Advice much needed

M

mozart

AC Members
Mar 29, 2007
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Delawhere?
Hello. I'm a newbie. Started a 20 gallon tank 5 weeks ago. Started with water and filler for a week. Put 6 zebra danios in on 3/7. Love them. I waited and waited, without any evidence of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. I got bold. So I put 3 red wagtail platies and 2 mickie mouse platies in on 3/21. Nitirite came immediately. 2 days later a wagtail died without warning and my nitrites started to soar without any evidence of ammonia! The next day a micky died. I started with 10 and 20 % water changes as soon as the nitrites started showing. The other micky was never quite right. Despite the water changes the nitrites are always in the danger zone. I realized I had put in way too much salt with one of the water changes. Since then I have done a 30% and 2 20% changes without sodium. I consulted the local fish man yesterday who said he never uses salt, but don't worry about it and just don't add any more. He also led me to believe the high nitrite is normal at this stage and not to fret. No suggestions for additional chemical and that I would be OK without doing these water changes. I said I'd just chill for a few days. Today I come home and the micky was dead (no suprise) and now there is some type of orangish-brown algae/fungus type stuff growing on my plants! I couldn't resist testing. Of course my nitrite is in the danger zone. I did a 20% water change again. My zebras and 2 surviving platies look great and are begging for food. My temp has been 76-78. pH 7.0. I have 1 java fern and I use the light 15 hours a day. I'm using PRIME to remove chlorine and detoxify the nitrite with my water changes. How long should a nitrite spike last? When should I pu salt back in? What about this fungus???? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
:girl:
 
i wouldnt add salt into a tank unless youre treating the fish for diseases such as ick. you'll have nitrites until your tank has cycled. from the looks of things it seems like you're midway through. keep up with water changes and get your ammonia and nitrites below 0.25. if the brownish stuff growing everywhere is is rubbed off easily its probably diatoms or brown algae. i wouldnt worry about diatoms. it wouldnt harm your fish. they usually occur in new tank set ups. it'll go away eventually without you doing anything about it.
 
First of all, you shouldn't be putting salt in a tropical fish tank... they need FRESHWATER... ugh.. yeah.. I don't know much about all of it really, but you should take your fish back to the store and cycle the tank (fishless or fish) read a sticky.
 
Skip the salt.

Do as many water changes as necessary to keep the Ammonia and Nitrites under .25. Gravel vac regularly.

15 Hours of light is too much try to cut it back to 12
 
I agree with what others said, and also if you can find it, i extremely recommend a prduct called Bio-Spira. It will totally cycle your tank very quickly, and will ease the stress on your fish thru the cycle.
 
Yes, Bio-Spira is great if you can find it locally. Expensive to have shipped, because you need to overnight it.

It needs to be refrigerated until added to your tank. Comes in two sizes: For a 90G and for a 30G. What I do for a small tank is buy the large one, shake it well and add about half to the tank. Seal up the rest in put in the refrigerator.

Two days later add the rest. Remember to shake well. The bacteria tends to stick to the walls oif the pouch.
 
Thank you
 
Thanks for the advice. I only put freshwater salt in because the sales people at 2 different (big) stores told me I should. The fellow at the small shop doesn't use it. I'll try the bigger water changes and see where that gets me.
 
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