Royal gramma died, why?

[Cell]

Salifert >> Aquaspin

 

[LiamPM]

Id personally trust your own results over the stores but theres a simple way to find out how your test kits are performing.

Make or buy a fresh batch of saltwater and get it ready like you would a water change. Test this freshly made water with your ammonia test kit. Whatever that then reads is your zero - As its completely new. This will verify what zero should look like on your test and give you something to compare against your display tanks test result.

Some of these hobby grade tests often never actually hit what plenty of us interpret as zero unfortunately. Not just API branded.

 

[Tamberav]

Id personally trust your own results over the stores but theres a simple way to find out how your test kits are performing.

Make or buy a fresh batch of saltwater and get it ready like you would a water change. Test this freshly made water with your ammonia test kit. Whatever that then reads is your zero - As its completely new. This will verify what zero should look like on your test and give you something to compare against your display tanks test result.

Some of these hobby grade tests often never actually hit what plenty of us interpret as zero unfortunately. Not just API branded.

Good idea but not foolproof, ammonia is an impurity sometimes in salt mixes from the manufacturing process.

 

[LiamPM]

Good idea but not foolproof, ammonia is an impurity sometimes in salt mixes from the manufacturing process.

Nothing in this hobby is fool-proof unfortunately. But its the best check to gage your test kits zero - I myself have never tested ammonia in a freshbatch in an extremely long time (Ever) and if it was in a batch that i never tested (because i dont do it that often) then it was a negligable amount that i suspect woudlnt show up anywway - And extremely unlikely to be a caus eof anything relevant.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Nothing in this hobby is fool-proof unfortunately. But its the best check to gage your test kits zero - I myself have never tested ammonia in a freshbatch in an extremely long time (Ever) and if it was in a batch that i never tested (because i dont do it that often) then it was a negligable amount that i suspect woudlnt show up anywway - And extremely unlikely to be a caus eof anything relevant.

The best check for an ammonia test is water from a functioning reef tank, that will be as close to zero as you will likely see. Instant Ocean, freshly mixed has 0.12 mg/l ammonia in it. Other salt brands go as high as 0.25 ppm.

Jay

 

[poaks]

Id personally trust your own results over the stores but theres a simple way to find out how your test kits are performing.

Make or buy a fresh batch of saltwater and get it ready like you would a water change. Test this freshly made water with your ammonia test kit. Whatever that then reads is your zero - As its completely new. This will verify what zero should look like on your test and give you something to compare against your display tanks test result.

Some of these hobby grade tests often never actually hit what plenty of us interpret as zero unfortunately. Not just API branded.

I just made a new fresh batch of saltwater and ammonia/nitrite/nitrate came to 0. So is there a reason why my RG died so suddenly? Should I wait a week before adding new fish into the tank (I was going to add one today)?

 

[poaks]

Salifert >> Aquaspin

What should I do to "fix" my tank then? I still have no idea why my RG died like that (my firefish is still doing fine)