Hello again... I haven't been lurking around here in a while, but I have some new questions that maybe you all would be kind enough to help me answer...

I recently bought a new water test kit, the kind with the strips you dip in the water. I have to say, they're so easy to use it makes me not dread/procrastinate water testing. However, I'm a little concerned about the accuracy, especially after I tested the tap water for comparison.

I know that recently (within the last few months) it's seemed like the tap water around here has been going through some changes. We've been noticing more of a chlorine smell coming out of the tap, and we're seeing a lot of white spots and deposits on our dishes. However, I never tested the tap water here before these changes, so I can't be sure.

Anyway, I just did some testing and was rather startled by the results. They showed I had about 20 ppm of Nitrate coming out of the tap, as well as somewhere around 0.5 - 1.0 ppm (it was hard to tell, the color didn't quite match the chart) of Ammonia! The tests on my aquarium water also showed about 40 ppm of Nitrate (I was about to do a water change anyway) and roughly the same result as the tap water for the ammonia. I'm guessing the ammonia in the aquarium must be of the relatively harmless NH4 variety, since my tank is fully cycled, I use Prime with every water change, and the test showed no nitrite. The other thing that surprised me was getting a 0 for chlorine from the tap. I fully expected to see at least a little.

Still, I'm wondering if this is cause for concern. Are there any tests that differentiate between ammonia of the bad and okay varieties? Could bad tap water (even conditioned bad tap water) be the cause of my goldfishes' chronic illnesses (red spots, split fins, white spots, etc.)? Or should using Prime be enough to take care of any and all bad stuff in the tap water? Would it be worth testing the conditioned tap water for peace of mind, or do these things still show up on tests even after they've been treated?

Once again, TIA. I hope to get my fishies healthy and presentable enough someday to share pictures with you all.

I wouldn't rely on those. You'de have to test using the drop kits first to know for sure.

They're that bad, eh? How disappointing. The main reason I bought them is because I haven't been able to find any other kind of chlorine test, which was a big concern of mine... The other tests on them and the ease of use were just a bonus, really. I figured anything that could motivate me to test more often would be a good thing.

If you call your city, they will provide you with a free water report for your home. But that should only be used as a general guideline. What actually comes out of your faucet and what comes directly out of the water plant can be two, completely different horses.

Also, if you are really concerned, do what I did! Tell the city that you demand that they send someone to YOUR HOME to test your water. They should do this for free.

Hello Starla.
Lola is absolutely right about the strips. They can be wildly unreliable especially if they become damp or just old.
I think it is very important that you get a proper dropper-kit like either API or Tetra, so that we can really be sure of the water chemistry. Can you test the tap for everything including KH and GH as well as the tank.

I'm going to recommend that you post exact details of all your fishes symptoms in the Disease and Diagnosis section. I have read back over your topics and think it might be helpful to do a complete review of your tank set up, filtration, water-changing and health problems as there is obviously something going on that has not been resolved yet.

One last thought - you've mentioned algae in the past and I'm just wondering about your substrate and whether or not you vacuum it?

Post in D&D as soon as you can get a new kit. I'm sorry you've been struggling and hope we can finally diagnose the problem.

Okes? Pixie

Thanks, Pixie. I do have a regular drop-test kit, but it's several years old at this point and I didn't want to rely on it anymore. I had high hopes for the dip-strips... oh well.

I'll go out soon and get some proper tests, and see what I can find out... and then I'll post in the Disease and Diagnosis forum once again. With all our brain power put together, maybe we can finally figure out what's going wrong in my aquarium.

Lolafish: The city sent out a water quality report several months ago, with a number to call with questions or concerns. I'd been meaning to call them ever since getting the noticeable chlorine smell. I guess this gives me more motivation..