ago

To reduce ammonia, nitrate, and, nitrite you should reduce you feedings to once every two days

500bmw1 - 13 years ago

Sometimes#

500bmw1 - 13 years ago

My fish scratchs itself on the rocks somet

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@desertbard I tried sharing it on the comments section but it was too long for the allowed comment size. :( If anyone wants to know what I said, I would be more than happy to send the same e-mail out. :) I'm glad I could help you out, desertbard! :)

Joseph Lorentzen - 13 years ago

@desertbard Thanks for the direct answer. Perhaps you would like to share it here, that would be great. I think I have parts of 2 RO filters and that will be my final solution. The other solution you gave sounds far less pricey, but like I said I have parts to work from.

slapurmommaz - 13 years ago

I just put a pinch of iodized sea salt in my aquarium...hope I don't kill anyone.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@desertbard pm sent to you.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@desertbard I haven't heard about metals in the water killing the shrimp but the best way to go around that, as far as I know, is to buy distilled water. It is a more expensive route, but you can use some distilled water to lessen the metals in the water. I will try to do some research on this particular subject and I will have to get back to you. :) I hope at least the info I gave you helps a little.

Joseph Lorentzen - 13 years ago

Some of the products used to condition water seem not to effect metals in solution which might effect shrimp and Stress Coat is one that has been suspect in causing invertibrates problems. I know my LFS looses on Ghost Shrimp are extremely high. Mortallity in my tanks is less than in theirs, but still not acceptable. I figure it is the copper tubing used to bring water to our houses and perhaps the very small anound ot lead. How do we eliminate the metals?

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@ernotw The best thing to do is to let the tank cycle. Unfortunately, you may lose some fish in the process. Even though it is a freshwater tank, you can add salt to it to help out the fish. Hope this helps. Please contact me if you need further help.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@ernotw Sorry for not responding sooner. :( In my opinion, the water doesn't sound like it ever completely cycled. Besides having everything set up, did you add any chemicals to the water for it to cycle? The fish are getting the ich from being stressed out over the water conditions.

ernotw - 13 years ago

sorry they had to be in parts... to long to post. :)

ernotw - 13 years ago

So far I have bought testing strips, stress Zyme, ph corrector, and Ich treatment and have been cleaning the water (only 25 percent) Now I am not so confident they will make it. what else can I do? You mentioned salt... but isn't it fresh water.? Help me please :(

ernotw - 13 years ago

We bought the strips to test water total hardness scored 150, alkalinity was 300, ph was 8.4 , and nitrite was .5 the only passing test was nitrate. bought the ICH treatment and they cleared in about 3 days, but they are reaperingagain and it hasn't even been 24 hours, My tiger barbs look like they are ghoing to die soon, one of our gold fancy fish has very red eyes and our plecostomus fish doesn't seem affected.

ernotw - 13 years ago

Love your video!! Thanks!!! Need help... Set up my aquarium for about week and a half, have filter, heater, thermameter, bubbles, plants (fake) and bouat for fish to hide in, and pebbles, have no idea why my fish are sick, looked and researched a little of what they have... it appears to be ICH... Earl May, where I bought the fish were not much help :(

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@whymelaugh Actually... I have a website that can walk you through all the steps of start up and maintenance. I will send it to you in a pm since I can't post the website in the comment.

whymelaugh - 13 years ago

Hello, I was wondering if you had any links (or you've possibly put up a video) explaining how to manage an aquarium properly. I'm a complete novice when it comes to the larger and more advance side of fish tanks.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

I sent you a pm. It has my website listed in there to help you out. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will be more than happy to assist you.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@2468colorado I sent a pm to you. In the pm I listed my site for you to check out. If you have any questions about anything, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@2468colorado What are the readings in your aquarium? You might have to add stress zyme instead of amquel. Have you started up aquariums before? If not, I have some very helpful links that may be of service to you.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@2468colorado Question for you: Are you starting up an aquarium?

