Product
Aquarium Crash Card
For the new or intermediate freshwater fishkeeper who walks downstairs to a cloudy tank, a gasping fish at the surface, or a dead corydoras on the gravel, and has 20 minutes to figure out whether the tank is cycling, crashing, poisoning, or infected. Tell the tool the tank size, days since setup, livestock, test-kit readings and visible symptoms, and one structured pass returns a ranked emergency card: top 2 to 3 diagnoses in descending confidence, the exact next 60 minutes of action, a tank-sized water-change plan with Seachem Prime dosing in mL, a do-not-do list, assumptions receipts for every blank reading, and safety notes that fire on saltwater, dropsy, test-strip readings, overstocking, or an uncycled tank.
About this tool
What does aquarium crash card do?
For the new or intermediate freshwater fishkeeper who walks downstairs to a cloudy tank, a gasping fish at the surface, or a dead corydoras on the gravel, and has 20 minutes to figure out whether the tank is cycling, crashing, poisoning, or infected. Tell the tool the tank size, days since setup, livestock, test-kit readings and visible symptoms, and one structured pass returns a ranked emergency card: top 2 to 3 diagnoses in descending confidence, the exact next 60 minutes of action, a tank-sized water-change plan with Seachem Prime dosing in mL, a do-not-do list, assumptions receipts for every blank reading, and safety notes that fire on saltwater, dropsy, test-strip readings, overstocking, or an uncycled tank.
My fish tank is cloudy, what do I do?
Cloudy water in a stocked freshwater tank is almost always a bacterial bloom riding on an ammonia or nitrite spike, a filter restart after a cleaning or power outage, or recent overfeeding. The first move is to test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and temperature right now. If ammonia or nitrite reads above zero, dose Seachem Prime at 1 mL per 10 gallons to detoxify for 24 to 48 hours and do a 25 to 50 percent water change with dechlorinated, temperature-matched water. Do not add new fish, do not rinse or replace the filter media, and do not dose medication while parameters are off. Aquarium Crash Card runs this diagnosis in one pass and returns the exact 60-minute action list with the Prime dose in mL and the water change in gallons for your tank size.
Is 0.5 ppm ammonia an emergency in a freshwater tank?
Yes. Any detectable ammonia in a stocked freshwater tank is toxic to fish gills: 0.25 ppm already stresses most tropicals, and 0.5 ppm risks acute damage within hours when pH is above 7 because more of the ammonia sits in the toxic NH3 form at higher pH. The immediate move is a full Seachem Prime dose (1 mL per 10 gallons, up to 2x in a severe spike) to lock ammonia into the non-toxic ammonium form for 24 to 48 hours while you do a 25 to 50 percent water change. The card reads your ammonia value, pH, and tank size and returns the exact Prime mL and the water-change gallons so you are not doing math at 1am.
Should I use Seachem Prime or do a water change first during an ammonia spike?
Both, in the right order. Dose Seachem Prime first because it binds free ammonia and nitrite into the non-toxic forms within minutes across the entire water column, then do the water change (dechlorinated, temperature-matched to within 2 F) at 25 to 50 percent of tank volume depending on severity. Prime holds the detox for 24 to 48 hours, which buys the gills a window while the water change dilutes the actual concentration. The card lays this out as a numbered action list for the next 60 minutes so you are not reading five Reddit threads trying to reconcile conflicting advice while fish are gasping.
How long does new tank syndrome last?
A fresh freshwater cycle typically runs 4 to 6 weeks from day one to a stable biofilter, which you confirm when ammonia and nitrite both read zero on a liquid reagent test and nitrate is climbing. During that window, ammonia and nitrite spikes are expected and dangerous to any fish already in the tank; the plan is daily testing, Seachem Prime every 24 hours, 25 to 50 percent water changes to keep ammonia under 0.5 ppm, and no new fish or medications until the readings hold at zero for several days. The card flags a cycling tank in the diagnosis and routes the plan to cycle through with a daily Prime schedule for your gallons rather than prescribing meds.
My fish are gasping at the surface, is it an ammonia spike?
Surface gasping is the universal oxygen or gill damage signal and the three common causes are an ammonia or nitrite spike burning the gills, a dissolved-oxygen crash from a stopped filter or a heatwave pushing water temperature past 82 F, or CO2 overdose in a planted tank running pressurized injection. Test ammonia, nitrite, and temperature first; if ammonia or nitrite is above zero, dose Seachem Prime and start a 25 to 50 percent water change. Point the filter return at the surface and drop in an airstone to raise oxygen while you diagnose. The card ranks these three causes by confidence from the parameters and symptoms you type in and tells you the first move for the next 60 minutes.
Can I treat ich if ammonia or nitrite is above zero?
No. Any medication (ich treatments like Ich-X or Super Ick Cure, antibiotics like Kanaplex or Maracyn, parasite dips, salt at elevated concentrations) adds stress to gills that are already compromised by ammonia or nitrite, and most medications also partially suppress the biofilter, which prolongs the spike. The card enforces a medication deferral: if ammonia or nitrite reads above zero, the plan is dose Seachem Prime, water change, re-test in 24 hours, and only begin treatment when both read zero and the fish are stable. The safety receipts log this deferral with a named kind so you can see why the card refused to prescribe meds.
How big a water change should I do during an ammonia spike?
25 to 50 percent depending on severity, with dechlorinated water matched to tank temperature within 2 F. 25 percent for ammonia under 0.5 ppm, 50 percent for 1 ppm or higher, repeated daily until the reading drops to zero. Larger single changes risk pH or temperature shock on sensitive species (discus, apistogramma, otocinclus, wild-caught tetras), so do not exceed 50 percent in one go unless the water is visibly contaminated. The card calculates the gallons from your tank size and the ammonia value so you do not have to run the math while panicking.
Do API test strips underread ammonia?
Yes, often. API freshwater test strips are known to underread ammonia and nitrite compared to liquid reagent kits (the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, Salifert, or Sera) because the strips rely on a reactive paper surface rather than a direct chemical titration. If your strips read zero but your fish are gasping, flashing, or clamped at the surface, re-test with a liquid reagent kit before you trust the strip. The card asks which test method you used and, when strips disagree with visible symptoms, logs a test_strip_accuracy_flag into the safety receipts and tells you to re-test with a liquid kit before committing to a treatment plan.
What does it cost?
From 15 tokens. Pick a tier on the form above. Produde tokens are a prepaid platform credit; buy them once and spend on any tool.
Do I pay if a run doesn't complete?
No. You only pay for results. If a run can't finish, its full token cost stays in your wallet automatically.
Is my data stored?
Your input and the run output are saved to your account so you can browse history. They are not sold, shared with advertisers, or used to train shared models. See privacy for details.