# Water Chemistry Basics Editing for Reference



## bahamut285

Water Chemistry Basics – How to give your Betta a 5-star home.


**DISCLAIMER**: I tried my best to write this in layman's terms as I know there are readers of this guide who are not chemistry/biology majors and/or have never taken chemistry or biology in their life. To all the chemistry/biology majors and fish mega-experts, I'm sorry if this guide is silly!

**DISCLAIMER #2**: This guide is specific to care of Bettas, I mention small tanks of 1-2 Gallons, which should never be used to house any other fish except a Betta! (Except snails or shrimp)

**DISCLAIMER #3**: This guide does not include the presence of heavily planted tanks. I have no experience with aquatic plants, and the only real plant I've ever kept is a cactus; so I feel I shouldn't say anything in this matter. If you have questions about aquatic plants, please ask an experienced person on this forum!


Water chemistry is often overlooked or ignored completely. Most aquarists (myself included until recently) do not have testing kits, or cannot validate the cost of purchasing one. This guide will go through in simple terms why the water chemistry is important to the health of your Betta (and subsequently your health).


For starters, let's begin with some of the basic parameters that are included in your basic testing kit, along with an explanation on how it relates to your fish.

Ammonia (NH3): This compound is formed when your fish excrete waste and when you overfeed your fish. It is also excreted from the gills of your fish when they breathe and swim around.* Ammonia poisoning is the leading cause of death* in beginner aquarists who are unaware of the Nitrogen Cycle. The symptoms of possible ammonia poisoning are: purple/reddish gills, red streaks across the body, lethargy and bottom sitting. *How do I get rid of Ammonia?* Normally, you must cycle your tank so that bacteria that eat ammonia can grow and live in your tank. Bacteria like to grow in certain gravels and also in your filter, as well as safe places on your decorations. In smaller tanks, (less than 5 Gallons) it is difficult to keep these bacteria alive, so you must perform water changes. The reason for this is because by the time there is enough ammonia for your bacteria to start living there, it is already too toxic for your fish, therefore it is imperative that you keep up water changes if your betta is in a small tank.


NitRITE (NO2-) and NitRATE (NO3-): For clarification, I will capitalize RITE and RATE as to not confuse these two compounds.

NitRITE is "excreted" by the bacteria that eat ammonia. NitRITE is also toxic to your fish, but it is not as powerful as ammonia. It is also possible for your fish to get nitRITE poisoning, symptoms include: lethargy, rapid breathing and brownish gills. The brownish gills is commonly known as "Brown Blood Disease", in which the nitRITE impairs your fish's blood to carry oxygen properly, and suffocates them. *How do I get rid of NitRITE?* After the ammonia eating bacteria establish, the next to come along are the bacteria that "eat" nitRITE. Plants also help out a little bit, but generally the bacteria will eat it all up long before the plants can. 

NitRATE is "excreted" by the bacteria that eat NiRITE. Once again this is also toxic to your fish, but not as strong as nitRITE or Ammonia. NitRATE poisoning symptoms include: curled positioning of the body, bent spine, uncontrolled swimming, spasms and twitching. *How do I get rid of NitRATE?* Unfortunately the only way to remove NitRATE is for you to do your water changes! Plants also absorb NitRATE, but I don't know how many plants you would need to achieve this, see disclaimer #3 above!


Total Hardness (GH): There are many other elements that appear in your water that contribute to the chemistry of it. "Hard" water is water that contains a higher concentration of minerals dissolved in the water. If you have hard water in your home, you may notice that your soap doesn't foam up as easily as it does in softer water showers. Calcium deposits in your tank are generally white and crusty in appearance, which comes from having very hard water. Most houses nowadays have water softeners to reduce these effects (and make your soap lather better!). In relation to fish, some fish prefer softer water, some hard, but the majority of fish bred these days do not care so much. Betta's can tolerate a hardness between 5-20 dH or 70-300 GH ppm, but generally they would prefer something mid-range. Hard water has been shown to cause a Crowntail (CT) Betta's rays to curl.
*How do I change my Water Hardness?* If your home already has a water softener, and you notice that the hardness has changed, you may need to replenish it (there are various kinds of these machines, I won't go into all of them). Some local pet stores (LPS) or fish stores (LFS) sell little pillows that soften your water for you. Don't throw them into the tank, you have to set aside a bucket and let the pillow sit in there as per the instructions on the package.


Total Chlorine: This element is one of the reasons for you to purchase a water conditioner. Chlorine is dumped into the water at your nearest water distribution plant to kill bacteria that would otherwise make you sick. Any amount of chlorine that is 0.5ppm and above on a testing kit can kill your fish very quickly if not remedied. Not putting in water conditioner for your fish is like asking you to drink chlorinated pool water your entire life.* How do I get rid of Chlorine?* Look for a water conditioner that says it removes chlorine. Some good brands that are recommended are SeaChem Prime, Aqua+Plus, API Stress Coat, and TopFin Water Conditioner.


pH: This is a measure of how acidic or basic your water is. It ranges from 1-14, 1 being acid, 14 being basic. Water is generally 7 (neutral), in the middle. This scale however, is logarithmic, meaning a pH of 6 is *TEN TIMES *more acidic than a pH of 7. Therefore, even minor changes in pH such as 7 to 7.3 would add a lot of stress to your fish if changed too suddenly. Betta's can tolerate a pH range of 6-8 (6-7.4 in some sources), they prefer more neutral waters, but adapt fairly well within the pH 6-8 range.


