Water Paramaters are Terrible

Hi,
I've had my tank running for roughly 6 or 8 months. I started off in a little 28 litre, but eventually converted my fish into a 43 litre tank after the loss of my betta due to getting caught in the filter intake. For the past two months or so I've started progressively losing fish. I have lost a cory to white spot, and a snail from assumingly the water conditions. I haven't overstocked my tank, and all I have left is 2 bronze corydoras in a 43 litre tank. I've done water change after water change daily, and added in water conditioners and neutralisers to try and get the levels down and it doesn't seem to be working. I'm unsure if I've miraculously managed to crash my cycle since converting to new tanks/new filters.
I feed every 2 to three days as I am worried about overfeeding as I have in the past. I feed bottomfeeder wafers for my little guys. I probably have done 25-50% water changes several times a week to try and help. These guys are troopers and I have no clue how they've managed to survive this long, but I am absolutely desperate to keep them alive. One is eyeless and has alot of personality.
Any advice would be appreciated.
My paramaters are:
Ph 7.2 (recently added ph up as it was at 6.0)
Ammonia 1.0 (decreased from 8.0 since water changes and managed to find hidden food under decorations)
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 5.0

Ps. I know these water parameters are awful

Have you tested your tap water??? And how did you cycle the new tank??? And did you move your filters over from the other tank???

A 43 litre tank is still rather small, cories would be better in 60 litre plus.
The new filters would need cycling as this is where most of the beneficial bacteria live in newer tanks, so this explains the crash (standard in these situations, not 'miraculous').
You could add the old filter material if you still have it. Put it onto the new filter, tie on with cotton/string or an elastic band as necessary. Any viable beneficial bacteria will multiply and colonise the new sponge.

S173 said:

I feed every 2 to three days as I am worried about overfeeding as I have in the past. I feed bottomfeeder wafers for my little guys. I probably have done 25-50% water changes several times a week to try and help.

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This will definitely be helping, you'll need to keep it up for a while though, depending on how the cycling progresses. Also add some fast growing live plants like eloedea/anacharis or floating plants to improve water conditions.

Magnum Man said:

Have you tested your tap water??? And how did you cycle the new tank??? And did you move your filters over from the other tank???

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I haven't tested my tap water but I added conditioner in the bucket every time there is a water change. I moved about 50% of the water from the old tank into the new tank really. Admittedly I probably didn't cycle it properly when converting to the new tank as I changed the filter entirely when I switched it over as the external filter wasn't working properly. I want to note that I am a novice at fish keeping, and everything I'm typing out sounds like I definitely did not do the right thing

Naughts said:

A 43 litre tank is still rather small, cories would be better in 60 litre plus.
The new filters would need cycling as this is where most of the beneficial bacteria live in newer tanks, so this explains the crash (standard in these situations, not 'miraculous').
You could add the old filter material if you still have it. Put it into the new filter, cutting up as necessary. Any viable beneficial bacteria will multiply and colonise the new media.


This will definitely be helping, you'll need to keep it up for a while though, depending on how the cycling progresses. Also add some fast growing live plants like eloedea/anacharis or floating plants to improve water conditions.

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I will definitely look into upgrading when I can sort my parameters out first. When i first got them I thought it would be appropriate to house three in a 23 litre. Obviously since then I try to do better by my little guys
I unfortunately don't have any of the old media, would start up bacteria be beneficial instead in this situation? Thank you.

By the way, the additives in the tank could be detrimental. Dechlorinator is essential, you should probably use one that binds ammonia at this stage.
Start up bacteria could help, but probably won't, there are very few products that actually work - Dr Tim's One and Only or Safe Start Plus, (and IMO Nitrico Goop available in the UK).
But don't add pH up or down, just let the pH stabilise on it's own. The pH swings kill fish.

A pH of 6 is okay for Corys. I'd avoid using the chemicals, and just let things stabilize with weekly water changes. I think you should add plants as suggested above, and settle in with water changes for a bit of white knuckle fishkeeping. You're doing an unavoidable fish in cycle, and as long as you add no new fish, stay on the water changes and feed lightly, you and your fish should do okay. it isn't ideal, but it can work.

S173 said:

. I feed bottomfeeder wafers for my little guys.

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Can you check whether these are algae wafers? As omnivores, cories need a decent amount of protein so algae wafers aren't suitable for long term health.