first fish tank, notice white spots on fish

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Dan420

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Aug 26, 2011
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questions

its the next day and the water is ammonia .5 ppm is that ok? I read that when a new tank is establishing a nitrogen cycle is supposed to peak in ammonia and then slowly go down. is this what is going on? I added a little stress coat and some bacteria from a nitrogen cycle kit I have but I am unsure of the dosage of the nitrogen cycle kit it came with 3 bottles heres a link-->http://www.petco.com/product/111520/Microbe-Lift-Aquarium-Cycling-And-Water-Conditioning-Kit.aspx
 

Dan420

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Aug 26, 2011
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bay area ca
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its the next day and the water is ammonia .5 ppm is that ok? I read that when a new tank is establishing a nitrogen cycle is supposed to peak in ammonia and then slowly go down. is this what is going on? I added a little stress coat and some bacteria from a nitrogen cycle kit I have but I am unsure of the dosage of the nitrogen cycle kit it came with 3 bottles heres a link-->http://www.petco.com/product/111520/...oning-Kit.aspx
 

jpappy789

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Feb 18, 2007
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Since you are fish cycling then you need to do your best to keep the ammonia, and thereafter nitrite as low as possible. Generally at .25 ppm (which is the lowest most tests register) do a water change. Don't worry, this wont stall the cycle as the bacteria still have some food BUT fish cycling is usually a longer process because the bacteria are forced to catch up to the current bioload. However, any measurable amount of either can damage and/or stress the fish even if it is low enough to not be fatal. Keep in mind that while it may be a patience-breaker that the health of the fish come first and foremost.

Therefore you should not, and hopefully will not, see a normal spike, which is generally much more than .5 ppm anyways when a fish-less cycle is being performed. Ammonia levels are usually dosed to the 3-5 ppm range so corresponding nitrite levels are relatively high.

This method of cycling requires that no more fish are added until you eventually see 0 ppm NH3, 0 ppm NO2 and measurable NO3. Then you can continue to stock SLOWLY and repeat the above methods until you are fully stocked.

You said you added bacteria already. I've never used or heard anything about the one you linked. Some commercial products work, others don't...a lot of it comes down to handling as well. The nitrifying bacteria can certainly lie dormant for extended periods of time but some bottles don't always contain the correct bacteria or they may have gone bad over time. It's really a crap-shoot.

It may be more prudent to grab some already established media from a trusted source. That would certainly speed things up...I would stop adding the ammonia tablets and rely more on water changes and a conditioner like Prime to aid in the cycling process.
 

Dan420

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Aug 26, 2011
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tetras fine... Pelco Has ICH badly

So I have been doing water changes and checking the water often. ive kept the temp at around 81 and my tetras seem to be doing better and the white areas have cleared up and damaged fins seemed to be looking better than before... but now my common Pelco is covered with little white spots that DO look like grains of salt.
IMG_0321.JPGIMG_0320.JPG.
im pretty sure its ICH.. it looks bad he is just riddled with them and he is acting not well? what should I do remove him? I can treat with salt because tank has plants dwarf frogs and the tetras are not very salt tolerant ...what should I do he may not make it?

IMG_0321.JPG IMG_0320.JPG
 

Jannika

MTS Survivor
Mar 17, 2010
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Removing the pleco won't help since the entire tank now must be treated for Ich. I don't think tetras are particularly salt-sensitive, but you must remove the frogs. They don't get Ich, but the treatments for it will likely do them in.
 

Dan420

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Aug 26, 2011
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i removed the frogs and shrimp from the tank what should i do with my filter when medicating i got ich attack - organic it says to remove the carbon but its a new tank and im trying to cycle it for the first time? what should i do?

marineland 150 filter
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
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Phoenix, AZ
Common pleco? Are you sure about that part? If it is, start looking for a new home for it now. It sounds like you have a small tank (14 gal I think you said?) and common plecos get big. 18-24 inches or so. I have a 55 gallon tank, and since it's only 13 inches wide, I don't want any single fish longer than 6 or 7 inches.

Remove the carbon filter. If you don't, it'll filter the medication out of the water. You can use just plain filter floss if you have it.
 

Dan420

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Aug 26, 2011
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i know i didnt realize how large the fish got untill it was too late, I have a friend with a bigger tank who will take it.. no on would want it in its current condition I hope to get rid of the ich using the medication but what holding me up is I need to save the bacteria on my filter because my tank hasnt done a full cycle yet
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
2,621
62
51
Phoenix, AZ
i know i didnt realize how large the fish got untill it was too late, I have a friend with a bigger tank who will take it.. no on would want it in its current condition I hope to get rid of the ich using the medication but what holding me up is I need to save the bacteria on my filter because my tank hasnt done a full cycle yet
Hindsight is 20/20, but it's best to cycle the tank before getting fish, and learn the maximum size of fish before you get them.

I'd like to apologize if you thought I was scolding with the "Common pleco? Are you sure about that part? If it is, start looking for a new home for it now." comment. I intended that more as just getting a headstart, before it does get too big, as you may not be able to find a new home quickly, although you do have a good alternative already available. It's easy to forget you can't hear me, and miss the cues that would accompany my words.

I'm not familiar with your particular filter, but Top Fin and I think Tetra have build your own type filter pads where you have to insert the carbon into the floss. You can get/use those, without a frame if necessary, and just forgo the insertion of carbon.
 

Jannika

MTS Survivor
Mar 17, 2010
1,498
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N. California
Dan,
According to the Kordon website Ich Attack is a non-toxic herbal treatment, does not affect beneficial nitrifying bacteria, and can even be double-dosed if necessary. It's apparently safe for invertebrates, scaleless fish, amphibians, and reef tanks, but since your tank hasn't cycled yet I would still keep the frogs out for now, as they're sensitive to any ammonia.

If your filter cartridge is over two weeks old, any carbon has already been depleted and I wouldn't worry about removing it if it's difficult to separate from the sponge part.

I'm very interested to hear how this Kordon product works, so please keep us posted and good luck!
 
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