What Is Going On Inside My Tank?

[tzimpfer]

OK....slight run down. Christmas day I setup a 29 Gallon fish tank....my lack of paitence and knowledge got the best of me so I added 3 zebra danios 24 hours later and per the LFS the water was 'good'. Five days later I add a pink kissing gourami, powder blue gourami, and two golden german rams. A week later my three zebra danios died, one after anohter within 36 hours. Fast forward to 1/28/2012, I bought 5 neon tetras and then on 2/1/12, I did a typical water change for me which was 80%, been doing 40% water changes every 2 days since Christmas because ammonia keeps going up. On 2/3 my wife called me in a panic because you could not see the fish in the tank the water was so cloudy, tested ammonia and it was at 8.....yes, that is not a typo, it was at 8. I did a 90% water change followed by two immediate 50% waters changes and got the ammonia down to under .25. Later that day I did another 90% water change and on 2/4 and 2/5 did 90% water changes. All of a sudden on 2/8 I notice all these white little bubbles floating around and all over my pink kissing gourami, she looked bad. I did a 90% water change and then on 2/9 after diagnosing ick, I purchased so medication to get rid of the ick. I have been treating my water and have kept the temp at my normal 80 degrees. Today 2/11 I found my pink kissing gourami dead and three of my neon tetras dead with the fourth one having a raggy tail fin but otherwise seems happy. I went to the 'high end' LFS store and asked them for recommendations. He said that because I am doing water changes so frequently I am not allowing the good bacteria to build up and fight the ammonia naturally. He said I need to stop doing water changes, let the ammonia rise and then let it naturally come down. I asked him if that would kill the fish, ammonia bad, fish alive good.......he said, it might kill them but you'll have to get over that. This somewhat seems to go against everything i have ever read....can I please get some suggestions? And before anyone says it...........yes I know, a fishless life cycle is the best thing to do, I get it, but it doesn't help me now.

Tap water:
ph - 7.6
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0

Last water test recorded, 2/8
ph - 7.6
Ammonia - 2
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0

 

[phoenixgsd]

a ammonia result of 2 is still way to high, are you just changing the water or are you vacuming the fish poo up too, it might have settled deep in your gravel, or do you have sand?

 

[AshP1986]

Keep up with daily 50% water changes until you see a raise in nitrate. Nitrate means that it is getting rid of ammonia and has finally been cycled. What test kit are you using?

 

[deftuch]

Your tank didnt cycle properly. I would recomeend setting up a hospital tank to keep your fish in for 2 weeks while you empty your tank and start again! Oh did you wash your gravel before you added the water. If not your water will never be clear.

 

[AshP1986]

Um.... def if he sets up a hospital tank he will have to cycle that... he can continue with water changes to keep zmmonia under control while still build good bacteria

 

[tzimpfer]

a ammonia result of 2 is still way to high, are you just changing the water or are you vacuming the fish poo up too, it might have settled deep in your gravel, or do you have sand?

I understand, zero is what is needed and .25 is the highest that is should ever get and is still not safe. I should have prefaced it with that was the water reading before I did the 90% change. I am vacuuming alot! I went to another LFS store and the guy asked how much we were feeding the fish because that could be part of the problem. We are doing a pinch twice a day.....though the food is within reach of my 5 and 3 year old who love to feed the fish so we have since moved it just in case they were feeding too.

Keep up with daily 50% water changes until you see a raise in nitrate. Nitrate means that it is getting rid of ammonia and has finally been cycled. What test kit are you using?

I bought the Master API test get...the strips were too unreliable for me and hard to read.

Um.... def if he sets up a hospital tank he will have to cycle that... he can continue with water changes to keep zmmonia under control while still build good bacteria

Thanks Ash...I was a little curious about the hospital tank, thing is....unless you already have an extra set of everything a hospital tank is still going to cost a lot. And yes....I rinsed everything, even the gravel prior to putting it in the tank and I always add stress coat when doing the water changes.

Thanks for the suggestion on the water changes, I can keep doing it, not that hard.

 

[AshP1986]

Good I would only feed once a day.... I only feed my guys once a day as much as they can devour in 5 mins and that's it.

 

[phoenixgsd]

a pinch x2 a day is too much, thats whats producing the ammonia i lost a fish before i realised the kids were also feeding, i stopped all food for 7 days still doing regular water changes and hey presto it worked, i now only feed a pinch every 2 days

 

[tzimpfer]

a pinch x2 a day is too much, thats whats producing the ammonia i lost a fish before i realised the kids were also feeding, i stopped all food for 7 days still doing regular water changes and hey presto it worked, i now only feed a pinch every 2 days

You can stop feeding for that long and the fish will be OK? If so...I will try that too!

 

[fluttermoth]

Fish can easily go for two weeks without food, though I wouldn't recommend that for totally new fish in a new tank, as there won't be much for them to pick at.

Every other day is better during a fish in cycle, like yours.

 

[tzimpfer]

Fish can easily go for two weeks without food, though I wouldn't recommend that for totally new fish in a new tank, as there won't be much for them to pick at.

Every other day is better during a fish in cycle, like yours.

Thank you very much for the info, I am really hoping to hold on to the remainder of my fish and slowly start adding after everything balances out.

 

[Hermithall]

I have 2 sets of golden rules that help me out a lot.

1. Feed pinches of flake to an understocked tank very sparingly once or twice (often it's only once) per day, just enough that they consume everything in under 60 secs. Also, 1 day per week I don't feed them at all.

2. I'm religious about weekly water changes, anywhere up to 50%. I ALWAYS dechlorinate fresh water going into the tank to be on the safe side. Preserving your filter dwelling bacteria culture is key.

Stick with it, you're being very conscientious so you'll get there in the end, and once your cycle becomes stable, maintaining the above regimen will keep you trouble free. Be wary, any fish previously subject to ammonia will probably still have shortened lifespans to some extent. Keep future stocking low, and don't introduce too many fish all at once.

 

[tzimpfer]

I have 2 sets of golden rules that help me out a lot.

1. Feed pinches of flake to an understocked tank very sparingly once or twice (often it's only once) per day, just enough that they consume everything in under 60 secs. Also, 1 day per week I don't feed them at all.

2. I'm religious about weekly water changes, anywhere up to 50%. I ALWAYS dechlorinate fresh water going into the tank to be on the safe side. Preserving your filter dwelling bacteria culture is key.

Stick with it, you're being very conscientious so you'll get there in the end, and once your cycle becomes stable, maintaining the above regimen will keep you trouble free. Be wary, any fish previously subject to ammonia will probably still have shortened lifespans to some extent. Keep future stocking low, and don't introduce too many fish all at once.

Thanks Hermithall I apprecaite the advice. Rule 2 is something I believe in, people complain about water chagnes but it takes 20 minutes at most and the fish love it. Regarding Rule 1, I think my fish are going through food withdrawl, they keep starring at me when I am looking at the tank trying to guilt me into feeding them. I will definitely feed once a day and will see how my ammonia does, I might skip once a day as well. I am not going to add any fish for awhile until everything balances out and when it does I will add slowly.