New to aquarium keeping.

[Jim Adams]

MO water changes! (lol, I got it). Take a water sample with you & have the lfs test it, at least for ammonia. Get an actual number or at least a range, not just "ok".

Sorry for the info overload, you asked for it! Write down or take a pic & post if you're unsure about any plants, equipment etc before you buy. Common names can be confusing & the "help" might not have much experience either. Look online before you shop to get an idea of what you might want; when in doubt, wait. I've gotten really good at gratification postponement from early childhood

I'm from the Midwest & spent many years on the east coast, so I get the humidity thing too, yuck, lol. Actually we have that & rain for our winter. Summer days can get HOT for a few hours but almost always cools down at night with a nice bedtime breeze, ahhh!

Its all good. I really appreciate info. Unfortunately I have bad news. In doing my 50% WC today I did something wrong and lost 3 of the 4 glofish. I honestly don't know what happened but after I finished the change I noticed one of them was acting weird even for the glofish. It was swimming erratically and then would stop moving like it was dead. then i noticed 2 others acting in the same manner. Then no life in them at all. I did something but Idk what. Maybe the water temp. was a little lower than the tank water but if it was it couldn't have been much. So now I'm in mourning and waiting for the police to show up and arrest me for murder.
anyway I was looking to do something different with them. They were hard on the tetras and I didn't realize just how much until feeding time and the tetras actually were feeding at the top instead of being afraid to eat. I did purchase a master test kit yesterday and tested this morning. pH - 7.8 or higher / High Range pH - 7.8 / ammonia - 1.0 ppm / nitrite 5.0 ppm or higher / nitrate - around 40 ppm. Also purchased Omega One Flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp, an adjustable heater, and 2 Java Ferns. when I get ready to replace the glofish what do you suggest for replacement fish that would get along with the neon and glo-light tetras? Yes I can hear you right now from 2000 miles away. " NOTHING" . Don't replace right now. I'm just saying in the near future.

 

[fishorama]

Your ammonia is high but your nitrite level is deadly. I'm so sorry. Most of us have done that , hopefully only once.

You need to do HUGE water changes daily, 80% would be good. But if you truly cannot, at least dose the ammo lock or whatever it is you use for the entire 20g volume of water. Skip feeding for a few days, it's only adding to your problems right now.

At this point I'd suggest adding a Tablespoon of table salt (iodized is ok). Dissolve it in a smallish amount of water & add over 24 hours. Then do it again in 48 hours. The idea is to get to 1Tbsp/5 gallons slowly over say 3 or 4 days ... but you'll need to allow for WCs. I'll let you do the math depending on how much water you change at a time. Salt will help counteract the effects of nitrite (see brown blood disease)...but 5ppm is pretty dang bad.

I hate to be such a downer but you may lose all your fish...but don't give up even if you do. It's a very hard lesson on tank cycling, many give up at this point but you can grit it out & start over when your tank cycles...& once you get to 0 nitrite & 0 ammonia you can (again) slowly remove the salt over several days of WCs.

We're here for hand holding/venting & helping you move beyond this bad start. We can talk about what you might want to do next for fish...but you need to get the tank cycled before anything else.

 

[fishorama]

So, how are things going Jim?

 

[Jim Adams]

So, how are things going Jim?

well I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up. Drama. Life u know. Anyway I did get the master test kit and have been testing every few days and am making adjustments as much as I can. I've been adding Imagitarium brand ammonia remover. Following directions. I have purchased API pH up and pH down. Adding salt for nitrite and adding bio-boosters.I know. I've been neglecting them. They don't seem to be suffering. That's good. and appetites seem to be fine good. Its hard to say about their activities. The glofish (Danio) being territorial is keeping the tetras pinned to the walls. so they aren't getting full use of the aquarium. I added 4 Java ferns and have purchased 4 more. I've added 7 (was supposed to be six) Black Neon Tetras. I know I'm not doing what I should. I'll come around. I need to find a home for the glofish. the pet store won't take it and I'm afraid I'm going to have to flush it in order for the tetras to thrive. I'm going to see what happens once I add the Anubius and Java ferns to the ones that are in the tank already. I'm thinking that they might add enough cover to keep the glofish at bay. I have a question about WC's. I have a system that hooks up to the faucet and is used for siphoning vacuuming and refill. when I refill that way when do I add the declorinator? That's all I've got. Will probably do a WC and test the water first. It's supposed to hit 98 degrees today. Hope your having better weather. Who am I kidding your having great weather. I know because I lived in Santa Barbara for a while.

