New to aquarium keeping.

[Jim Adams]

HELP! I messed up.

I started a tank before I had any ideas of what to do. I bought the basic stuff to start an aquarium. Did a less than perfect start-up over a couple of weeks. Then started adding fish. I added a total of 16 fish (6 neon tetras, 6 glo-light tetras, and 4 glow fish) within a 2 week period. I've lost 2 glo-light tetras and have replaced them. I treated for ich and they seem to be holding their own. I'm using a 5-in-1 test strips to keep an eye on the balance of the tank. My Nitrate level is solidly in the safe range, Nitrite level reads in the caution range, total hardness reads vary hard, total alkalinity reads ideal at 180, and my pH is 7.8 alkaline. What if anything should I do to get thinks in balance? I've done a 25% water change added stress+zyme, easy balance, ammonia reducer, and beneficial bacteria. Am I doing anything right?

 

[FreshyFresh]

Jim, welcome! We've all been down this road before.. Or at least the lesser talented like myself have!

I would focus more on doing daily water changes in the 50% range until your test kit indicates your tank produces nothing but nitrates. If you can acquire a used sponge bubbler filter or some type of healthy, used filtration from someone, this would instantly cycle the tank for you.

A sock of used gravel from someone's healthy, well established tank would help too.

If none of the above apply, keep up on the water changes and measuring your water params. Feed lightly during this process. Skip days even. It will take weeks.

 

[Jim Adams]

Jim, welcome! We've all been down this road before.. Or at least the lesser talented like myself have!

I would focus more on doing daily water changes in the 50% range until your test kit indicates your tank produces nothing but nitrates. If you can acquire a used sponge bubbler filter or some type of healthy, used filtration from someone, this would instantly cycle the tank for you.

A sock of used gravel from someone's healthy, well established tank would help too.

If none of the above apply, keep up on the water changes and measuring your water params. Feed lightly during this process. Skip days even. It will take weeks.

Thank you for the advice. What do I do about the hard water?

 

[Jim Adams]

Thank you for the advice. What do I do about the extreme hard water. Also I believe that 2 of my glo-light tetras have ich. They stay in place and shimmy but when it comes to feeding they're al over it. so they're not lethargic. I got so many questions.

 

[fishorama]

Welcome to AC! We have lots of questions too.

What size is your tank? What kind of filter? Lights?

Have you tested for ammonia? I think 5 in 1 strips don't test for that. Any ammonia or nitrite is harmful, water changes will help as Joel said, 50% every few days at a minimum, every day is better. Many of us use Prime dechlor. It "binds" ammonia & nitrite for 24-48 hours, so if you really can't do a WC, it can help until you can. Dose it for the full tank volume

What did you use to treat ich & how long? Ich looks like salt sprinkled the fish, shimmying can be part of it, but that could also be something else.

Many of our fish are bred in ponds so pH not as important as long as it's pretty consistent, unlike with wild caught fish. Fish can adapt. What is your tap water pH after it sits for 24 hours? Messing with pH can lead to a roller coaster effect, more harmful than a consistently high 1. When we first started keeping fish my husband was a college chemistry student & tried for an exact perfect number according to books...those poor fish. Live & learn!

Don't add more fish until your tank is healthy & cycled.

& post some pics if you can, we love to see!

 

[Jim Adams]

Welcome to AC! We have lots of questions too.

What size is your tank? What kind of filter? Lights?

Have you tested for ammonia? I think 5 in 1 strips don't test for that. Any ammonia or nitrite is harmful, water changes will help as Joel said, 50% every few days at a minimum, every day is better. Many of us use Prime dechlor. It "binds" ammonia & nitrite for 24-48 hours, so if you really can't do a WC, it can help until you can. Dose it for the full tank volume

What did you use to treat ich & how long? Ich looks like salt sprinkled the fish, shimmying can be part of it, but that could also be something else.

Many of our fish are bred in ponds so pH not as important as long as it's pretty consistent, unlike with wild caught fish. Fish can adapt. What is your tap water pH after it sits for 24 hours? Messing with pH can lead to a roller coaster effect, more harmful than a consistently high 1. When we first started keeping fish my husband was a college chemistry student & tried for an exact perfect number according to books...those poor fish. Live & learn!

Don't add more fish until your tank is healthy & cycled.

& post some pics if you can, we love to see!

Thank you for your help and advice. I have a 20 gallon tank with a Tetra Whisper Advanced Power Filter (multi-stage filtration) for 30 - 60 gallon tanks (330 gallon GPH). No I haven't tested for ammonia levels. Thought that was determined by the nitrite level that the 5-in-1 test strip tests for. I have used an ammonia remover made by Imaginarium because I thought it might be high. Pics and a vid are attached (I hope) to show you what I've been using and the vid of my tank.Sorry couldn't upload the vid. The ich treatment is dosed at 3 treatments. 1 treatment per day. I have 6 neon tetras, 6 glo-light tetras, and 4 glow fish.in the tank. I didn't add the starter until the day of or the day before I started to add fish. Then I added a few at a time over the course of 2 weeks. I know. too fast. I just wish I had have this book before I started. I also have a powerhead water circulator help aerate and I'm still not sure they are getting enough oxygen. As for the light I have white LED's and multi-colored LED's the change colors rotating from blue to green to purple to red. Thanks again for your help.

 

[tanker]

The hard water is the lease of your concerns. The Ammonia and Nitrites are stressing your fish, so they are sick. Raise the temp of your tank to about 84 degrees. Do daily WC of at least 50%. Get an Ammonia test kit. .

 

[FreshyFresh]

^ Yep, good point on raising the temperature. That will speed along the life cycle of the ich parasite should your fish have that. It can also help speed along the nitrogen cycle.

Like said, keep up on daily water changes and get ahold of some used filtration media and/or gravel if you can.

 

[fishorama]

Very colorful!

3 days is not long enough to kill all the ich. Ich has 3 stages; on the fish, then it falls off into the substrate & then into the water column to reattach to the fish. The treatment works on the form in the water column but you can have all 3 stages at the same time. Ich can also be inside the gills.

I treat ich for 10 days & as tanker said, heat speeds up the lifecycle. When you change water try to vacuum the substrate to remove as much ich there as you can.

 

[Jim Adams]

Very colorful!

3 days is not long enough to kill all the ich. Ich has 3 stages; on the fish, then it falls off into the substrate & then into the water column to reattach to the fish. The treatment works on the form in the water column but you can have all 3 stages at the same time. Ich can also be inside the gills.

I treat ich for 10 days & as tanker said, heat speeds up the lifecycle. When you change water try to vacuum the substrate to remove as much ich there as you can.

Thanks I hade a couple more larger colorful plants in there but I felt like they were taking up to much room. I just completed my first 50% WC and then add water conditioner /w aloe. I also added the Stress Zyme Plus that you see in the picture. And I will get the ammonia test kit this afternoon while I'm out. The shimmying is the only sign I see that makes me think they have ich. Dang thangs are so small I really cant tell if there is a salt like substance covering them. from what I can tell they don't. Boy I sure didn't know you had to be a scientist to raise fish. Oh and I use sand for my sub-straight. No gravel. Won't the vacuum remove that and leave nothing? Thanks. Have a good day.

Very colorful!

3 days is not long enough to kill all the ich. Ich has 3 stages; on the fish, then it falls off into the substrate & then into the water column to reattach to the fish. The treatment works on the form in the water column but you can have all 3 stages at the same time. Ich can also be inside the gills.

I treat ich for 10 days & as tanker said, heat speeds up the lifecycle. When you change water try to vacuum the substrate to remove as much ich there as you can.[/QUOTE}