Need Help with My New 55G Tank!!

[PRTurboZX3]

Hi Everyone

I got my first fish tank this Christmas a TOPFIN 55Gallons Starter Kit. It comes with a TopFin60 Filter and a 200Watts heater, couple of bag of flakes food and chemicals. I don't know if everyone does this but I have recorded everything from the first day I setup the tank.

On the first week the reading goes like this
12/30/06 - NO Fish at this point
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0

============================================
12/31/06 - Added Fish
3 Dalmatian Molly
2 Dwarf Male Georama
1 Hifin Spotted Plecostomus

Reading
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0
============================================

1/1/07 - Added more Fish (Think this fishes were a mistake to add)
6 Buenos Aires Tetras
2 Green Tiger Barbs
4 Scissortail Rasbora

Reading
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0

Note*
After adding the barbs & Tetras, we found out they are not passive
============================================
Sadness day

1/2/2007
1 Dalmatian Molly Die

Reading
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0

============================================
Even Sadder day

1/3/2007
1 Dalmatian Molly Die - This got me worry
6 Buenos Aires Tetras - Gave this fish to a friend.

Called a friend that knows about fish, told me that the molly are sensitive to water change. Gave away the tetras because 1 of them was chasing the Gourami and eating their fins.

Reading
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0
============================================

1/5/2007
1 Dalmatian Molly Die - The last molly die

This dude was doing fine I thought it might make it since it was the 2nd day after the 2nd molly die.

Reading
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0
============================================

1/8/2007

Cleaned Tank and took out like 25% of water

Reading
Nitrate = 0 / Nitrite = 0 / Water Hardness = 120 / Alkalinity = 150 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0
============================================

1/10/2007

Quarantine the Green Tiger Barbs for attacking the Gouramis

Fish in the tank

2 Dwarf Gouramis
4 Scissortail Rasbora
1 Hifin Spotted Plecostomus

Reading
Not Sure since I fail to keep testing.
============================================

1/13/2007

1 Barb died

This barb I actually saw it died; it was the most horrible thing I ever saw. I feel so bad that I didn't notice that the other barb ate all the fins. I'm even a shame on posting this.

Reading
Still didn't took a reading, and started to notice that the water looks like it has allot of dust floating around
============================================


1/14/2007

Added

6 Ghost Shrimp - Bad mistake didn't know that the pleco likes these things
1 Synodontis Catfish (Bottom Dweller)

Reading
Nitrate = 40 / Nitrite = 10 / Water Hardness = 250 / Alkalinity = 180 / pH = 7.6 / Ammonia = 0
============================================

Now My Questions??

Now that you have my history of my tank, I hope I didn't left any info out...

Since my reading is Nitrate = 40 and Nitrite = 10 and hardness 250


1. What I need to do next because I don't want to loose any more fish??

2. Should i add chemicals or wait?

3. After doing more reading looks like my cycle it hasn't finish right?

Future Plans:

Buy a Magnum 350 Deluxe Filter - Friend recommended this

Will post pictures of my tank later on...

Thanks,
PRTurboZX3
Newbie

[Evan214]

Do large water changes to reduce your nitrAte and nitrIte levels. They are WAY too high. Do water changes immediatley or you are risking death in possibly high numbers.

[Mgamer20o0]

i agree. do 50% water changes or more intil the nitrites are bellow .25 and the nitrates 10. the only thing you should add is prime or some kind of dechlorinator.

[PRTurboZX3]

I have Stress Coat and Stress Zyme... should i add both??

and some softener thing...


I just did a 25%,,, then In the morining I'm doing more out... I notice it didn't change much the reading..

I have been adding 2.5ml to each buckett of both chemical Stress Coat & Zyme. The bucket is a 5gallons the instruccion on the bottle said to add 5ml to each 10ml...I'm I doing it wrong??

[Rbishop]

Are you using test strips or a good quality liquid test kit?

[PRTurboZX3]

I'm using Mardel strips

I just replace 50% water

reading goes like this

pH = 7.6
Alka = 120
Hardness = 120
Nitrate = 20
Nitrite = 5.0
ammo = 0

looks like the nitrite and nitrate went down a little bit...
the ph color is hard to read on this strips.

someone told me that the spike is normal, part of the cycle. How i know if my tank has finish doing the cycle??

[leavundst]

My experiance with the strips is that they are about as accurate as a good guess. I suggest you try a liquid kit. You might get totally different numbers.

