had my tank for about 8 months now and no nitrite.

A

allecb

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Feb 6, 2008
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ive had two tetras in a 20 gallon tank for abot 8 months now, and i am so sick of not having any fish in this tank because im scared theyt will die. im not stupid... i do water changes, i use api liquid test kits... i know the whole deal.

my friend bought me a lyrtail molly and it lived in my tank for a month or two..except itd be on top of the water a lot, like at the very top. then like the second time i cleaned my tank when i had the fish in it, i noticed a day or two later, it was dead. i have no idea why, but...

im scared to get new fish. i have seen 0 nitrite readings forever. i dont know about ammonia, and to be honest... i dont even care. im so fed up. my ammonia is probably high, but i know i could monitor that to a healthy reading if i changed my water a bit more frequntly, but to be honest.. i dont think two freaking one inch tetras is going to make a 20 gallon tank have 8.0ppm ammonia levels (apparently they do though)

should i just go out and finally enjoy my fish tank? just go out and buy some schools of fish like i planned edver so long ago? im thinking maybe if i actrually keep up on the weekly water changes instead of doing a water change once every 2- 2 1/2 weeks they'd be fine.
 
Check your ammonia level it should be 0 with only 2 small tetras that would be why you see no nitrite.
 
if you have had the tank for 8 months, I would think you have established bacteria to deal with the bioload for your two fish. If you have been changing the water, then it is no surprise that you have not read any nitrites. Sucks you lost a molly, but if you are familiar with the cycle and appropriate water changing procedures, then you should be able to add some more small fish to that tank.

keep in mind though, that the tank is stable for two fish. you should add slowly, and if you add a small school, keep a close eye on you parameters. especially the ammonia.
 
The only way to be sure of anything is to monitor your ammonia. Just test it, get it over with, and you'll probably see a zero reading. Been looking at your nitrates? You probably have some.

Again, buy only a couple fish at a time and wait two weeks inbetween introductions.
 
When you change water, are you cleaning the bio-media of your filter in tap water? If so then you are destroying your beneficial bacteria. Instead, gently squeeze it in a bucket of old tank water that you just removed.

Also you definitely need to check your ammonia levels. Ammonia will be the first red flag if anything goes wrong in your tank. Like everyone else said, stock very slowly and make sure to acclimate properly. Good Luck
 
Go for, do it slowly, and START ENJOYING THAT TANK!!!
 
you say you know about water changes and everything, but you also say this:

my friend bought me a lyrtail molly and it lived in my tank for a month or two..except itd be on top of the water a lot, like at the very top. then like the second time i cleaned my tank when i had the fish in it, i noticed a day or two later, it was dead. i have no idea why, but...
Click to expand...

if you had the fish for one or two months and only cleaned the tank twice in that time, then you don't know all about water changes. whether or not it's been 8 months, if the tank is actually still cycling you need to be testing ammonia and doing frequent water changes. ammonia could have easily been the culprit in the molly's death, as it affects the gills and makes it harder for fish to breathe. that could have been why she was always at the surface.

maybe go over the cycling thread again - you want 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and some level of nitrates.

decide whether you really want fish or not. if not, sell your setup and get out of the hobby. if you do, then start testing your water, find out what is going on, and keep the tank safe for the fish. don't make them suffer because you are feeling frustrated. weekly water changes would be a good start - that's what you should be doing anyway. if you can't do it when the tank is very understocked, then be honest with yourself - can you maintain that routine when it really *needs* to be done that often?
 
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