Since being in another location of town, my large tropical fish have looked stressed. Well, I lost one about a month ago.

A few days ago another one started looking really stressed so I went to a friends house that knows a lot about aquariums for some clean water. Heck, I figured since they had massive salt water tanks they knew how to take care of them. Well, they do, salt water tanks.

I picked up about 15 gallons of their clean water (they have a special fliter system on their tap) to put in my 55 gallon tank (to do a water change). I did a water change about 3 weeks ago and was surprised my fish was stressed so soon. Anyway I did the water change the night before last. The next day it didn't seem to help.

So yesterday I decided to take some water to our local aquarium store to see if they can help me save the last of my fish. They pulled out one of those test strips and you should have seen the look on their faces. One guy wouldn't even look twice. Kinda like us looking at a frayed timing belt. My pH was off the chart low and my Nitrate was maxed out. Kinda like giving my fish astma and putting him in a smoke filled room. They told me that they were surprised that any fish were alive in that tank. Most fish would be dead within a day or two of being in there.

They sold me some pH balance stuff and test strips, wrote me out an action plan and thought me how to test the water and read the strips. They also sent me straight home to get started. So after making a stop to drop something off I went home and put the plan into action. Got started as soon as I walked in the door. Twelve hours later the fish still was at the bottom of the tank with no sign of improvement but I did another action point. About an hour later my wife reported that the fish was now swimming around. Three hours after than I checked and indeed the fish look a lot better. Flapping it's fins, swimming around, etc. It's almost time for another action plan but I couldn't help but check the water with the tester. The tank is still off the chart low on pH. So I check our tap water and it's at the lowest level, 6.0 pH.

So I still have to work on getting the pH up but boy the fish looks a lot better. When I walked in the room it was looking as if it wanted to say "man, thank you for taking yo dumb a%& to learn how NOT to kill me." Can't imagine how active the fish will be when I get this tank right.

 

If your goal is to save the fish, you need a massive water change, with water that is low in nitrates to start with. Tap water can have over 40 PPM which is not helping your cause.

I'd get 20+ gallons if RO/DI water (a salt water specialty shop should have a huge tub of RO/DI freshwater for sale).

Long term you will have to keep a closer eye on water parameters (those test strips are crap, by the way. Get a water test kit) and do more water changes. I'd also think about getting some live plants, and be careful about not overfeeding. Fish poo is a killer. :P

 

Well, my friend gave me some RO/DI water which lowered the pH in the water. Part of the written plan from the aquarium store plan for me is to get the fish back on it's feet with the pH, then do two 50% water changes in a few days while maintaining a good pH level.

The way I see it is the test strips are much better than what I was using.

I never had plants before. Didn't like the alge growing in the tank nor the fish tossing them around. Maybe I'll try again and anchor them to the bottom with a rock or something.

The nitrate in our tap water is pretty low, about 10 according to the strip. I thought I was doing good with 30% water changes monthly. I'll work on water changes more to see how to keep the nitrate level low.

 

For that size tank, I would have said that 30% monthly was probably OK assuming it wasn't overstocked. Maybe you were overfeeding? Rule of thumb is that it should be gone in 5 minutes, and I'd say less than that. Did they test for ammonia?

Fish are generally more tolerant of a high or low PH than they are of seesawing water conditions, for that reason many people suggest not messing with the PH, and not buying fish that would be intolerant (ie, african cichlids in soft acidic tap water).

The absolute biggest issue with keeping fish, whether fresh or salt, is dealing with the buildup of fish waste and the byproducts of the nitrogen cycle. That's why the bigger the tank, the more stable it is.

 

Oh, well, the fish I have now is 5-1/2 years old. I thought I was doing a decent job caring for them but they are bigger fish and dump a lot of waste. I'll let you know what it takes to get the nitrate down.

 

I just checked the water again with the strip. The pH is probably 6.0, the nitrate is probably 120, the nitrite is around .25 and the alkalinity is about 30.

The store did NOT check ammonia.

The fish seem to be doing a lot better. I'll have to try to get the pH up a little more and do a water change tomorrow or Monday.

 

If they are over five years old, you are probably doing a better job of caring for them than the store employees give you credit.

Nitrate is the end result of the natural cycle that biologically filters fish wastes. You can read a lot more about it here: Beginner FAQ: The Nitrogen Cycle

I'll quote this bit that summarizes what I was trying to say earlier, and leave it at that:

Aquarium pH - The First Tank Guide - What About Adjusting the pH in My Aquarium?

 

Thanks a lot for the info. My fish has turned 180 degrees for the good. I've never seen the fish so active and playful. I did a 1/3 water change today and will try to watch the toxic levels closer.

 

wow thats really a great care about your fish....its age 5-1/2 years says everything about your care and affection......long live your fish as many fishes die regardless of proper care...anyways great work!!