Total Alkalinity (KH): This is a measure of how well your water can RESIST a change in pH. This is commonly called a "buffer system" in chemistry terms. This basically means that, if you were to add equal amounts of acid and base into a container (so pH 6 and pH 8), it is not necessarily true that the pH will end up in the middle (pH 7), as one may think. The buffer will help absorb some of the acid or base, causing the pH change to be uneven (perhaps pH of 6.8?) instead of appearing in the middle.* This is one good reason why you should NOT purchase distilled water. Distilled water has a KH of zero, which means that almost anything you put into the water afterwards can change the pH suddenly and stress out your fish.* Tap water that comes from your water plant has a buffer solution added into it before they send it to your house, and is therefore a much more ideal choice to use for fish keeping. *How do I adjust my Alkalinity?* I have not seen many products but I have seen some buffer solutions at some LFS that you can add to your water to increase or decrease your alkalinity.


This list covers most of the compounds that your most basic testing kit will cover. Other important compounds to consider are:

Chloramine: This is a combination of Chlorine and Ammonia. Chlorine is not very stable and tends to evaporate over time (which is why you also constantly have to add chlorine to a swimming pool). Recently, water companies have been adding Chloramine because it is more stable and is a more powerful killer of bacteria that will get you sick. Your basic water conditioner that removes chlorine is fine to use, however it only removes the chlorine part of chloramine...leaving only...ammonia. Which, as you know by now, is toxic! *How do I get rid of Chloramine? *There are water conditioners that DO remove chloramine, such as SeaChem Prime, will remove the chlorine and instantly detoxify the ammonia attached to it. 


Phosphates: Presence of this compound plus sunlight causes algae to grow in your tank. Phosphates appear in your tank either through your tap water or from your fish food. *How do I get rid of Phosphates? *While there are chemicals to get rid of them, keeping up with your water changes is a much friendlier and convenient way of keeping phosphate levels down, as you have to change your water anyway. However, if you think your phosphate levels are high due to it being in your tap water, you may have no other choice other than to get chemicals for them, or live plants to use up the phosphates.


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## bahamut285

What happens if I use Well Water?
The two main differences between well water and tap water is the fact that well water would contain no chlorine or chloramine, as well as the pH will be different. As a nifty tidbit of information I learned from my classes, water that is stored in wells or groundwater also have higher amounts of dissolved Carbon Dioxide gas in them. This causes the pH of the water to decrease, making it more acidic. *What can I do to fix my well water pH?* Leave well water for a little while in a bucket to allow the carbon dioxide gas to escape, and returning the pH to normal. You could probably aerate it by stirring it around from time to time or put a bubbler in it.

What if I cannot afford/obtain preferable water sources?
Test you tap water at your LPS/LFS (they do it for free) to see how bad it really is. If it is fixable, then I recommend getting the proper chemicals to fix it up. It doesn't cost $1000 per drop, most of it is priced in the $8-15 range and you can use it for many water changes. No price is worth seeing the suffering of your fish just because you didn't want to spend another dime giving your fish the ideal environment. 

If your water is not fixable, then SPRING WATER is a good substitute, just do not get DISTILLED WATER.



*General Water Change Schedule*

Depending on the size of your tank, concentrations will build up at different rates. Smaller tanks will increase in concentration of any of the toxic compounds much faster than in larger tanks. Below is a list of a fairly general schedule. If your tank size is NOT listed, then go with the nearest tank size rounded DOWN, just to be on the safe side. So if you have a 3 gallon tank, look at the suggested water change for 2 gallons, etc. 

Of course, everybody is slightly more busy than the other, so if you are too busy to do a scheduled water change, take the time to maybe do as big a water change that you have time for. It may seem pointless, but any change is better than no change when it comes to taking out toxins in your tank.

These are just GENERAL schedules for people who do not own a testing kit. Once you have a testing kit, you will be able to more accurately determine how often and how much water you should change per week.

1 gallon – 100% every other day. This tank is much too small to be able to establish a stable cycle, regardless of whether it has a filter or not. Tanks this size will build up ammonia way too much in too little time for your good bacteria to grow.

2 gallon – 50% 2-3 times a week and one 100% once a week. Similar to above, this tank is too small to give good bacteria the time to grow. If you have one, using a gravel vacuum is a plus.

5 gallon – *Filtered:* If cycled, 50% once a week if you just have a betta. If you have other tankmates, Do another 25% sometime else during the week. *Unfiltered: * 50% three times a week with one 100% every other week. 

10 gallon – *Filtered: * 25% once a week if you just have a betta. If you have other tankmates, Do another 50% sometime during the week, just to be safe. *Unfiltered: * 50% twice a week with a 100% every other week. **It is a good idea for a tank this size to purchase a filter, the reason behind this is doing a 100% change would start to become too much work**

20 gallon – *Filtered: * 50% water changes once a week. *Unfiltered: * **It is a good idea for a tank this size to purchase a filter, the reason behind this is doing a 100% change would start to become too much work**

I stopped at 20 Gallons because this seems to be the most common large tank size before you start getting into the 55 gallon communities, by which time one should have an intermediate to advanced understanding of how to care for their community tanks. I was too young to remember my parents' 45 community so I wouldn't be able to add any valuable information.

I STRONGLY recommend getting a LIQUID test kit, the one with the bottles and test tubes, over the testing strips. They may appear to be cheaper, but in the long run, the liquid test kit will save you a lot of money. The liquid test kit is also much more accurate than the strips, and you can use them for many water changes as they usually require one or two drops, rather than purchasing a bottle of 30 test strips which will disappear quickly.

 *Credits and Thanks go to: * 
- Wikipedia
- Many many websites with clashing information that I had to sort through
- My chemistry professors
- My brain *puts a bandaid on it* :'(
- Everybody in this Forum, I MEAN IT. EVERYBODY. *points*
- JKFish, PewPewPew (P3), LionMom, Sweeda88 and BettaHeart for being inspiring and awesome people


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## indjo

Nice info.

