Everything is wrong

[myswtsins]

I'm pretty sure I got all the IDs correct but someone else will chime in I am sure. Edited the picture with IDs. I see no goldfish in this picture.

Please test your tap water. If the results are also crazy then the test kits might be bad. If it is normal-ish we can move on to other methods.

 

[OMGthisTANK]

Tap water results are in!
pH - 7.6
Ammonia - 1.0 ppm
NO2 - 0 ppm
NO3 - 5.0 ppm

 

[myswtsins]

Well those aren't great results but I'd say it rules out bad test kits. BTW did you get 7.6 on the normal range and high range oh test? Having nitrates and ammonia in your tap water is something I've never had to deal with so I will leave that to someone who has.

 

[OMGthisTANK]

It was on the normal pH range

 

[myswtsins]

Do you have the high ph range test? When the normal says 7.6 sometimes it is even higher than that but that is as high as that test can show.

 

[tommy d]

I had an established tank at one time that went "screwy" on me. Couldn't figure out the reason and all my numbers were off the charts..just as you show in your post. I went out and bought a bottle of Tetra Safe Start and it fixed things up in short order. And yes, small frequent water changes (10 or 15%)helped too

 

[OMGthisTANK]

Ok guys so 48 hours after the prime water conditioner there are absolutely no changes whatsoever. I am going to start the water transfer today but I'm not sure which to use. Straight from the tap I had pH 7.6 ammonia 1.0 ppm no2 0 ppm and no3 5.0 ppm. I tested my fridge water and got pH 6.4 ammonia .25 ppm no2 5.0 ppm and no3 40 ppm. Basically tap water has high pH and ammonia or my fridge which has high no2 and no3.

 

[Hendre]

Wierd.

 

[SnakeIce]

7.6 is not high, it is just a bit over neutral but not far. I've kept fish like that in water that got up to 8.7 as the dry season hit it's peak. Do you know if you have chlorine or Chloramine in your water? If it is chloramine that would explain some of the amonia reading in the tap.

I believe there is something protective about the acidic conditions in the tank. If you were to raise the ph without dealing with the ammonia and no2 the toxicity would be much higher. It is a conundrum though, because nitrogen cycle bacteria need minerals that tend to be found in more abundance in higher than 7ph water.

Either way there needs to be slow changes in total dissolved solids in the tank water. Fish don't care about ph much as long as it is not to extreme (over 9 or under 5ph). They are much more sensitive to the osmotic pressure of water, which is dependent on how much is dissolved in the water. Change to much water when the tank a lot different than the source and you can put them into osmotic shock even if the ph doesn't change. (it often does change also but isn't the source of shock)

 

[myswtsins]

Never got an answer if you have the high range test kit, I am assuming you don't. 7.6 IS a perfectly fine pH, but it could be much higher. Like SnakeIce said if you have chloramine in your water that could be what's giving you the ammonia reading. I'd say use the tap water and prime.

Odd that your nitrates are so high out of your fridge. My best guess would be the filter needs replacing and is leaching nitrates. 40ppm is quite high for drinking water. Seems odd that the ph is so much lower too and acidic water is also bad for drinking. What is the filter doing!? lol