Help Me Save My Fishies?

[lilirish]

You have been getting the best advice - - - Change change change the water. Nothing is better than fresh clean water.

Don't treat with chemicals when you don't have to - - The pet store just got you to spend more money when you need to only be doing more work.

Change most of the water, fill with new treated water.....repeat at least twice a day and post your test results prior to changing the water

edit: by treated I only mean with a fresh water conditioner to remove chlorine - no other chemicals or salt should be added

 

[noobWITHaPROBLEM]

well i already addded salt but only a half dose not even they seem fine and conditions are improving

 

[lilirish]

But are you doing lots of water changes? Think of it this way - - fresh water fish, do best in FRESH water The only way to remove ammonia from an uncycled tank is by removing the ammonia filled water and replacing with new ammonia free water.

 

[noobWITHaPROBLEM]

i have been yes.. im doing everything i can possibly think of lol but the red sores that appeared yesterday are already closing redness going away and everything

the salt was apparently to coat the fish so they stop over trying to secrete some kind of slime or something...

 

[Reret]

I hope they heal up nicely

 

[mrp3]

Well did the pregnant fish disappear once pleco moved in?

 

[noobWITHaPROBLEM]

no the pleco doesnt bother my fish....

so the congo tetra died
I moved the pleco to my original tank and she is much better cleaning away very happily the little business-woman
still having ammonia issues.. I have been doing daily 50% water changes... still reading 1.0ppm ammonia instantly after a water change.... tested tap water, reading was 0. before the water change the test said 4ppm which was insane.. it doesnt make sense... it got better..

Tank size: 29 gallon long.
pH:7.6
ammonia: 1ppm after water change 4ppm before..
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 20ish
tank temp: 80



Tank inhabitants:
- 8 platties 3 male 5 female (less than an inch long)
- 3 female bolivian rams
- 1 male congo tetra
- 6 bleeding heart tetras 4 male 2 female
- 2 glass catfish
- 1 male beta <3

- 1 small java fern
- 2 small lace java ferns
- java moss
- giant piece of driftwood
- some random little plant..



Exposure to chemicals:
erithromycin
aquafin plus

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Unfortunately, you have made a very common mistake in simply adding too many fish into your tank at too early a stage, but in your case you really have added WAY too many fish.

So, as it stands now...
Option 1/ DAILY/TWICE DAILY water changes, continuous water testing.
Option 2/ Return your fish to your LFS and start a fishless cycle.

I know what option i would choose.

Terry.

 

[noobWITHaPROBLEM]

So I'm setting up yet another tank and I would love to do it right this time..
It's a 35 gal tank and I just bought the AquaClear power filter 40 - 70 gal.
Now, can I prestart the cycle in a running cycled 8 month old tank?
The old tank is a 28 gal bowfront. I was also considering moving half of the running media to the new filter at the same time.. ?

please note i am not talking about my failed tank... that tank is still in progress and coming along nicely. i bought some prime and am using it daily along with water changes and i moved my bacteria covered carbon from my good tank to that one to help seed it to speed things up.
in the filter of my bowfront i have 2 sponges and i was thinking of putting one of them in the new filter on the old tank to start cycling the filter before i get the tank in a few days....
would this be a good idea or should i wait and do it in the new tank? i thought maybe it would be ok and help speed up the process but i dont want to accidentally mess with the biology in my good tank which i am sure you can all understand Please answer back asap as if this is possible i would ideally like to get this started within the hour...