Unfortunately I don't trust test kits and what ever chemical remedy our LFS supplies. They didn't work when I tried them in the early 80's and I recently tried them again .... to my disappointment.

Anyway, I have this problem which arises when our water company "flushes" its tanks. Tap water becomes yellowish ..... and deadly. My tap water goes into a big 2m cubic tub where it sits for at least 3 days. Then it goes into my fish water tub and sits for another few days before I use them. I make sure that the water is crystal clear before pumping it into my fish water tub. (pH is about 7.5 - 8 and I used dechlors that neutralizes .... metals (?)

When I used this water, my fish became bloated - like dropsy but without the opened (?) scales. When I finally figured out that it was the water, I have lost half of my stock and most were dieing. 

What do I have to test or what test kits do I need? I've been using rain water for the past few months for my remaining fish and was thinking about buying mineral water - which would be expensive. Can I filter the water with active sand, zeolit, and active carbon (sorry don't know English names). Or would I need extra neutralizing agents.


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## bahamut285

indjo said:


> Nice info.
> 
> Unfortunately I don't trust test kits and what ever chemical remedy our LFS supplies. They didn't work when I tried them in the early 80's and I recently tried them again .... to my disappointment.
> 
> Anyway, I have this problem which arises when our water company "flushes" its tanks. Tap water becomes yellowish ..... and deadly. My tap water goes into a big 2m cubic tub where it sits for at least 3 days. Then it goes into my fish water tub and sits for another few days before I use them. I make sure that the water is crystal clear before pumping it into my fish water tub. (pH is about 7.5 - 8 and I used dechlors that neutralizes .... metals (?)
> 
> When I used this water, my fish became bloated - like dropsy but without the opened (?) scales. When I finally figured out that it was the water, I have lost half of my stock and most were dieing.
> 
> What do I have to test or what test kits do I need? I've been using rain water for the past few months for my remaining fish and was thinking about buying mineral water - which would be expensive. Can I filter the water with active sand, zeolit, and active carbon (sorry don't know English names). Or would I need extra neutralizing agents.


@indjo: I'm sorry to hear you have had bad experiences with test kits! I was about to wonder if the ones you had gotten were simply old, because they do expire, but it would seem silly to assume that ALL the ones you have tried were expired. As for your water turning yellow, it sounds like to me like there is iron getting into your water, the main cause of this is most commonly old pipes. My only suggestion is to ask your neighbours if they are experiencing the same thing, followed by calling your water company. Also, is it ALWAYS yellowish? Maybe try running the tap for 2-3 minutes to try to see if it clears up a bit. Another recommendation is to have live plants in your tank to soak up the iron because plants enjoy some iron to grow.

As for using rainwater, just remember that the pH is generally much lower (around 6.5-7ish) and the water is very soft. I would advise on making smaller, more frequent water changes because water from human sources is generally much harder and have a higher pH, and the sudden change could shock your fish. Also maybe add water treatment to it just in case, and maybe let it sit around for a bit. 

I have heard that AquaSafe removes heavy metals from tap water, so you can maybe try that. I would also ask around some plant experts which plants like to eat up the iron.

If you want to try your luck again with testing kits, please do! I would suggest a liquid test kit, you can try the smaller ones instead of purchasing the master kit if you're wary of them not working again. I know some LFS let you return testing kits if they don't work as they should. I recommend testing your rainwater pH, and maybe bring in a sample of your tap water to your LFS and let them test it for you, and tell them about it being yellow.

I hope this helps! 

*****
@ Everybody: You're so welcome! I didn't really expect this much of a response, I kind of wrote it while I was procrastinating my lab report . I'm currently saving up money to get a liquid test kit once I run out of strips XD!


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## indjo

My tap water is usually crystal clear. It is dirty only after the water company flushes. It's not suppose to be like this. The contractor currently running the system is rather irresponsible. yellow - brown - dark; depending on when we turn the tap on - recently flushed or later on. But the tap to our tub is usually always on. By the time we realize it's dirty, the tub would have been filled. And it's the same with all my neighbors. 

I'm certain the coloring is not caused by iron or any other metals. Our well water contains hard metals and other stuff - so I have a pretty good idea what metals do to water. And what ever is in the water can't be absorbed by plants which I always use in my fish tanks/tubs.

Here, liquid testers or what ever are sold individually. I had to spend a lot to get complete water testers. Since I don't know of any specific thing I need to test, I'll save up and get a filter and run my water through them (sand, carbon and zeolith).

Thanks anyway for responding. Btw, I've discussed this problem with a senior member of this forum but only concluded not to use this water for my fish.... I need to be extra careful when filling my fish water drum.


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## bahamut285

Hmm, I posted a response but apparently it didn't show up...what was I going to say? @[email protected]

If the case is that it only turns mucky when the water company flushes it, then there is something wrong on their end (not just the dummy contractor, haha). You should definitely call up and complain, or write a letter. The water company cannot honestly expect people to live in such conditions, let alone aquatic pets.

In any case, I'm glad that a senior member helped you out, and I wish you and your fish best of luck in health!


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## indjo

Thank you for the kind thoughts.

I only need to be extra careful when filling up my drum (direct tap water - not from the big tub). And I'll give dechlors another shot. 
I've begun to start over ..... what ever my condition is, I cannot do without bettas and or aquatic pets..... lol


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## phoenix91

Was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm busy cycling a 5 gallon, i'm doing a fishless cycle. the tank has 1 plant (i'm waiting on the rest to be delivered) and is filtered with a bio-wheel. the gravel is in as is the sand under the gravel.

