Well, let me first say that I'm a TOTAL NOVICE at the tropical fish thing. My fiance got my a 10-gallon aquarium for x-mas. Not knowing ANYTHING about cycling, ammonia-nitrate-nitrite levels, etc. I went to the pet store and bought all my stuff (gravel, ornaments) along with 4 fish - an angelfish, a platty, a iridescent shark, and a plycotamus(sp?). I decholoinated the water and everything, and let the aquarium cycle overnight, then added my fish gradually.
Well, that was the week after Christmas (12/28 I believe). Last week (1/14 or so), my angelfish died. I panicked, did a 20% water change, and changed the filter as well (BIG MISTAKE from what I've read). A few days later, my platy was dead. This morning I got up and my shark was dead as well. Right after the platy died, I found this site and did some reading and realized that I'd really screwed up by not letting the tank cycle.
I also didn't know anything about testing the water conditions either, which was also a big mistake. I'm pretty sure my shark had ICH. I read about it last week and he had A LOT of white spots all over him. The plycotomus has a few as well, but not nearly as many as the shark had.
SO...I have some questions. Obviously I need to pretty much start all over. The first thing I know I should do is go buy a water-tester kit. I'm going to try the fishless cycling method if the plycotomus doesn't make it.
1) Since he and the shark had ICH, should I treat the water for ICH? I really don't want any new fish I put in there to get ICH. Or would getting the water quality back up do the job?
2) How much of the water that's in there now should I change?
3) There's lots of debris on the bottom of the tank (food, etc.). If I purchase a gravel vacuum, won't that kill the ammonia-eating bacteria?
4) I should leave the same filter in there, correct?
I'd REALLY appreciate any other advice as well. Thanks for reading.
Well, that was the week after Christmas (12/28 I believe). Last week (1/14 or so), my angelfish died. I panicked, did a 20% water change, and changed the filter as well (BIG MISTAKE from what I've read). A few days later, my platy was dead. This morning I got up and my shark was dead as well. Right after the platy died, I found this site and did some reading and realized that I'd really screwed up by not letting the tank cycle.
I also didn't know anything about testing the water conditions either, which was also a big mistake. I'm pretty sure my shark had ICH. I read about it last week and he had A LOT of white spots all over him. The plycotomus has a few as well, but not nearly as many as the shark had.
SO...I have some questions. Obviously I need to pretty much start all over. The first thing I know I should do is go buy a water-tester kit. I'm going to try the fishless cycling method if the plycotomus doesn't make it.
1) Since he and the shark had ICH, should I treat the water for ICH? I really don't want any new fish I put in there to get ICH. Or would getting the water quality back up do the job?
2) How much of the water that's in there now should I change?
3) There's lots of debris on the bottom of the tank (food, etc.). If I purchase a gravel vacuum, won't that kill the ammonia-eating bacteria?
4) I should leave the same filter in there, correct?
I'd REALLY appreciate any other advice as well. Thanks for reading.
/www.gorge.org/fish/issues.shtml
