Good evening, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a tank. My son was gifted a 55gallon tank that his grandparents set up not knowing and didn’t cycle the tank at all. They added 32 fish to it so he would be excited when he came down for his gifts. The tank had the filter and heater that came w the set and a air pump that is suitable up to 100 gallons. The fish from what I can tell were 15 neon tetras, 10 red eye tetras?( little bigger then the neons), 4 corys, 2 dwarf Gouramis and one baby pleco( dosnt look like a common tho). Obviously since it was never cycled 13/15 of the neons didn’t make it to the second day. And one Cory died. Tao water conditioner was used and also I’ve added the api quick start each day to try to save the fish. It’s now been 48 hours. I ordered a test kit so that will be here shortly. In the mean time what can I do to help save the remaining fish? Getting bacteria from another tank is not an option.
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Fish In Cycle of a New Tank 55 gallon Aqueon bundle kit
- Thread starter bkny27
- Start date
Hi and welcome to the joys of pets for Xmas 
The best thing to do is reduce feeding to 2-3 times per week, and do big regular water changes.
The less food going into the tank, the less ammonia that is produced and the lower the ammonia levels remain. Don't worry about the fish starving during the time because unlike mammals and birds that use most of the food they eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water and any food they eat is used for growth and movement. This allows fish to go for weeks or even months without food and not die.
After the tank has cycled (in about 4-6 weeks), you can feed the fish every day.
--------------------
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding the fish. This will remove uneaten food and any ammonia that was produced by the fish and the food.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change if there is an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm.
When the filter has finished cycling and you no longer get an ammonia or nitrite reading and they remain on 0ppm at all times, you can do a water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
--------------------
If you have a light unit above the aquarium, you can add some live plants and they will use some of the ammonia and help keep the water safe for the fishes. If you don't have a light unit above the tank, don't bother with live plants because they won't survive without some form of lighting.
--------------------
API QuickStart is a filter bacteria supplement and helps speed up the cycling process. I recommend using a double dose every day for a week, and then pouring the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the bacteria near the filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter where it belongs.
Add the bacteria supplement after a water change so you don't remove it when you do a water change.
You can't overdose with the liquid bacterial supplements so don't worry about putting too much in. It is naturally occurring bacteria that normally live in an aquarium.
--------------------
When you test the tank water during the cycling phase, do not test for nitrates. Nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate, and give you a false reading.
During the first week, just test for ammonia. In the second week you can start testing for nitrite as well.
When the ammonia has gone up and come back down to 0ppm, and the nitrite has gone up and come back down to 0ppm, the nitrate level should start to go up. When this happens, the tank will be considered cycled.
The cycling process normally takes between 4 & 6 weeks but can take longer in some tanks, and it can take less time if you add the filter bacteria supplements.
--------------------
If you post pictures of the fish we should be able to identify them for you.
If you have a small species of suckermouth catfish (Pleco) you can probably keep it, but if it's a common Plecostomus, they grow to 18-24 inches long and should not be kept in aquariums.
All suckermouth catfish need algae and driftwood in their diet. You can buy small pieces of driftwood from most pet shops. Just hose it down and put it in the tank. Driftwood will usually release tannins (yellow/ brown stain) into the water and this is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. However, if the tannins get too dark, it makes it difficult to see the fish. The easiest way to remove tannins from an aquarium is with big water changes. After a period of time, the driftwood stops releasing tannins and the water will no longer turn yellow or brown.
--------------------
Try not to worry too much. Keep the feeding down and water changes up and the remaining fish should be ok. If you have any problems, pop on here and post some pictures of the fish sick fish and we will try to help you.
The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have some spare time.
www.fishforums.net
The best thing to do is reduce feeding to 2-3 times per week, and do big regular water changes.
The less food going into the tank, the less ammonia that is produced and the lower the ammonia levels remain. Don't worry about the fish starving during the time because unlike mammals and birds that use most of the food they eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water and any food they eat is used for growth and movement. This allows fish to go for weeks or even months without food and not die.