 

[fishorama]

I add dechor just before I start to refill. I also dose for the entire tank water volume or close to it when I do the faucet attachment. That will also help "bind" some of the ammonia & nitrite. How are those numbers coming after 10 days?

Our temps are just about like yours without the humidity. & it gets chilly at night, just right for sleeping.

 

[Jim Adams]

I add dechor just before I start to refill. I also dose for the entire tank water volume or close to it when I do the faucet attachment. That will also help "bind" some of the ammonia & nitrite. How are those numbers coming after 10 days?

Our temps are just about like yours without the humidity. & it gets chilly at night, just right for sleeping.

Hope I haven't lost you. Not vary good with tech and using a forum is foreign to me. Since I last wrote you my numbers were right where they are supposed to be. Except the ammonia level. It was at 1.0 ppm. Can't seem to get it down. I went ahead and added ammonia lock. And then later the next day I tested again and the level read 2.0 ppm. After a 50% WC about an hour later I started to lose my neons. Within 24 hours I lost all 6 neon tetras and 1 black neon tetra. The 6 glo-light tetras and the 5 remaining black neon tetras seemed to be unaffected . Water temp of the replacement water was the same as the tank (I have a digital thermometer). I added the AquaSafe just as I started to refill like you said.
Not replacing lost fish. If I lose them all I will wait until the tank stabilizes then start introducing fish a little at a time. I've added more plants to aquarium. It's giving the fish places to hide. But makes it hard to get a head count and keep an eye on their behavior. Please HELP!
Hope this finds you doing well. Heat index of 110 degrees for today. Happy 4th of July. Hope you have a safe and fun day. Hope to hear from you SOON.

 

[ustabefast]

Why did you buy the pH up and pH down products? I think you just have way too much stuff you are adding to the tank. I just add dechlorinater when I change the water and nothing else. The salt is ok, given your dire circumstances..
Don't worry about PH, especially with the cycling crisis you are dealing with. Seriously, I check my PH maybe twice a year in my tanks unless I am breeding a particular species.

Frustrating how your ammonia will not settle down.
Maybe this is a dumb question but are you certain there is not a dead critter hidden somewhere that is decomposing?

 

[ustabefast]

Jim, I forgot to ask, are you cleaning the filter cartridge? or replacing it?
A light rinse with dechlorinated water or tank water is all maintenence the filter floss needs at this point. I would Not replace the cartridge because then you are losing accumulated beneficial bacteria which forms on the media and consumes the ammonia waste produced by the livestock

Also, your tank is definitely not Underfilterd, which is why the powerhead is also redundant. There is plenty of water movement, you just need a good bacteria colony to get established.

 

[Jim Adams]

Right now I must have a dead fish in there somewhere but I'm unable to find it. Lost a lot of menos at my last WC. I bought the pH up and down because according to my master test kit the pH was near 7.8. Vary high. I've planted about 6 Java Ferns and a couple of Anubius. Hopefully that will help with the numbers. I notice a couple of days ago that some of the fish habe ick. Spotted the salt like spots on the. I've raised the temp. To 80 degrees maybe a little higher. Removed carbon filters. Started treatment for 10 days.

 

[Claire Vaughan]

Hi Jim. Welcome. I agree with the above advise. My PH levels are over 8.0 and the fish I have adjusted to it. Raising the temp in your tank and turning the lights off with help, if you have Ich. I suggest you get a API Master Test Kit. It's a little pricey, but it last a long time a well worth the investment to keep your water stable.