Help...fish Are Pail

[asd159263]

okay i went planted yesterday and today i woke up to find all my fish pail. I immediatly did a 50% water change and Bio stress coat. In the tank is 6 rummy nose tetra, 5 white cloud minnows, and one spoted pleco (small). YEsterday when i was at the fish store i also got rid of my charcoal and replaced it with sponges(before and after the bio filter media) I have no test kits other than ph.


any advice as to what i should do.

[Harlock]

Best advice I can give at this point is buy ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, GH and KH tests. You'll need these for a planted tank. When you added plants, did you do anything else? Change lights? Also, are the fish exhibiting any unnatural behaviors at all aside from a paleness to their palor?

[asd159263]

most of the fih are new other then the pleco, the tank was fine before, I took out all the fake plants (some of them had metal wire inside that was rusting and making the water a bit yellow), other than adding the sponges and removing the charcoal i did not do anything new (i did clean the tank for the first time infront of the new fish but the pleco is pale too so i dought its that)

[Harlock]

most of the fih are new other then the pleco, the tank was fine before, I took out all the fake plants (some of them had metal wire inside that was rusting and making the water a bit yellow), other than adding the sponges and removing the charcoal i did not do anything new (i did clean the tank for the first time infront of the new fish but the pleco is pale too so i dought its that)
You may have removed some of the biological filtration by removing sponges and charcoal all at once. It is pretty imperative that you get test kits to indentify if that is the case and if so, to find out what you are up against. It could be simple stress. Their environment changed. The pleco isn't used to the new tank mates or plants, it seems, while this is a new home to the new fish. I wouldn't worry too much if the numbers were okay but without test kits there is no way to determine if that is the case.

[asd159263]

there was only a charcoal filter and a bio filter, i took out the charcoal pack and replaced it with sponges, i just took a sponge from another tank and squezzed it ointo the new spones in the other filter.

[Harlock]

there was only a charcoal filter and a bio filter, i took out the charcoal pack and replaced it with sponges, i just took a sponge from another tank and squezzed it ointo the new spones in the other filter.
That may not be enough. I am confused on some points. Was the only thing in this tank before the Pleco, or were there other ocupants that moved?

[asd159263]

there where 3 juvi yellow labs that go moved to a bigger tank. before yesterday everyone was health

[Harlock]

there where 3 juvi yellow labs that go moved to a bigger tank. before yesterday everyone was health
So you took out three yellow labs and added eleven more fish while removing some of the biological filter? I would not doubt if the tank's beneficial bacteria are underdeveloped for the task set before them. Get ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits ASAP. Based on what I know so far it sounds like there could be some serious cycling going on and I wouldn't be surprised at all if there were ammonia and or nitrites building in that tank. How big is this tank?

[Kasakato]

Fish going pail is s sign of bad water. You need those test kits now!

[Ems]

If you can't get the testkits now, at least get the petstore to test the water for you.
You can't expect different responses when it's most likely the water conditions.

[asd159263]

well i came back from school the rummies and the white clouds look good again but the pleco has not regaind all of his colour yet, he seems a bit better (his tail and head got full black with spots on them, but his torso is still a bit grey looking)

I am working on the test kits but I am not sure if i will be able to get them today.

I am doing lots of water changes, any other suggestions?

[Harlock]

If the tank is cycling again, or mini-cycling etc. then water changes are your best friend.

[Kasakato]

Big water changes!