 

[creeker]

I'm a little unclear what you're asking. You currently have a cycled 28 gallon tank, been running with fish for 8 months, with two filter sponges, right? You want to remove one sponge (and replace it with a new one)and use the cycled sponge to start a new 35 gallon tank, right? You would be removing 50 percent of the cycled media from your old tank. Your old tank should be fine with that. You will need to add fish right away to the new tank to keep the bacteria going on that sponge. I suggest put some of the fish from your 28 gallon in the 35 gallon, thus lessening the load for the old tank now with 50 percent less cycled filter media. If all is well after a week, put the old fish back and get your new stock for the 35. Keep on top of the testing, just in case. I hope I understood what you were asking.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Are you taking media from the tank that is having the ammonia issue, or a different one? If you are taking from a different tank, I would add media to the one that is having ammonia issues to help with that problem. Do a fishless cycle on your new tank while you sort out the problems with your other tank.

 

[noobWITHaPROBLEM]

I'm a little unclear what you're asking. You currently have a cycled 28 gallon tank, been running with fish for 8 months, with two filter sponges, right? You want to remove one sponge (and replace it with a new one)and use the cycled sponge to start a new 35 gallon tank, right? You would be removing 50 percent of the cycled media from your old tank. Your old tank should be fine with that. You will need to add fish right away to the new tank to keep the bacteria going on that sponge. I suggest put some of the fish from your 28 gallon in the 35 gallon, thus lessening the load for the old tank now with 50 percent less cycled filter media. If all is well after a week, put the old fish back and get your new stock for the 35. Keep on top of the testing, just in case. I hope I understood what you were asking.

exactly but i wanted to know ( since i do not have the tank yet ) if i can pre-cycle the new filter in the 28 gallon alongside its original filter. my only concern is the new filter is for a 40 - 70 gallon tank and it may be to strong but i thought maybe if i cycled it on a low setting it would be okay and not blow my fish against the aquarium walls because of excess power...???

and no like i said PLEASE NOTE this has NOTHING to do with my ammonia ridden tank lol... seperate matter altogether.. the ammonia tank as i suppose i must call it for now has the carbon pouch from my 28 in it already to kick start the cycle as it was covered in bacteria.. thought it would help out a bit..

 

[This Old Spouse]

It's really not necessary to "pre-cycle" the new filter in the original tank, since you'll be taking the media from the filter in the 28g when you set up the new 35g. In effect, taking the established media from your 28g tank is cycling the 40-70g filter right off the bat.

 

[HayzH]

I'm a little unclear what you're asking. You currently have a cycled 28 gallon tank, been running with fish for 8 months, with two filter sponges, right? You want to remove one sponge (and replace it with a new one)and use the cycled sponge to start a new 35 gallon tank, right? You would be removing 50 percent of the cycled media from your old tank. Your old tank should be fine with that. You will need to add fish right away to the new tank to keep the bacteria going on that sponge. I suggest put some of the fish from your 28 gallon in the 35 gallon, thus lessening the load for the old tank now with 50 percent less cycled filter media. If all is well after a week, put the old fish back and get your new stock for the 35. Keep on top of the testing, just in case. I hope I understood what you were asking.

exactly but i wanted to know ( since i do not have the tank yet ) if i can pre-cycle the new filter in the 28 gallon alongside its original filter. my only concern is the new filter is for a 40 - 70 gallon tank and it may be to strong but i thought maybe if i cycled it on a low setting it would be okay and not blow my fish against the aquarium walls because of excess power...???

and no like i said PLEASE NOTE this has NOTHING to do with my ammonia ridden tank lol... seperate matter altogether.. the ammonia tank as i suppose i must call it for now has the carbon pouch from my 28 in it already to kick start the cycle as it was covered in bacteria.. thought it would help out a bit..

sorry ..but just to clear this up....is the carbon pad in your Ammonia ridden tank now? are you still "treating" the water?

If there is carbon in your filter then it will be takingout all the medications anyway...this is why there has been no progress.
Prime is just a glorified water conditioner IMO..the difference was the waterchanges..and if it still said 1ppm AFTER the change i hope you did another straight away to bring it down to 0?
i personally would (as someone else said) get you current tanks sorted before whipping out media to seed other tanks.

 

[noobWITHaPROBLEM]

no i took the carbon out for the treatment.