Help Very Stressed

[Trinibean]

Hi all
im hoping you can help me, i have had fish for 1 month now and entered it as a total novice getting things wrong but correcting them as soon as i found out what was wrong. i have started with a small 50 litre tank with pump & filter i currently have a small Shubunkin, 1 small comet 1 very small yellow gold fish and a siamese fighting fish. i am looking into a bigger tank already as i know they wont fit for long however my fighing fish over last few days has gone lazy and is laying on the gravel i have only had him since friday and am very concerned i have looked up on ammonia poisoing and am now worried i have killed him taking water into be tested tomorrow hoping he will last that long, feeling terrible about this. wondereed if anyone can tell me what to do to make him more comfortable untill i can get this done tomorrow?
i always use tap safe in the water and after teetrhing problems 3 of my orifgional fish are happy its just this one. i am not having much luck and am quickly looking at making every thing right but every shop i go to tells me something different and some even seem unhelpful after i have bought the fish ( i did tell them my set up at time of purchase)
please can some one let me know what to do untill this is tested tomorrow dont want to loose him but darent change water. help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
T
x

 

[ShinySideUp]

Hi all
im hoping you can help me, i have had fish for 1 month now and entered it as a total novice getting things wrong but correcting them as soon as i found out what was wrong. i have started with a small 50 litre tank with pump & filter i currently have a small Shubunkin, 1 small comet 1 very small yellow gold fish and a siamese fighting fish. i am looking into a bigger tank already as i know they wont fit for long however my fighing fish over last few days has gone lazy and is laying on the gravel i have only had him since friday and am very concerned i have looked up on ammonia poisoing and am now worried i have killed him taking water into be tested tomorrow hoping he will last that long, feeling terrible about this. wondereed if anyone can tell me what to do to make him more comfortable untill i can get this done tomorrow?
i always use tap safe in the water and after teetrhing problems 3 of my orifgional fish are happy its just this one. i am not having much luck and am quickly looking at making every thing right but every shop i go to tells me something different and some even seem unhelpful after i have bought the fish ( i did tell them my set up at time of purchase)
please can some one let me know what to do untill this is tested tomorrow dont want to loose him but darent change water. help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
T
x

All you can do until your water is tested is to do a large water change, perhaps 80%. Make sure you use a dechlorinator and bring the new water up to about the same temp as the tank water. Take your sample of water before you do the water change of course.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

As you cannot get water tested until tomorrow, I'm back on the "emergency ~95% water change" bandwagon, replacing with similar temp dechlorinated water ASAP (tonight not tomorrow).

Hold a bit of the old water back (~20ml) to take to the shop tomorrow, but the sooner you can get yourself a liquid test kit, the better.

I suspect you are "fish in cycling" from the info you have given so far, which I'm afraid to say will involve >50% water changes most days for the next 90 days or so, sometimes needing emergency ~95% changes whenever ammonia is >1mg/l or nitrite is 0.25mg/l or higher.

 

[Trinibean]

As you cannot get water tested until tomorrow, I'm back on the "emergency ~95% water change" bandwagon, replacing with similar temp dechlorinated water ASAP (tonight not tomorrow).

Hold a bit of the old water back (~20ml) to take to the shop tomorrow, but the sooner you can get yourself a liquid test kit, the better.

I suspect you are "fish in cycling" from the info you have given so far, which I'm afraid to say will involve >50% water changes most days for the next 90 days or so, sometimes needing emergency ~95% changes whenever ammonia is >1mg/l or nitrite is 0.25mg/l or higher.

Hi

Thank you both for your help off to change water now. 80-90% change right? will do it now and hold back some of the water. really trying just not getting anywhere really appreicate your help. will be back in a moment will let you know if he perks up. i will get a test kit when i take it tomorrow. silly question i know but do i get a kit that tests for all or one that tests for one thing?
Thanks again
T
x

 

[Trinibean]

hi again
changed water and still parsnoid as ever. still sat at bottom but seemed very interested in what i was doing. so i have my sample to take in tomorrow. fingers toes and everything crossed for the poor little mite.

 

[ShinySideUp]

hi again
changed water and still parsnoid as ever. still sat at bottom but seemed very interested in what i was doing. so i have my sample to take in tomorrow. fingers toes and everything crossed for the poor little mite.

You'll have to give him time to recover if he's going to.

Most folks here seem to use the API Master Test Kit, I do, it's quite expensive but will give you many tests (up to 800 apparently). It allows you to test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH (and high pH if you have it).