All my fish dying - at a complete loss

[Swampman]

The tests I use are;
Api Test strips ammonia nh3/nh4 and api test strips 5in1 ph no2 no3 kh and gh

Test strips are good in a pinch. But invest in a liquid test kit. $30. that will tell you exactly what the water range is.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Sorry guys! I'm starting to think I have made the biggest rookie mistake possible for fish keeping.

I think I've just been allowing my tropical fish to live in heated safe tap water that's going through a filter. All I thought I had to add according to 'pets at home' was api make tap water safe and remove sludge grime solution. I have added nothing else to this water at all over the last 3 months.

Can't believe I've made such an error. Can I fix this by adding the other stuff in now?

You'll be doing a fish-in cycle, get the Prime, and read this: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-i.433769/

 

[mbsqw1d]

Agree, unfortunately (the majority of) shops can't be trusted. They're there to sell products, including medicines, which are only required when fish aren't kept in healthy cycled aquariums!

Your water is a little on the soft side to be keeping guppys but that isnt the main issue here, but something to bear in mind after you've solved the immediate cycle issue.
Also, the rainbow shark, could do with being in a bigger tank tbh.

It sounds like the worst is out of the way for you now considering the water stats.. and the bacterial bloom is a good sign and expected in a tank that isnt fully established. Try not to throw chemicals at these things, they'll go away in time. You may see some algae growth next, diatoms or green water. Again, to be expected, the best thing to do is water changes with dechlorinated water (Prime is a good dechlorinator). Good luck

 

[Colin_T]

How often and how do you clean the filter?

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for 1 week. Then do it every 2 days for a week, then every 3 days for a week, then once a week after that.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

The GH is a bit low for most of the fish you have. The livebearers and rainbowfish do best in a GH of 200ppm or above. The gourami is fine in the soft water.

The stringy white poop is probably intestinal worms. See part 3 of the following link.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

 

[FishGuest5123]

If the test kit/readings are accurate, but shouldn't have trItes in a cycled tank

Yes, we are trying to determine why. That’s why I asked to test tap water.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Thanks for the comment . The numbers really aren't fluctuating at all though which is why I find it really odd. When I say nitrates, I would honestly say they look like zero but have the faintest bit of pink to them where at a push it looks as if there is a little present. I can never quite tell with these strips.

Surely the tank would be fully cycled by the 3 /4 month mark. Is it usually longer?

Your tank should be cycled by now. Do as Colin_T instructs. I don’t think you need to begin completely over again. Perhaps get some Tetra Safe Start + and add to the filter. Don’t use Prime for 24 hours after you do this. You can then start using Prime again to protect your fish after that. Do you happen to know anyone who can give you a little wet, used filter media or gravel that you can add to your tank (gravel in the tank, filter media in the filter). This will seed your filter and move things along too. I believe you have a cycle, it’s just weak and never really taken off.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Depends. If you did fishless cycle where you added ammonia then it is probably cycled. If not then no. I’m pretty sure that’s how that works

The fish added the ammonia.

 

[Boundava]

If there are nitrites the tank isn't cycled. Won't know 100% until you can test reliably, hence the liquid test kit. Dipsticks are useless, and testing the water at a store that relies on them is the same-useless.

Good advice to get the Prime and the test kit as well as treat them with some internal parasite meds like praxipro or fenben/levimycin (sorry the spelling is way off)

I have had success with Fritzyme Turbo Start 700. It is refrigerated and better than the safe start. Plus you can use the Prime with it.

Also good advice from Collin regarding cleaning the tank and filter.

Hope this helps you out and saves the rest of your fish.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Is Fritzyme available in U.S.???

 

[FishGuest5123]

Never mind. Found it but not familiar with it.

 

[carligraceee]

Thanks for the comment . The numbers really aren't fluctuating at all though which is why I find it really odd. When I say nitrates, I would honestly say they look like zero but have the faintest bit of pink to them where at a push it looks as if there is a little present. I can never quite tell with these strips.

Surely the tank would be fully cycled by the 3 /4 month mark. Is it usually longer?

I definitely wouldn't use the testing strips. Invest in a Liquid Testing kit. It is much better and more reliable. Do that and reply to all of these with the numbers, then we can accurately judge. I genuinely think, based off the white cloudy water you have, that your nitrites/ammonia might be a little too high.

However, that is based off purely just the picture you provided us.

Let us know!

 

[Byron]

Latest advice from members is worth following, I won't repeat.

The fish-in cycle was the initial problem. Unfortunately, even when fish seem to survive this, it can (and frankly does) negatively impact their physiology, and this can mean death not too far down the road either from the ammonia/nitrite itself or weakening making the fish much more susceptible to other problems it might otherwise have been able to fend off. Nothing you can do about this now because the initial ammonia/nitrite did what it did and the result is irreversible.

 

[Visserfrou]

Hello what type of filter do you have? I have an external filter and change my filter media once a month. One month I change the carbon another month ammonia removal media. Also if you wash out any filter media including your foam inserts you must use the tank water you take out. Never use tap water as you lose you benifical bacteria which keeps fish healthy. It may be that your filter is too clean that's the only thing that I can think of. Hope this helps.