After the tank has cycled (in about 4-6 weeks), you can feed the fish every day.
--------------------
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding the fish. This will remove uneaten food and any ammonia that was produced by the fish and the food.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change if there is an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm.
When the filter has finished cycling and you no longer get an ammonia or nitrite reading and they remain on 0ppm at all times, you can do a water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
--------------------
If you have a light unit above the aquarium, you can add some live plants and they will use some of the ammonia and help keep the water safe for the fishes. If you don't have a light unit above the tank, don't bother with live plants because they won't survive without some form of lighting.
--------------------
API QuickStart is a filter bacteria supplement and helps speed up the cycling process. I recommend using a double dose every day for a week, and then pouring the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the bacteria near the filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter where it belongs.
Add the bacteria supplement after a water change so you don't remove it when you do a water change.
You can't overdose with the liquid bacterial supplements so don't worry about putting too much in. It is naturally occurring bacteria that normally live in an aquarium.
--------------------
When you test the tank water during the cycling phase, do not test for nitrates. Nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate, and give you a false reading.
During the first week, just test for ammonia. In the second week you can start testing for nitrite as well.
When the ammonia has gone up and come back down to 0ppm, and the nitrite has gone up and come back down to 0ppm, the nitrate level should start to go up. When this happens, the tank will be considered cycled.
The cycling process normally takes between 4 & 6 weeks but can take longer in some tanks, and it can take less time if you add the filter bacteria supplements.
--------------------
If you post pictures of the fish we should be able to identify them for you.
If you have a small species of suckermouth catfish (Pleco) you can probably keep it, but if it's a common Plecostomus, they grow to 18-24 inches long and should not be kept in aquariums.
All suckermouth catfish need algae and driftwood in their diet. You can buy small pieces of driftwood from most pet shops. Just hose it down and put it in the tank. Driftwood will usually release tannins (yellow/ brown stain) into the water and this is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. However, if the tannins get too dark, it makes it difficult to see the fish. The easiest way to remove tannins from an aquarium is with big water changes. After a period of time, the driftwood stops releasing tannins and the water will no longer turn yellow or brown.
--------------------
Try not to worry too much. Keep the feeding down and water changes up and the remaining fish should be ok. If you have any problems, pop on here and post some pictures of the fish sick fish and we will try to help you.
The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have some spare time.
What to do if your fish gets sick
If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...
www.fishforums.net
Thank you so much for the reply. It’s definitely not a common pleco. Will post a picture when I get home tonight.Hi and welcome to the joys of pets for Xmas
The best thing to do is reduce feeding to 2-3 times per week, and do big regular water changes.
The less food going into the tank, the less ammonia that is produced and the lower the ammonia levels remain. Don't worry about the fish starving during the time because unlike mammals and birds that use most of the food they eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water and any food they eat is used for growth and movement. This allows fish to go for weeks or even months without food and not die.
After the tank has cycled (in about 4-6 weeks), you can feed the fish every day.
--------------------
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding the fish. This will remove uneaten food and any ammonia that was produced by the fish and the food.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change if there is an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm.
When the filter has finished cycling and you no longer get an ammonia or nitrite reading and they remain on 0ppm at all times, you can do a water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
--------------------
If you have a light unit above the aquarium, you can add some live plants and they will use some of the ammonia and help keep the water safe for the fishes. If you don't have a light unit above the tank, don't bother with live plants because they won't survive without some form of lighting.
--------------------
API QuickStart is a filter bacteria supplement and helps speed up the cycling process. I recommend using a double dose every day for a week, and then pouring the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the bacteria near the filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter where it belongs.
Add the bacteria supplement after a water change so you don't remove it when you do a water change.
You can't overdose with the liquid bacterial supplements so don't worry about putting too much in. It is naturally occurring bacteria that normally live in an aquarium.
--------------------
When you test the tank water during the cycling phase, do not test for nitrates. Nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate, and give you a false reading.
During the first week, just test for ammonia. In the second week you can start testing for nitrite as well.
