Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. I'm at wits end and do not know what to do anymore. Also have 3 tanks, 46 Bow, 40 and a 20. Same water same procedures. (The 46has been up since Nov.2002 and the 20 same date as the 40 below.)
The situation at hand:
40 gallon
set up Jan.2003
Bio Spira 1oz.
I use Aqua Safe for water conditioner
Filter 20-40 Whisper
Fish: 1 blue spot female gourami and 11 Tiger Barbs
Fish were not all added at once, Gourami and 5 tigers first and then a week later the other 6 tigers. Amonia rose slightly and Nitrite and then droppe dright back to 0.
Tank cycled, fish were great water had 0 Amonia, 0 Nitrite and a PH of 7.4 These are all the water testing kits I have.
2-13 I did my normal weekly 15-20% water change, added back conditioned water and cleaned the gravel. I do this with all my tanks every week. 2-14 I checked for amonia and nitrite, readings were 0. Tuesday 2-18 went to LFS and asked them to check water for phosphates as I was growing a stripof green algae down the middle of this tank, not length but width. They alerted me to high Nitrites 5.0 and my phosphates were not "bad"really. They sold me some Hagen Phos remover packets, which also remove Ntrite and Nitrates??? Good?? Not thinking so. I did a 10-15% water change when I got home. The Nitrite #'s never changed. Went back to LFS and bought a packet of Bio Spira came home and did another small water change, added Bio Spira. This was on Thur 2-19, also bought a Penguin 330. Put the Bio Spira in the tank, hooked up the Penguin 330. Thurs PM, hubby comes and gets me and says your Tigers are dying. I removed all the Tigers from the tank and put them in a bucket with the Whisper Filter, a Heater and air stone. Left the Gourami in the tank. It is now Sunday PM, my Nitrites are between 2.0 and 5.0, trace of Amonia. I did do a partial water change yesterday, against Marinelands advice of not to, this did lower it a tad. (Hard for me to tell as I have cheap test kit and colors towards the bottom are so close)
No one seems to be able to help me figure out what to do. The Bio Spira should of enabled me to put my fish back in there within a day. This tank has only polished river stones, two large plants on each end and a bubble wand. (Tigers need zipping room!) Plants are not real and all things purchased from Pet Places. Also have been in there since set up. I did have to plastic flower pots and a piece of slate, but removed them from the middle as was slowing the zoomers down. They were also in there since set up. My other tanks are ok checked them last night.
Since removing the Tigers that in and of it's self should of helped and didn't. This AM one was dead and another died. They aren't in the tank so suppose is damage from before or is hard to regulate the temp in there, holds about 17 gallons of water.
I would soooo appreciate any thoughts, ideas...something, anything. Just do not know what to do
Thanks in advance
The situation at hand:
40 gallon
set up Jan.2003
Bio Spira 1oz.
I use Aqua Safe for water conditioner
Filter 20-40 Whisper
Fish: 1 blue spot female gourami and 11 Tiger Barbs
Fish were not all added at once, Gourami and 5 tigers first and then a week later the other 6 tigers. Amonia rose slightly and Nitrite and then droppe dright back to 0.
Tank cycled, fish were great water had 0 Amonia, 0 Nitrite and a PH of 7.4 These are all the water testing kits I have.
2-13 I did my normal weekly 15-20% water change, added back conditioned water and cleaned the gravel. I do this with all my tanks every week. 2-14 I checked for amonia and nitrite, readings were 0. Tuesday 2-18 went to LFS and asked them to check water for phosphates as I was growing a stripof green algae down the middle of this tank, not length but width. They alerted me to high Nitrites 5.0 and my phosphates were not "bad"really. They sold me some Hagen Phos remover packets, which also remove Ntrite and Nitrates??? Good?? Not thinking so. I did a 10-15% water change when I got home. The Nitrite #'s never changed. Went back to LFS and bought a packet of Bio Spira came home and did another small water change, added Bio Spira. This was on Thur 2-19, also bought a Penguin 330. Put the Bio Spira in the tank, hooked up the Penguin 330. Thurs PM, hubby comes and gets me and says your Tigers are dying. I removed all the Tigers from the tank and put them in a bucket with the Whisper Filter, a Heater and air stone. Left the Gourami in the tank. It is now Sunday PM, my Nitrites are between 2.0 and 5.0, trace of Amonia. I did do a partial water change yesterday, against Marinelands advice of not to, this did lower it a tad. (Hard for me to tell as I have cheap test kit and colors towards the bottom are so close)
No one seems to be able to help me figure out what to do. The Bio Spira should of enabled me to put my fish back in there within a day. This tank has only polished river stones, two large plants on each end and a bubble wand. (Tigers need zipping room!) Plants are not real and all things purchased from Pet Places. Also have been in there since set up. I did have to plastic flower pots and a piece of slate, but removed them from the middle as was slowing the zoomers down. They were also in there since set up. My other tanks are ok checked them last night.
Since removing the Tigers that in and of it's self should of helped and didn't. This AM one was dead and another died. They aren't in the tank so suppose is damage from before or is hard to regulate the temp in there, holds about 17 gallons of water.
I would soooo appreciate any thoughts, ideas...something, anything. Just do not know what to do
Thanks in advance
) Added additional packet during this situation on advice of LFS. Maybe it is not the greatest at correcting a problem....have heard from others that it will though. I do understand your thoughts about adding it though, I was rather skeptical myself but for the most part I think it has been a 'good thing'.