1st fish death, 1st water change, please help!

Smoking probably has not effect on the fish. Just an FYI I also put the bag in my tank to warm the water, but I never just dump the water from the bag into the tank. I always scoop the fish out with a net and put him in the tank and dump the bag water. I go by the theory that I do not know what is in that water and do not want it in my tank.
 
Hmmmmmmmmmmm.......not sure if it this is a possiblity but, hey, why not remove it from the list of potentially bad mojo?

Cigarettes contain nicotine (not sure if I spelled that right). Nicotine is a pesticide. Are you washing your hands before you put them in the water or feed your fish, especially after finishing a cig? I don't know if the concentrations would be great enough but it is possible that that could be causing a little bit of a problem.
 
my levels today were

amonia between 0 and 0.1
nitrites between 0.3 and 0.8
ph about 7
nitrates about 30

i added 1 yellow gourami to replace the one that died. was that a mistake? will that affect the rest of my cycle or the life of my fish?
 
it can make your ammonia and nitrite go up more. I would not add anymore fish until the tank is completely cycled. Low levels like you have may not be toxic in themselves, but they are very stressful on the fish with long term exposure.
 
ok so ive had fish in my tank for 2 weeks now and i did 2 water changes(20% appro) the first week. i tested my water today and results r

amonia 0
nitrites 0-0.1
nitrates 5
ph about 7

its weird but i have never tested for any amonia at any point since i got my tank. i have tested nitrites at about 0.5-0.8 and have seen it go down to about 0-0.1 in the last few days. have i cycled yet? it seems odd only after 2 weeks? can my water changes have affected my tests results? can i add 2 more fish in 1 or 2 days? am i on the right track?
thanks


69 gallon

2 yellow gouramis
2 red rainbows
2 red torpedo barbs
 
ok so ive had fish in my tank for 2 weeks now and i did 2 water changes(20% appro) the first week. i tested my water today and results r

amonia 0
nitrites 0-0.1
nitrates 5
ph about 7

its weird but i have never tested for any amonia at any point since i got my tank. i have tested nitrites at about 0.5-0.8 and have seen it go down to about 0-0.1 in the last few days. have i cycled yet? it seems odd only after 2 weeks? can my water changes have affected my tests results? can i add 2 more fish in 1 or 2 days? am i on the right track?
thanks


69 gallon

2 yellow gouramis
2 red rainbows
2 red torpedo barbs
 
ok so ive had fish in my tank for 2 weeks now and i did 2 water changes(20% appro) the first week. i tested my water today and results r

amonia 0
nitrites 0-0.1
nitrates 5
ph about 7

its weird but i have never tested for any amonia at any point since i got my tank. i have tested nitrites at about 0.5-0.8 and have seen it go down to about 0-0.1 in the last few days. have i cycled yet? it seems odd only after 2 weeks? can my water changes have affected my tests results? can i add 2 more fish in 1 or 2 days? am i on the right track?
thanks


69 gallon

2 yellow gouramis
2 red rainbows
2 red torpedo barbs
 
You are cycled when you consistently have a 0 reading of both ammonia and nitrite. A cycled tank should not show ANY reading of either, not even a little. So, I would wait a little longer until that happens before you add anymore fish
 
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