Help

[L&K]

hello everyone. Ill try to make this short.
Month ago my seahorses had bacterial infection. I treated them. (6dwarfs + 17fry and 1 erectus)
I sanitized my show tank while the horses were being treated.
1/2 way during treatment, I started cycling the tank. Once the trratment was over,I had to put horses back in the show tank whem it was not finished being cycled.
Still to this day, my nitrates and nitrites are super high! I dont know what do do anymore. Please help.
I've been doing stability every other day but still not helping. I was told dont do water changes, but then with the nigh nitrites, I did some. But numbers still high. I dont want to loose my erectus since I already lost all my dwarfs and fry.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I know nothing about saltwater tanks. Is it possible to get some filter media to seed the tank as we do in freshwater? We don’t like to change water when cycling a freshwater tank either. However, if the fish are at risk for toxicity, we do changes to protect them. Who do we have that keeps saltwater tanks???

 

[L&K]

I have a behind the tank filter. We also have fresh water tanks. I know tjeres the stress coat that we put with water changes. But with salt water im getting so many different advice.i would think that the tank would have finished cycling this time. The 1st time I had no problem until the bacyerial infection and everything went down from there. I did do a 25% water change but n &n still high

 

[FishGuest5123]

What did you treat the infection with? Could it have harmed the cycle. Remember that bacterial meds go after all bacteria, good and bad.

 

[L&K]

What did you treat the infection with? Could it have harmed the cycle. Remember that bacterial meds go after all bacteria, good and bad.

I treated them with furan in another tank.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I treated them with furan in another tank.

Not that then.

 

[Colin_T]

I know nothing about saltwater tanks. Is it possible to get some filter media to seed the tank as we do in freshwater?

Salt water and freshwater tanks cycle in exactly the same manor. Beneficial filter bacteria develop and convert ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. They just have different species of bacteria to freshwater filters. However, you can use filter media from an established marine tank and put it into a new marine tank to help speed up the cycling process.

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For the OP.
Don't bother testing for nitrates until after the tank has cycled because nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading.

How do you know the seahorses had a bacterial infection?

If you used Anti-biotics to treat the tank, you might have wiped out the filter bacteria and stopped the cycling process.

Your best bet at this stage is to do a complete or nearly complete water change and gravel clean the substrate. This will remove any medication and should reduce any ammonia and nitrite. Then monitor these levels and if they build up, do another huge water change. The big water change will not affect the filter bacteria or seahorses as long as the new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine (if you are making your own) and has the same pH, temperature and salinity as the main tank.

 

[L&K]

Salt water and freshwater tanks cycle in exactly the same manor. Beneficial filter bacteria develop and convert ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. They just have different species of bacteria to freshwater filters. However, you can use filter media from an established marine tank and put it into a new marine tank to help speed up the cycling process.

-------------------
For the OP.
Don't bother testing for nitrates until after the tank has cycled because nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading.

How do you know the seahorses had a bacterial infection?

If you used Anti-biotics to treat the tank, you might have wiped out the filter bacteria and stopped the cycling process.

Your best bet at this stage is to do a complete or nearly complete water change and gravel clean the substrate. This will remove any medication and should reduce any ammonia and nitrite. Then monitor these levels and if they build up, do another huge water change. The big water change will not affect the filter bacteria or seahorses as long as the new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine (if you are making your own) and has the same pH, temperature and salinity as the main tank.

When I disinfected the tank, rinsed sand out for over hr with running water. The treatment was done in another tank.
The seahorses were really scratching themselves and were not eating well.

 

[FishGuest5123]

What did you disinfect it with?

 

[L&K]

What did you disinfect it with?

I did little soap and water,scrubbed the artificial plants,cleaned the feeding tray and tube. Rinsed out very well ongoing for 2 days to make sure there was no detergent left.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Never use soap on a tank. Bleach is fine diluted with water. @Colin_T could the detergent have hurt the bb?

 

[L&K]

These were my babie

 

[L&K]

Never use soap on a tank. Bleach is fine diluted with water. @Colin_T could the detergent have hurt the bb?

I was told it was ok but to make sure i fully rinsed it because if there was any trace,would kill the seahorses instantly

 

[FishGuest5123]

How amazing! Did you lose the baby?

 

[L&K]

Yes I lost all 17 ponies, 6 adult dwarfs, and my erectus. Which had the infection.