So i've been testing the water and my ammonia levels have spiked, how long does it take the bacteria (i've been adding bacteria i bought from the store as i don't have any kind of filter media to add to the tank from an already cycled tank) to cause the nitrite to spike? 

I've been dosing the tank with household ammonia, maybe 1-2 drops per day for roughly 6 days now.


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## bahamut285

@Phoenix91: Tanks usually take a couple of weeks to cycle. I remember it took my 5 Gal around 4.5 weeks to fully cycle properly. Since you say your ammonia has spiked, bacteria should move in soon ...give them time to find some nice real-estate XD.


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## phoenix91

bahamut285 said:


> @Phoenix91: Tanks usually take a couple of weeks to cycle. I remember it took my 5 Gal around 4.5 weeks to fully cycle properly. Since you say your ammonia has spiked, bacteria should move in soon ...give them time to find some nice real-estate XD.


Yeah i figured it would take a little time, if i put the plants in will this affect the cycle or should i wait until after it's finished? i can add the drift wood to give the bacteria somewhere to live.


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## bahamut285

@Chelsea, Pekemom, Harley: Thank you ! <3

@Phoenix91: I say adding the driftwood should be fine, it may alter the pH a little because of the tannins it releases. I think you're supposed to boil your driftwood, but I don't have any so I have no experience with it. I think adding your plants in should be perfectly fine, it would give your bacteria somewhere to live as well. Again I am no expert on plants, but plants enjoy gobbling up nitrATE (NO3) which you would otherwise remove by water changes.


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## bahamut285

*Proof*

I recently got back from a somewhat extended leave away from my fish (4 days total) and I quickly decided to test the water in my goldfish tank because I know it is technically overstocked.

I tested it with my liquid kit and my strip kit.

The results are, if you hadn't guessed, the strips are horrendously inaccurate. I tested nitrITES and nitrATES because it is an established tank.

**Disclaimer** Please don't complain over the semi-dangerousness of the following results, I immediately did a large water change and re-tested for safety. My goldies are fine, I almost never do this, hence why I thought up the experiment the second I got home**

**Disclaimer #2** I change my goldfish water 70% every other day and 20% everyday, just to clear that up. I test every other day because I am fully aware that their tank is too small for them. I think I check on them more than I check on my own health**

Liquid kit:
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 80ppm

Strip kit:
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 40ppm

As you can see, for some reason the strip didn't turn the deeper purple colour as it claims to do so when there is 80ppm of Nitrates in your water, it kind of just turns a little bit pinkish than the "safe" zone which is under 40ppm.

If you value the safety and health of your fish, I definitely recommend saving up some money to purchase this liquid test kit. The "master kit" (the one in the hand sized box) is very good value. My petsmart has it for $35 ish and it regularly goes on sale. Since you are adding literal DROPS of this stuff into little test tubes, it should last you a long time.

1 drop is approximately 0.05mL and each bottle is about 37mL, which is approximately 740 drops per bottle. Given that you don't need to test it everyday (unless in my situation), this kit can easily last you anywhere around the 1 year mark, depending on your usage. 

Paying $35 to almost guarantee the safety of my fish for 1 year sounds like a pretty good deal


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## hmckin20

this is a great guide! thanks for posting it on my thread. 

i have just a question- can you cycle unfiltered 10gals? for instance in never doing 100% on them?


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## bahamut285

hmckin20 said:


> this is a great guide! thanks for posting it on my thread.
> 
> i have just a question- can you cycle unfiltered 10gals? for instance in never doing 100% on them?


Thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

As for cycling, the beneficial bacteria will grow ALL OVER your tank, the substrate, the walls, decorations, etc. A filter just makes it more efficient.

Think of it this way: The bacteria that grow on your gravel/walls/deco are like the people who live out in the country. They still provide a decent amount of help but they are not as highly producing, highly efficient as the people who live in the city (your filter).

Your gravel/walls/deco will only provide homes for so many bacteria, but the porous sections of your filter will provide five-star, dense housing with prime conditions to remove harmful ammonia and nitrite from your tank. With ALL the water constantly moving through your tank, there will be maximum efficiency.

I don't know if an uncycled 10 gallon will "cycle" SAFELY, but if left to stagnate, it eventually will due to natural processes. However by then, the ammonia levels will have probably have done its damage.


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## hmckin20

bahamut285 said:


> Thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
> 
> As for cycling, the beneficial bacteria will grow ALL OVER your tank, the substrate, the walls, decorations, etc. A filter just makes it more efficient.
> 
> Think of it this way: The bacteria that grow on your gravel/walls/deco are like the people who live out in the country. They still provide a decent amount of help but they are not as highly producing, highly efficient as the people who live in the city (your filter).
> 
> Your gravel/walls/deco will only provide homes for so many bacteria, but the porous sections of your filter will provide five-star, dense housing with prime conditions to remove harmful ammonia and nitrite from your tank. With ALL the water constantly moving through your tank, there will be maximum efficiency.
> 
> I don't know if an uncycled 10 gallon will "cycle" SAFELY, but if left to stagnate, it eventually will due to natural processes. However by then, the ammonia levels will have probably have done its damage.



Oooh, that's a good metaphor! I get it now. I should probably start working on getting filters for my 10gs, and in the meantime following that great water change schedule posted. Thanks :'D 

Just one more question- if the bacteria grows on substrate/walls/deco, will a 100% completely erase the progress done/ kill the bacteria?


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## bahamut285

hmckin20 said:


> Just one more question- if the bacteria grows on substrate/walls/deco, will a 100% completely erase the progress done/ kill the bacteria?


