I have a problem and I'm not sure on how to post here. My 45 gallon aquarium has been cured of ich. I did 50% water changes and sometimes 75% water changes with Quickcure for 13 days. The problem that I have now is that everyday when I check the water after work, the ammonia climbs close to .25. The nitrites are an zero and the nitrates are close to zero. I am using Amquel Plus and Nitrasorb to try and keep the levels non toxic. I have 5 little goldfish in there, 4 big danios, 8 zebra danios, plus a pleclostomus. Can I get the tank straight again? If anyone has any advice I would be very happy to hear from you. Did I wipe out the biological filter? I'm overstocked with the fish and I really don't want to lose them.
Problems with previously cycled tank after ich
- Thread starter anniebannanee
- Start date
Very overstocked to be honest.
Depending on which goldfish you have you are looking at five, messy 6-12" fish. The same goes for the plecos. Some species (the ones most common in store) can get up to 2 feet long.
How often are you doing water changes? What is your filtration?
Stop using any nitrazorb like product. In an established tank ALL ammonia and nitrite will be converted into nitrates which will be dilluted by water changes. Nitrates should be around 20-40 ppm, not zero. The only chemical you need is a dechlorinator.
There's a possibility that you are not cycled...how long has the tank been setup and how did you initially cycle?
Depending on which goldfish you have you are looking at five, messy 6-12" fish. The same goes for the plecos. Some species (the ones most common in store) can get up to 2 feet long.
How often are you doing water changes? What is your filtration?
Stop using any nitrazorb like product. In an established tank ALL ammonia and nitrite will be converted into nitrates which will be dilluted by water changes. Nitrates should be around 20-40 ppm, not zero. The only chemical you need is a dechlorinator.
There's a possibility that you are not cycled...how long has the tank been setup and how did you initially cycle?
I had a similar spike after introducing fish to an established tank - although the nitrite and nitrate also spiked (I increased the number of fish too rapidly). I did 50% water changes daily using SeaChem Prime to condition the water. It sounds like some of your beneficial bacteria died in the treatment of the ick if the tank was cycled before the fish got sick. I have the same questions as jpappy, how long has it been up and how did you cycle it?
I would stop using the products you mentioned and just use Prime.
Test and monitor the levels, performing water changes when ever ammonia or nitrites hit .25 ppm.
Though folks say it won't hurt your bacteria, I see many folks having the same issue as you after using Quick Cure. A dead bacteria colony and in the pain of a fishy cycle.
Test and monitor the levels, performing water changes when ever ammonia or nitrites hit .25 ppm.
Though folks say it won't hurt your bacteria, I see many folks having the same issue as you after using Quick Cure. A dead bacteria colony and in the pain of a fishy cycle.
The tank was established for 3 mos. I used to do 25 % water changes once a week and all seemed well until I added the plant from a chain grocery store. Then the ich infested the tank within a couple of days. I initially cycled it with one goldfish and then slowly added 1 goldfish after a week, then again 2 goldfish, and so on. I have a whisper filter and I just ordered an emperor 400 filter last night.
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I've read that a lot of people on this web site quarantine plants and fish before adding them to an established aquarium to be sure that they're not bringing any germs in (before starting here I wouldn't even have thought of that!) but after all the reading I've here done I definitely plan to start this practice. Be careful when you change your filter - you don't want to use fresh media. If you do, the small amount of bacteria you already have will be tossed away with the media which will again cause the levels of ammonia to increase. I would just take the biobag out of the Whisper and set it inside your new filter (it's also a hang on back kind right?). You can add more media to the tank, but be sure to use your old also. (Something else I learned in the few weeks I've belonged to this site -- never throw out filter media). I hope this helps and that your fishies stay healthy! Lisa
My question is what is the difference between Prim and Amquel Plus? They both seem to do the same thing. I am taking the nitrasorb out of the aquarium. Also, once I receive the new filter, I plan on hanging it alongside the whisper filter until some bacteria build up. Is that ok or will that be too much. (Emperor 400)
Prime and the Amquel work about the same. The nitrasorb is another thing entirely and has no place in a functional tank. You appear to be in at least a mini cycle if not starting from scratch. As long as you monitor the ammonia and nitrites with a decent liquid reagent test kit and keep levels below 0.25 ppm using water changes, things will be fine until the goldfish start growing bigger. Keep using the dechlorinator and try to roughly temperature match the new water to the tank water when doing your water changes. Once the tank starts to stabilize, you can be guided by watching for when nitrates reach about 20 ppm above the value of your tap water.