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tang_lover
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Posted 6/16/2010 5:58:15 AM
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Last Active: 7/3/2010 7:40:19 AM
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I run a 2.5 gallon tank with a Betta and a Apple Snail (mystery snail)
When I returned from a week long trip only to find that the computer backup battery/surge i used did not reset for what ever reason and the tank was running without power..... 
the water smelled horrible so I did to 50% water changes and changed the filter for the first time which was overdue for a change by now..
this morning i checked the water and got these results:
(also i don't know if this is normal for a tank that had its water 100% changed last night)
ammonia:0
nitrate:0
nitrite:0
*total hardness: i think it was 0 but it might have been 25 still very soft tho
*Total Alkalinity:80
*pH: 6.5
my question is what do i need to get to correct the problems, the best brand you would recommend, and the ammount for a 2.5 gallon tank
Thank You
Water Water Every Where But Not A Drop To Drink 
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argi
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Posted 6/16/2010 4:09:45 PM
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Test your tap water to see what it's levels are at. If they are low to begin with then you may need to buffer the water. Here are some that should work for you:http://www.marinedepot.com/pH_KH_Buffer_Additives_Supplements-FWADPK-ct.html
________________________________________________
Keith
"Simply put, you believe that things or people make you unhappy, but this is not accurate. You make yourself unhappy." Wayne Dyer
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tang_lover
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Posted 6/17/2010 6:07:38 AM
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Ok Ill check my tap later today and post back what I find.
Water Water Every Where But Not A Drop To Drink
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gpodio
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Posted 6/17/2010 7:05:18 AM
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Could you post the GH and KH of your tap water? If the reduction of PH is from neglect, this is likely due to acids released from decaying organics. If this is the case, water changes are all you will need. If you desire a higher KH and GH than what your tap water provides then you can use a wide array of products for this task. My personal preference is baking soda (from grocery store) to raise KH and Seachem Equilibrium to raise GH.
Your KH in dKH is 4.5 which is quite good, after some water changes your PH will go back up without having to raise KH (alkalinity) in any way, you'll probably end up with a PH in the mid 7's or just above that.
Try to avoid "total hardness" as we're best to know the individual GH and KH values rather than the combined. Your total hardness however cannot be 0 if alkalinity/KH is 4.5dKH... something is wrong or throwing off your test kit.
I would do daily 25% water changes and test your PH after 24 hours of having performed a change.
Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio
Giancarlo Podio
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tang_lover
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Posted 6/17/2010 10:27:37 AM
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*note i use test strips which if i remember right were not the best test kits to get i used to have a 40$ reef test kit but i gave that to my biology teacher after having to drain my 29 gallon tank
Well i have just checked the water from my tap and it reads as such
pH:7.0
Total Alkalinity:120
total Hardness:25
nitrite:0
nitrate:0
These are the results from the tanks water today:
pH:5.5 but looks brighter than the card says the strip is which means its lower than that
Total Alkalinity: 40
Total Hardness: either 0 or 25 i cant tell it blends more with the 0 one
nitrite: 0
nitrate:0
Ammonia: bad strip
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also dose the "age" of my water contribute to such changes and i read some chemicals change the waters balance?
Also i want to buy another freshwater test kit from API like my marine one they were very reliable
thank you
Water Water Every Where But Not A Drop To Drink
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gpodio
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Posted 6/17/2010 12:00:03 PM
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In that case I'd keep up with frequent partial water changes until the chemistries match. PH from the tap water is a little lower than your tank will achieve due to being under pressure. If you let the tap water rest in a bucket overnight you'll get results that are closer to what the tank will reach once this is all taken care of.
The APi test kits are great, can't go wrong with them.
Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio
Giancarlo Podio
6/17/2010 12:01:12 PM by
gpodio
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tang_lover
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Posted 6/17/2010 2:07:10 PM
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In that case I'd keep up with frequent partial water changes until the chemistries match.
so should I just take a bucket of water and add my amquel and novaqua, let it sit for the night and slowly change my water throughout the day.
*how much should I do like a cup of water every 3 hours or sumthing that totals to one 25% water change a day. ?
sorry to ask the same thing over but would it be possible to make a list of the things I should do? 
OH also would it be more cost effective to buy one of API's individual test products for like pH :/ the strips will be expensive to use them so often and I wouldn't trust petsmart or co to give a good test...
this all happened after I left for a week and the filter cut off.... you think this is why this happend all happened
thank you for the help
Water Water Every Where But Not A Drop To Drink
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gpodio
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Posted 6/18/2010 6:30:22 AM
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With the use of those two conditioners there's no reason to let the water sit any length of time. As long as the temperature difference is neglectable (you can mix a little hot and cold to get the right temp) you can change 25-30% in a single shot.
As for the test kits, they are quite cheap, you could pick up the Freshwater Master Test kit which has PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate... then pick up KH on it's own... PH is the more commonly used one, NH4 NO2 and NO3 are useful during cycling and when dealing with a problem, otherwise they are hardly ever needed in an established tank. KH and GH are good values to know, but once you know these values of your tap water they don't change much and you'll probably just end up using them when situations like this occur. One could get away with bringing a sample of tank water to a local fish store for testing when problems occur.
Luckily for you, the size of the tank and the type of fish you have make it quite easy to address problems such as these. A betta can actually handle much larger water changes so don't hesitate to perform them daily until things are back to normal.
Hope that helps
Giancarlo
Giancarlo Podio
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tang_lover
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Posted 6/19/2010 4:39:13 AM
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I checked my water again after doing a 30% change yesterday and nothing has really changed ill keep trying tho. (im starting to doubt the ability of these test strips) lol I think ill take my water to an aquarium store and see what they say, just to double check you know.
Water Water Every Where But Not A Drop To Drink
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tang_lover
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Posted 6/19/2010 5:16:36 AM
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oh and i just decided to test the water that's been sitting in my pitcher overnight and it reads fine
pH:7.0
total alkalinity 120
total hardness 25
nitrite nitrate: 0, 0
ill do another change today
 i read that ornaments can change your pH so ill check that too.
Water Water Every Where But Not A Drop To Drink
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