Doing a 100% change will not kill them instantly unless you scrub the walls/deco/substrate. They will slowly starve to death from the lack of ammonia/nitrite or whatever it is they eat that is present when a fish is producing said ammonia (and when bacteria produce then nitrite).


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## sdgallo

Good Morning! I am relatively new to caring for betta fish, but I love my little guys and am concerned.... I changed the water in their tank yesterday and ever since the water has been cloudy??? I use the top-fin water conditioner to treat the water. I do not use tap water in the tank, i use natural spring water. i though that maybe the cloudiness was some dust from the rocks at the bottom of the tank and would settle overnight, but it has not. Any suggestions??


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## bahamut285

sdgallo said:


> Good Morning! I am relatively new to caring for betta fish, but I love my little guys and am concerned.... I changed the water in their tank yesterday and ever since the water has been cloudy??? I use the top-fin water conditioner to treat the water. I do not use tap water in the tank, i use natural spring water. i though that maybe the cloudiness was some dust from the rocks at the bottom of the tank and would settle overnight, but it has not. Any suggestions??


Hello sdgallo! Welcome to the forum!

How big is your tank and how often do you change the water? Usually it is just a bacterial bloom. It is nothing to be worried about, generally 

Actually, my 5 gallon tank was cloudy for several days, then cleared up all on it's own after a few small water changes during those several days!


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## BunnyCates

Hi, I just set up a new tank. I have the Seachem Alert Combo Pack. The ph was reading a 6.6 about 20 minutes ago but I just looked and now its more like 8.2s red/orange.

Is that bad or good or???? If its bad, how to I fix it? I don't understand ANY of this.

this is a brand new 5 gallon tank. No fish are in it yet, not live plants. Been set up aproximately two hours.


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## bahamut285

BunnyCates said:


> Hi, I just set up a new tank. I have the Seachem Alert Combo Pack. The ph was reading a 6.6 about 20 minutes ago but I just looked and now its more like 8.2s red/orange.
> 
> Is that bad or good or???? If its bad, how to I fix it? I don't understand ANY of this.
> 
> this is a brand new 5 gallon tank. No fish are in it yet, not live plants. Been set up aproximately two hours.


Hello Bunny!

Usually those meters take a few minutes to adjust themselves. I'd keep a close eye on it before adding fish just in case it is actually a swinging pH.

Unfortunately those suction disc alert things are not as accurate (and fast) as people like them to be, so a lot of people prefer the actual pH kit with test tubes and liquid reagents.

HOWEVER! 8.2pH is not too bad. It's on the high end but my own bettas are swimming around in 8.2 pH with no problems at all. It's best to leave pH alone because changing it is a little complicated and especially tedious!


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## BunnyCates

ok THANKS! Wasnt planning to stick him in there until tomorrow anyway, I am worried about this new heater. Omgosh, new digs are stressful!
LOL!!!


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## kfryman

Should I get a test kit or is it just recommended?


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## bahamut285

kfryman said:


> Should I get a test kit or is it just recommended?


It is somewhat strongly recommended. You don't HAVE to get one but if something happens to your fish/tank it is useful to have those numbers to diagnose a potential problem


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## BlueStar

bahamut285 said:


> I tested it with my liquid kit and my strip kit.
> The results are, if you hadn't guessed, the strips are horrendously inaccurate. I tested nitrITES and nitrATES because it is an established tank.


I don't want to get off on the wrong foot here, but there is nothing wrong with test strips unless you get a batch that don't work which is exactly what you seem to have done. That you should take up with the manufacturer and believe me in manufacturing you can even end up with a test kit that has faulty chemicals to do the test yet hopefully that doesn't happen as much anymore. Last I worked in manufacturing it's not quality that is sent out the door, only qty and from what I have read it was not the only company doing that.

I ran into the same problem just recently with Ammonia test strips and when it read dangerous levels of ammonia in my tap water and a newly opened bottle of distilled water (not used for the fish) I contacted the manufactuer and they are sending me some more strips. I also have the API Master test kit, but just for quick checks while trying to get a tank cycled and check on the betta's water I got them. Due to an injury I didn't want to mess with the API Ammonia test to check against the test strips and by the time I had called them I had done all the trouble shooting they would have had me do. LOL, yes I even tested that store bought water for Bettas and it read high in ammonia too with the strips. I would still recommend everyone having a master test kit, but for quick checks the strips are handy after you have tested them out from the readings you get with a master kit to make sure they are working right. Some in a bottle may be faulty, that is why a master test kit comes in handy so if you get a reading that says something is to high you can double check it and also make sure the chemicals in your test kit are working right. 

From extensive reading since I'm running with a high pH and having free/gaseous (NH3) toxic ammonia building up really fast I have learned more about the toxic ammonia. Toxic ammonia cannot be converted from the non-toxic ionic (NH4+) ammonia=ammonium (ionized ammonia) in acidic <7.0 pH, yet going acidic if gone too far will burn the fish. As the pH rises (alkaline) the (NH4+) ammonia which is not harmful converts to the (NH3) toxic ammonia and if it lowers the toxic NH3 get converted back to NH4+. 
They can adjust to a high pH, but if it is converting to toxic ammonia daily from it (and not the fish) then bringing the pH down so you can go longer without water changes is worth while when they live in 2 gallons or less.
A master test kit and most read total ammonia=NH3+NH4 so you will always have a reading with them no matter what state they are in (ionized=safe or gaseous=toxic). A Seachem Ammonia Alert warns you only of the gaseous kind that is toxic so it seems handy if your running with a high pH.