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@2468colorado You are going to want to use a very small amount. The dosage is one teaspoonful of amquel per ten gallons. You should only use 1/5 of a teaspoon for a 2 gallon.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@2468colorado You are going to want to use a very small amount. The dosage is one teaspoonful of amquel per ten gallons. You should only use 1/5 of a teaspoon for a 2 gallon. :)

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@iklepud Ok. Ill await your test results. :) My guess is that there is a parasite in the tank. Have you added anyone or anything new into that tank? If not, then it is a water quality issue.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@iklepud What are all the parameters? (nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, ph) I know you stated the ph, but take all the parameters at the same time so I can help you to figure out with the problem is. :) How long has the tank been running? Do you have a video of them acting funny so that I can see what they are doing? It sounds like it might be a possible parasite.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@raiden1019 Thank you! :) You too will soon be a fish wizard! :)

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@raiden1019 you are most welcome. :) The reason why I asked if fish died was because if it was really that high of a reading, the fish wouldn't survive. I'm glad you figured out what happened. :) Please check out my website listed in the video to find out more fish stuff. :)

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@jammiejammie12 sorry about the late response; I wasnt aware of your message. The best test kit to use is the api freshwater master test kit. They run about $20 a piece but are well worth the money. The test strips that you might see in the store are not the most accurate so I would recommend the api test kit. Hope this helps! :)

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@raiden1019 Are you sure you are reading it correctly? Its really hard to tell on that card. Also, are any fish dying in the tank? Another factor it could be too is that where you live there is already a presence of nitrates in the water before you add it in there. A way you can test this is by doing a water change then adding distilled water instead of the tap water. Make sure to test before and a couple days after you clean the aquarium. :) Hope this helps.

JimmyJam - 13 years ago

i have had a tank set up for a week now. Today im off toget some guppys but i ave not tested the water in my tank sould i buy a testing kit and if so what ones are the best im new to all this! thanks

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@0101german sorry to hear about that one fish. :( The best thing you can do to treat the ammonia is to keep up with the water changes. By cleaning the tank, you will get rid of the ammonia. Another thing that might help them is by using either a little bit of aquarium salt or a chemical called stress coat. I prefer to keep it as natural as possible but there are some times where you need to use chemicals.

0101german - 13 years ago

i do water changes about 1-2 times a week. its a 60 gallon, dont know what type of filter it has, has 3 goldfish and 2 small dempseys. the tank is maintained at 73 degrees. ammonia nitrates and nitrites are all 0. i was using some of that api conditioner and didnt check when i did a water chage, thought it was a complete one but it requires ammo lock with it. out of the 5 fish 4 are doing better, ammonia burn started going away, but one goldfish is pretty much gone.=( it just lays on its side..

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@0101german Unfortunately when fish get to the point where they are gasping like that for air, there isn't a positive outlook. Here are some questions for ya: How often do you clean up your aquarium? What is the setup that you have? (how big is your tank? how many fish do you have? what type of filtration do you have?) What are the parameters of the aquarium? (nitrates, nitrites? ammonia? ph?) Please get back to me as soon as possible so that I can help you out. :)

0101german - 13 years ago

what if your fish are lying on the gravel, gasping for air, lose their apetite, and are begining to get red streaks... this happened to me and i treated with a ammonia nuetralizer. however they are still lying on the gravel and gasping for air after the 2nd day, any idea on how long it takes for them to recover?

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@GPnRI I do the same with my tank. I put in a little salt and it really helps prevent disease. :)

GPnRI - 13 years ago

@bmw328igrly , Very true, Thats why the amount of salt put in is very low ( 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons ). Plus the only scale-less fish in my tank is a 7 inch Plecostomus ( Algae eater ) and is currently unaffected by the very low salt content, in fact, it's helped it to show its colors better. :-) All the other 18 fishies ( babies ) have scales.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@GPnRI You just have to be careful though when you have scaleless fish in your tank when it comes to aquarium salt. Aquarium salt is not recommended for scaleless fish aquariums. :) Thanks for adding that in there GPnRI! :)

GPnRI - 13 years ago

A water change generally works best at removing nitrites and Nitrates and ammonia, usually 20 to 40% change. Aquarium salt is HIGHLY recommended, it does have HIGH importance to your fish...added electrolites, brightens color of fish, it does kill off some diseases that are floating in your water as well. I use Aquarium salt in my freshwater tank and I have NEVER had ich nor a fish death from disease. 1 TEASPOON per 5 gallons. Replacement water - salt only the water replaced! Important.

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@luchiehanna100 Yes. If you need salt for a saltwater aquarium, you have to use marine salt. :) If you need any other help, please ask away! :)

bmw328igrly - 13 years ago

@jeflynnenut you are welcome! :)

jeflynnenut - 13 years ago

God bless you! I started my tank using a fantastic product called organic aqua four months ago and unfortunately I had to stop as I could not source it any more! I got an api kit like you but I had no instructions but you saved the day! Thanks for your great tips! Darren. Dublin Ireland.

bmw328igrly - 14 years ago

I have a video on how to test it. Check out my profile page and there should be a link to it there. :)

About How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium

The "How to Remove Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia From A Freshwater Aquarium" video is part of the pest, animals, fish, freshwater category, which contains similar videos like this one.