[RiVerfishgirl]

The fact that your test strips never showed any ammonia kind of indicates they're not working...A tank that is cycling will have an ammonia spike before nitrites/nitrates show up. I'm skeptical of your numbers, I'd go get a liquid test kit and see what it says, then post again.
Most ammonia test strips won't read ammonia below .50 anyway, and by that point your fish are going to start dying. We tried the test strips and they always read 0 even if the liquid kit showed massive ammonia. Pretty useless.

[PRTurboZX3]

Ok here's the test again today

Liquid Test
=====================
Nitrite = 5
Nitrate = 5
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.2
High_pH = 8.0
---------------------------


Film Strips
=====================
Nitrite = 5
Nitrate = 20
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.6
Hardness = 120
Alkalinity = 120
---------------------------

The Liquid test is the API Master Kit I bought it today from Pet Smart.

Thanks, for all the help I really appreciate.

Oh, found out that I only have 1 ghost shrimp left, I'm guessing the Hifin Spotted Pleco ate them, I'm guessing I don't have to feed him.

[RiVerfishgirl]

Looks like the test strips were reading too high on nitrates, you're well within good levels for them. Considering how long your tank has been up nothing is really abnormal, your nitrates will go up some more.
The nitrites are still kind of high, I would do another water change and try to get them at or below .25.
The big problem is you added too many fish too soon which prolongs cycling. When you cycle with fish, especially when you add too many, you end up having to do water changes to keep the fish alive, and the bacteria don't devlop fast enough to account for the amount of fish.

Most people that use fish cycle their tanks with danios because they don't die easily. It only takes 1 or 2 danios to start a cycle.
It's easier to just do fishless cycle, in the long run you'll have a healthier tank.

Btw you do realize that some of those fish will get large right?
Also, general rule - fish keep dying, don't add more fish until you figure out why, lol. You've had a large percentage of fish die...that's not good.

[PRTurboZX3]

Liquid Test
=====================
Nitrite = .50
Nitrate = 5
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.6
High_pH = 8.0
---------------------------


Film Strips
=====================
Nitrite = .5
Nitrate = 20
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.6
Hardness = 120
Alkalinity = 120
---------------------------

With the liquid test it looks like .25 on the Nitrate, is kind of hard to read the liquid too. it thought it would be easier with the liquid... well the strip look more light color today after I did 50% or maybe 75% water change.

Why the reading looks the same as yesterday??

I only lost 3 fish, the mollies from the 18 fish I started... the 6 tetras I gave them away they didn't die, they just were terrorizing the Gouramis... and 1 Barb die because the other barb ate all his fins and i took the barb that ate the other one fins and trade him for the catfish. Oh the ghost shrimp I lost because didn't know that the pleco likes them.

After i got the Pleco and the Catfish, that's when i found out that the pleco could get 18 inch long and the catfish will grow big too.


Here's a picture of my tank


http://www.turbozx3.com/images/FishTank/FullView_800x600.jpg


Here's a link to view a larger resolution file is 2.5mb
http://www.turbozx3.com/images/FishTank/FullView.jpg

[PRTurboZX3]

Today it went back to normal

here's the numbers as today

Film Strips
=====================
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.6
Hardness = 120
Alkalinity = 120
---------------------------

[Reddog80p]

Today it went back to normal

here's the numbers as today

Film Strips
=====================
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.6
Hardness = 120
Alkalinity = 120
---------------------------

Just interested in what you have for pads/inserts in your HOB(hang on back) filter? And do you clean the filter at all? If you do stop becuase "cleaning" a filter can kill your beneficial bacteria and cause a cycle to restart. I understand that everything you buy says replace every month but this is not necessary. Please post what you have in your filter so we can better assist you. Also read this article.....

http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/board/Topic110052-5-1.aspx?Highlight=cycle+new+tank

[PRTurboZX3]

I still have the same filter that came when i setup the tank,, the filter is the one that comes with the TopFin60 starter kit.. I have a spare set but i haven't replace them yet... All i have done is replace the water and vacumm the gravel while i'm replacing the water.

Today numbers are still the same

Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Ammo = 0
pH = 7.6 - This one the color of the strip is hard to tell if it is 7.2 or 7.6
Hardness = 120
Alkalinity = 120

Fish still on the tank

2 Dwarf Gouramis
4 Siccorstail Rasbora
1 Ghost Shrimp
1 Hifin Spotted Pleco
1 CatFish - Can't remember the name.
2 Snails - Found this today don't know where they came from, my guess when i put in the shrimps.

Thanks, everyone for the help
PRTurbozx3