I would rather get my pH down so all this conversion stops me from having to do daily water changes due to toxic ammonia since all 4 of mine swim in 2 gallons. That is why I'm looking into using the Oak tannin which will help bring the pH down along with tinting the water to a more natural life style for them along with having good antibacterial/fungal properties, acclimating the fish as the changes are made going up or down in pH. Also on the forum I've learned about Prime (neutralizes ammonia) which should help if it's cost effective which Betta Bowl Plus is not for larger homes with water changes, if it also prevents the ionized ammonia from converting back to toxic/gaseous ammonia if the pH rises.

I am no expert but this is what I have gathered from all my readings and the betta's I had in the past in 1 gallon tea jars only had a 100% water change once a week along with turkey paster taking out waste every couple of days, thus I probably used a chemical to keep the pH down since that was well water off the same aquifier as mine is now. All 7 of those lived long full lives in bare homes and never seemed unhappy, though my new crew is getting better and bigger homes. I would rather naturally bring the pH down with the Oak tannin than have to use pH down and test to see it stays in the same range since I am not curing up as much water at a time as I did in the past.

You definately do need to do water changes/cleaning more often in smaller homes yet it should not be daily unless you have a high pH which will make any ammonia even in you tap water become toxic much faster than with a lower pH.

Do correct any of my information if it is wrong, I don't want to mis-guide anyone.


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## bahamut285

Hello BlueStar, 

My apologies for the late reply, as I'm right in the middle of exam season, haha. 

To be honest, if I could have my way, I would be using live probes such as the ones in my lab at school to be monitoring these levels, LOL. As for the strips vs. API master kit. If you have the strips already, it's not a big deal. If your fish is sick and you need to check your levels for the Emergency Thread, strips are fine. However if you have the extra cash, it's worth your while to get the master kit purely because it is cheaper in the long run.

However the difference between them is that the API kits are salicylate based, which means it can tell the difference between total ammonia (includes both forms) and toxic ammonia. At least...according to their website that is. I have never worked with salicylate based materials because I use something different at school.

From what I can gather, you have four 2 gallon tanks that are accumulating ammonia quickly, yes?

That entire paragraph about reducing your pH to reduce toxicity, the toxicity of ammonia increases with increasing pH and increasing temperature, yes. However I personally wouldn't recommend "lowering your pH" just to solve your ammonia problems, even though chemically it would work.

The pH of my water is up at 8.2 and I have no problems with ammonia after using Seachem Prime. pH is a very tricky thing to change and keep stable if you do not have the right chemicals, which is why it is not recommended.

*Is the ammonia coming from your water source?*

What ammonia levels are you getting and what is the temperature and pH of your tanks?


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## LittleBettaFish

I don't think the API test can tell between free ammonia and total ammonia present. As the pH in my wild betta tanks is so low (around 4.0 - 5.0) there's no chance of a cycle existing, it's not uncommon for there to be some ammonia present. However, even though at such a low pH this is converted to the less harmful ammonium, the API liquid test kit still picks it up as ammonia. 

I have a test kit by Seachem, and that has two separate methods of testing that allow you to monitor both free and total ammonia. 

Personally, I would not deliberately bring down the pH and think this will effectively stop ammonia toxicity. Ammonium can still be harmful based on the temperature of the water and amount of it present. I would certainly not let my bettas be continually exposed to it, as I have noticed it still does have some affect on the health of my fish.


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## BlueStar

bahamunt285 I thought my testing days where way over (been in your shoes), but seems like the fish have put me back to testing and I've never liked trying to match up colors to those charts. 

I have heard about those expensive probs I wish I could afford, but guess my water that sat about 18 hours and tested by Petsmart only registered as being hard as a problem which is the same even 90 miles from my home. No local fish stores anymore, one that was here closed down. 

I bought the API master test kit, but due to cycling a 2.5 gallon aquarium for guppies I bought Jungle strips (30pk) for quick tests. I found out pretty fast the ammonia strips where not working, called the company and they said they would send me some Tetra ones to replace it after I faxed them the receipt. Well this morning they came in. Yes they sent me 100 of the ammonia test strips and a 100 of the 6 in 1 test strips. I wanted to buy Tetra ones, but they didn't have them at Wally World so I ended up in the Jungle 30pks. Pretty nice and hopefully they will tip me out if I need to crack open the API master test kit which was my reason for getting them while cycling a tank for guppies.
Later testing several other water sources against the kit & strips I found the 5 in 1 test strips said the pH was higher than the kit, matched all the 0 readings of nitrite/nitrate but if some existed they came up with different numbers than the kit. The strips are the only source I have for testing KH/GH now but most of those readings on betta water where all maxed out, guppie tank read below max in the end of it's cycle. Yep I'll buy another kit for just KH/GH. Thus I conclude the Jungle 5n1 strips are not reliable enough to base things on, but are a good warning to use your test kit if you pick up any nitrite/nitrate readings on them. Just for the betta's in a unfiltered heated tank that gets regular changes the 5n1 are worthless for since it's always been 0 nitrite/nitrates, but the tank I have cycled does registered it so for a quick check they will come in handy on it. I agree long run the kits are the cheapest to use, but a few strips around when having a cycled tank will help for quick test in-between regular testing with the kit.

I do all my kit testing in the kitchen and then empty them down the drain. The ammonia and nitrate testing solutions are a bio-hazards which require saftey measures. After I do the last test I fill the sink up with a bunch of cold water to run what didn't make it out of the U trap on out and then with a sink of warm water. Come to find out under the sink one of the drain pipes had come loose and water was in my catch bowls/pans. Think the bowl had some Mr. Clean in it for odor purposes. So if you have PVC drain pipes make sure they are connected good before you play with bio-hazard chemicals . I had gotten most of the chemicals down the U pipe and it was only the tubs of water that backed up. Last thing I would want to do is empty them into a toilet and have that back up, so I'll stick with a sink. 