When the ammonia has gone up and come back down to 0ppm, and the nitrite has gone up and come back down to 0ppm, the nitrate level should start to go up. When this happens, the tank will be considered cycled.
The cycling process normally takes between 4 & 6 weeks but can take longer in some tanks, and it can take less time if you add the filter bacteria supplements.
--------------------
If you post pictures of the fish we should be able to identify them for you.
If you have a small species of suckermouth catfish (Pleco) you can probably keep it, but if it's a common Plecostomus, they grow to 18-24 inches long and should not be kept in aquariums.
All suckermouth catfish need algae and driftwood in their diet. You can buy small pieces of driftwood from most pet shops. Just hose it down and put it in the tank. Driftwood will usually release tannins (yellow/ brown stain) into the water and this is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. However, if the tannins get too dark, it makes it difficult to see the fish. The easiest way to remove tannins from an aquarium is with big water changes. After a period of time, the driftwood stops releasing tannins and the water will no longer turn yellow or brown.
--------------------
Try not to worry too much. Keep the feeding down and water changes up and the remaining fish should be ok. If you have any problems, pop on here and post some pictures of the fish sick fish and we will try to help you.
The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have some spare time.
What to do if your fish gets sick
If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...
Trying to get better pics not sure if these work
Attachments
Here’s a little better pic. If that helpsIt looks a bit like a clown pleco, which is a small species and it should be fine in that size tank.
Attachments
mrsjoannh13
Fishaholic
If you have a PetSmart near you, get a bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus (bacteria in a bottle). Shake it well and dump the whole thing in the tank. It will help speed up the cycle.
Otherwise, use your test kit and do water changes to keep the ammonia levels down and eventually nitrite. The bacteria in a bottle products will jump start the cycle and you should start to see nitrate pretty quickly.
Be sure to use a water conditioner when adding new water to the tank. I have been really pleased with Dr. Tim's First Defense, but there are many other brands out there that will work just fine.
Otherwise, use your test kit and do water changes to keep the ammonia levels down and eventually nitrite. The bacteria in a bottle products will jump start the cycle and you should start to see nitrate pretty quickly.
Be sure to use a water conditioner when adding new water to the tank. I have been really pleased with Dr. Tim's First Defense, but there are many other brands out there that will work just fine.
Quick update for you guys now that I have test kit. First picture is last week. Middle picture is 3 days ago and 3rd picture is today. I was doing a weekly water change. Up untill this week. This week I’ve done 2 and plan another on Saturday when I can finally use the python and clean the gravel good as well. 2 dwarf Gs and the 10 red eye tetras are unfortunately all that have survived. I’ve also moved to feeding much less and every other day. It looks to me like I might finally atleast be showing some nitrates even tho my nitrite is still really high. Any other suggestions?
Attachments
The third photo shows a lot of nitrite. That needs to be kept at zero; you need to do water changes every time it reads above zero. Nitrite binds to the fish's blood cells and blocks oxygen from binding - the same as carbon monoxide does to our blood cells.
I know you want to wait till you have a python, but the fish need water changes - probably every day.
Ammonia looks to zero, which is good.
I know you want to wait till you have a python, but the fish need water changes - probably every day.
Ammonia looks to zero, which is good.
Dajuyu
Fishaholic
What will be the preference? more than 70% water change daily or lesser ?
I imagine a complete vacuum on the bottom of the tank just for assurance.
I was doing water changes before hand but just using a pail and taking off the top. Figured being able to get the debris out of the gravel w the python would be more beneficial. I’ve since started doing water changes daily.
When there's any ammonia or nitrite in the water, the water change should be as big as necessary to get them down to zero. And yes, vacuuming the bottom of the tank will remove any decomposing fish food or poop that will be adding to the levels - they decompose to make ammonia which is then turned into nitrite.
Taking water off the top doesn't remove the stuff in/on the substrate and you do need to remove that as well as the muck in there does add to the high levels
Dajuyu
Fishaholic
Yep thats what I am trying to prevent , skim off the top water level aint removing the root cause of the problem.
I am always ended up vacuuming the whole body of water instead.
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