Seachem site has the link to a pdf about ammonia on the Ammonia Alert pad page:
Total Ammonia=NH4=Non-Harmful Ion + NH3=ToxicGas
....NH3 & NH4 get converted back and forth to each other depending on the pH/temperature
....High pH most of the total ammonia will be converted to the toxic NH3 gas type
....Low pH most of the total ammonia will be converted to the NH4 ion type which is not harmful.

LittleBettaFish is right the API test only reveals total ammonia and not the toxic NH3 gaseous type. Seachem makes a kit that will test and give info on both NH3 toxic type and total ammonia thus you can know exactly the amount of both NH3 and NH4 present. All I have is their Ammonia Alert pad that registers the NH3 toxic ammonia at Safe being <0.02ppm, Alert being 0.05ppm, Alarm 0.2ppm and toxic 0.5ppm. 
7.0pH/0 ammonia_Water from the water well right out of the tap warm or cold 
8.4pH/4.0>8.0 total ammonia & at Alarm 0.2 NH3 harmful ammonia
_same water above 2 days later with no fish in it/untreated or heated.
8.0pH/2.0>4.0 total ammonia & at Alarm 0.2 NH3 harmful ammonia
_water drawn same time/set same time and treated with Tetra BettaSafe (suppose to neutralize the Ammonia)
Since my well water has ammonia in it if the water sets any amount of time and I must use heated water for the betta's my only choice to use this water is to try to bring down the pH (naturally with tannins) to make it a little longer before needing to change the water. I'm sure the drought plus a large amount of cattle below where my well water comes from all doing their business next to a fence line instead of spread out all over the pasture has had an effect on this. On the other side of the road that field of coastal was watered 24 hours a day through the drought until the weather made growing coastal end it. Guess he sold of a lot of the cattle also after that time or moved them elsewhere.

This article explains the effect of pH and temperature on toxic ammonia pretty good LittleBettaFish:
http://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/ammonia-toxicity.html

bahamunt285 above answers most of your questions also on readings with the test kit. 
For now all 4 betta's are in 2 gallon tanks heated to 78*. 2 are glass aquariums so I can see the fish and use them to treat them in if need be. 2 are sterlite plastic containers that can hold up to 5 gallons when I get this ammonia problem corrected so I don't have to change the water as often, but for now they are in only 2 gallons.
Plants:
2 glass aq have a less than 1" moss ball in each of them.
Have some anarcharis that have adjust to the water change in a 2 gallon glass jar (warm or cold not known) in a bathroom with 24 hour CFL (9w=40watt 550 lumens) light on for the past 2 weeks. I now need to cover them with a towel to adjust them to lower light since they are not shedding leaves as much which will be used to float in each tanks when they get there.
Tank water treated with Tetra's BettaSafe 4th day had pH8.0 & 8.0 total ammonia (longest they have gone without a change or ever will go until I get my water fixed).

I used Betta Bowl Plus when they where in smaller bowls during the summer which neutralizes ammonia, but ran out of it and it's not economical to use treating large quantities of water. When I got the Seachem Ammonia Alert telling me harmful ammonia was existing in my water I bought some Jungle Ammonia Clear tabs. Some of the water I had treated and let sit a couple of days had 1 tab (double dose as suggested which treats 10 gallons used for 5 gallons) put into it with a filter 2-10 gallons runing for aireation for over about 2-3 hours had the Ammonia Alert still telling me there was free ammonia still in the water so I trashed the water. Week later I used half a tab on the same type water and got the same result so that was trashed since I knew freshly drawn water had 0 ammonia from the test kit. 

From the above site I have noted:
78* tank, 4 days=8.0pH and 8.0+Total ammonia with their 77* temp showing 5.38% total ammonia would be gaseous toxic ammonia then mine was about 0.43 toxic ammonia-close to killing stage.
If the above was the same except I had a 7.0 pH their 77* shows .57% TA would be gaseous so if I have 8.0 TA then only about 0.0456 would be the toxic amount. Not good, but far better than close to the killing stage. 
From the above you can tell I can't get by with the twice a week water change of 50% then 100% since their water is near toxic at 4 days. BTW the water change before the 4 days reading was also 100% and not 50% and if I recall right the water was drawn right before the change since the water that set was the water treated with Jungle's Ammonia Clear that got trashed for not clearing.

I will order some Prime as soon as I get my shopping list together since I have to order it on the net and see what results I get along with using tannins. The tank I cycled has gone from a higher pH down to 7.0 now (matches fresh drawn water).


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## LittleBettaFish

I couldn't imagine anything worse than having ammonia in your source water. The usual method to remove ammonia from an uncycled tank is only going to compound the problem. Sucks that you have to deal with something like that. Ideally, in a cycled tank you would detoxify your source water with a product like Prime and let the biological filter deal with the rest. 

I have read that site you linked to before, but am still iffy on consequences of long-term (weeks and months) exposure to ammonium. 

For example, even with a pH below 6, a temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and a total ammonia reading of 1-2ppm, none of the fish in that tank are as healthy-looking as my others. I have had a few 'mysterious' deaths and have caught some of my larger fry scratching on the glass and substrate. 

Although, it is stated that ammonium is not as toxic as ammonia, it is still something I would not be comfortable exposing my fish to for a prolonged period of time. 

As I am currently using azolla and water wisteria to control ammonia in that tank (along with partial water changes), I was wondering if there was a similar method you could utilise to naturally filter your water. A couple of large plastic tubs chock-full of something like hornwort and duckweed might realistically be able to provide you with an ammonia-free water source. I know both of those plants are very good in the role of nutrient sponges, and just thought it might be something you might be interested in experimenting with.


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## BlueStar

OFL gave me a bunch of great advice on plants and thinks with Prime and the right plants I may be able to get the ammonia under control naturally. Need plants that float since I'm not adding any gravel to tanks until I can get a vac or considering doing it until I can get the ammonia under control. 

As for the NH4 non-toxic ammonia being harmful to them it probably is to some degree, but so is the air we are breathing that is polluted and now even China's pollution is in our air along with Japan's radiation . Not to mention what has happened to all our water sources. A lady at Wally World told me to hold the bag of goldfish up as I walked out the door because the scanner would affect them. New one on me and no ideal if it is true, but I held them up just to play it safe. 

I do use one of my 5 gallon plastic containers to get water ready for the tanks, but need to go bigger so I can cure more gallons for full water changes. I do like to have water ready to go ahead of time instead of drawing it fresh trying to match temps and all. Added your plants to the list of ones to get also depending on their requirements, costs and availablility. Think Petmart had them, but hopefully you can order them on the internet for reasonable prices since that's 3 hours of driving time plus time shopping. This time of year I have face the setting sun coming home where sun visors don't help on top of be home way before dark to get food slop ready to feed and the critters fed.

Appreciate the help because I hate trying to regulate pH about as much as I hate trying to match up the colors of the water tests on the cards. Rarely do the colors ever match the card LOL. More this way or less that way? Asked my dogs and they didn't seem to care, Asia got it right though since she is blind . Now I'm on track for taking the natural way out and if that fails then I'll slowly get each into a cycled tank with plants that will solve the problem. Hopefully the drought is a big reason behind this on top of living in an area with more livestock around.


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## beatlesmania

hey, I'm hoping somebody can get me an answer asap as I'm about to clean my bettas tank. 
I have a 3.7L tank and I'm not sure how much water conditioner I should put it. I've tried googling it and going on the Nutrafin website, but I can't seem to find anything PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Thanks!


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## bahamut285

beatlesmania said:


> hey, I'm hoping somebody can get me an answer asap as I'm about to clean my bettas tank.
> I have a 3.7L tank and I'm not sure how much water conditioner I should put it. I've tried googling it and going on the Nutrafin website, but I can't seem to find anything PLEASE HELP ME!!!
> 
> Thanks!


Hello Beatles,

It depends on how strong your water conditioner is. It usually says it on the bottle somewhere. For example it will say "1 capful for 10 Gallons". 3.7L is just under 1 Gallon so you have to use a tenth of the cap. Let me know if you need any further math help to figuring it out properly


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## Virux

A note about plants: It's pretty hard to calculate exactly how many plants you need to use up your nitrates, but A good way to sort of figure out an an an optimum fish/plant ratio that I have used is this: 

In a cycled (or very small and therefore nearly uncyclable tank) 

Buy some easy, fast growing plants. Anacharis (also called Elodea) is very cheap, super hardy, and just the right kind of plant. Buy one "bunch" of plants per inch of fish in your tank, slightly less if you have a well-stocked tank. Rinse the plants well with some tap water a few times, and then rinse with some treated water or old tank water. Plant the plants in your tank substrate, and do your normal routine. For the next few weeks, watch the plants closely, and do NOT use fertilizer of any kind. Test your water and compare your results to your normal schedule. 

If your plants explode with growth and look fabulous for a bit, and then kinda level out, you should try adding one or two more plants. Do the same if you notice that in your tests, your nitrates are not lower than usual, or lower than usual but not by very much, and you feel the plants haven't helped much. 

If your nitrates have dropped nicely ( they probably will never end up being zero however, except right after a water change) , congrats, you've gotten it close to right! You can add more plants or plants of other varieties if you like, but if you put too many plants in your tank, you'll have to add a little fertilizer of some kind to feed them, since the fish and bacteria won't produce enough nitrate/other things they need to grow. 

If your plants go totally insane and do not stop, either buy more plants or take some little cuttings from your little Elodeas and plant them. 

If your plants die, or get sickly/yellow/pale, they are not receiving something they need. Perhaps the water is too salty, snails are chowing on them, or they aren't getting enough light. Give your little planties 12 hrs ish of light a day, and 12 hours dark-- they need the dark time, too. Plants use photosynthesis to generate energy during the day, but also burn this energy (Read: grow and make leaves, etc) during the night... so don't give them only dark or only light. Aquarium plants benefit from a grow light or plant light... but they might also be fine with ambient light, or a little sunlight (not direct sun, which can overheat your tank, but sun that comes through the window and still manages to light the tank a bit) 

I suggest using Elodea for this only because it is so cheap and hardy, and will grow from cuttings easily. You could also use other plants that are hardy and grow fast. Look up "plant cycling" or "Silent cycling" and use plants that they recommend for that, if you like, because plant-cycling plants all grow fast and in accordance with water parameters.


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## wnppmy

How small can you go and still get some type of established environment. I'm using a Marimo Moss and Floating fern, bowl now has green algae, Betta, 2 Ghost Shrimp and recent Pond Snail. My lighting is over 16 hours, perhaps reason for the algae? Water is clear, non filtered, realize filtered better but experimenting. Water temp slightly cool up to 76 degrees, 73 evening, light as heater. Again heater better, but all part of my experiment.
Also water change, is lower, 50 percent, then 25, should be more and often, mines 5 days to week, effort to establish. Against the norm, attempt to form a cycle of sort. I don't suggest this, but it's been favorable so far.


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## bahamut285

@Virux and wnppmy: This is strictly a plant-less guide. Please keep it that way

@wnppmy: My only guess could be excess phosphates.


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