having some problems need some help

[MDcrinos]

Cycling = running your tank (filter, air pump, whatever) for a week or two or three and then adding your fish. Test your water parameters with a test kit and hope for the best.

You'll have to have a source of ammonia just running the filters won't get you there, and if could take a lot longer to get a full cycle.

Do a web search on fishless cycling (I'm not telling you that you have to do it that way, but most articles will talk about both fishless and with fish cycling) or search this site, I know I've seen it somewhere in here.

Good luck!

 

[crystalawrence]

i did it~~! im so happy... :dance2: my fishes are eating well now... :dance2: the ich or fungals are gone... ok this is wat i did...

yesterday i went to my friends fish shop straight after work... i bought a $3 2ft filter spounge got 5 pieces, $22 dollars 8000 2way air pump which is ex, 30cent 3meter air pump tube, 4ft $5 air pump pipe for the bubbles to blow from below ex, $4 2 leopard Pleco, $8 5kg sand ex, and the most important is the most helpful thing "the medician".. ok i bought a medician from the other fish shop its written for ich and fugals so i bought it for $13, the guy says for 4ft tank put 1/4 of the medician to the tank, when i go back to my friends shop he tell me if u put this ypur fsh will die... (-_-").. so he introdues me anyother medician which cost only $5, i forgot the name liao.. but is a glass bottle with a arowana pic and when in water is green in colour.. so i when home straight and started the job..

ok 1st i took out everything in the tank except the filter pump but switches off, i use some scrap and spounge to clean the tank, leave it for 1 to 2hr for the material to settles down.. than i use 1 long hose to suck all the material out from the tank, untill the water left less than half, than i switch on the filter pump, fill up the tank with water, by now tank water is quit clean liao.. than i proceed with my air pump i fix it down behind the tank, switch it on, hmmm.. very nice.. than i start to clean up the sand, put it in, put back all the rocks and fake sea weed and than i put 2 caps of medician in the water which is wat my friend told me.. let it cycle with my pump... i put the pleco on top of the water still inside plastic bag.. i let it be for 1hr.. after 1hr i let the 2 pleco out to the tank and observe... these something i cant believe... all the ich and fungles from the fishes are ALL gone all disappear.. and the medician helps to clean the tank too.. i never b4 have a so clear tank b4 haha so happy... can see that my fishes are happy too... ok now i try the most important thing is feeding time... SO happy that i jump up.. guess what i feeded them and they finish the food withthin 3mins... haha 1st time see them eat so happily... the medician is so helpful... i will check what name is it and update again.. i now not at home... i wan to put pictures but i dun have a digital cam.. only phone cam not clear.. but i will get the pic asap to post it here to let u all see.... too bad my one of the silver dollar died liao

and i wanna thanks u guys trying to help me up.. thanks alot..

 

[Lorazoo]

Glad its looking better, but so you know, ich or fungus does not clear up in one day. If it is ich you need to treat the tank for 3 weeks to make sure the parasite is completely gone. When you see the white spots, that is the parasite leaving the body of the fish. There are still many stages of the life cycle alive in the tank and even though you might not see the white spots, the parasites are still there. the reason your tiger barabs probably have made it is b/c they are a tough fish.

Do you have a filter on the tank?

the water change probably helped alot b/c my feeling is that if you never did water chnages your Nitrates are through the roof. While you were at the fish store did you take in a water sample and let them test it for the Ammonia, Nitrates, etc? they usually do it for free.

Also, by the way, getting 2 plecos for that tank isnt a good idea. Those fish grow to be 2 feet long and will take over the tank if they are the common pleco species, which is what most stores sell. I would see if the store will take those fish back once they start growing.

The easiest thing to do now is get your water tested and keep up with samll water changes every week. if you do not have a filter you need one asap.

 

[crystalawrence]

Yes i do have a filter.. and the medician i use is acuric arowana aid.. my friend told me to put 2 caps than after 3 days put 2 caps than after another 3 days put 2caps again and c if u wanna change abit of water.. dun change also can... than every month change 1 time.. when changing water put 2 caps... is it alright?

 

[Lorazoo]

i DON'T REALLY KNOW THIS MEDICATION YOU ARE USING, but putting it in every month as a preventative does not sound like a good idea to me. if your tank is healthy you should have to medicate all of the time.

The true way to have a healthy tank is to have a good bacteria colony (cycling the tank). You need to check your water parameters once a week (almost daily when first setting up the tank to make sure nothing gets to high) which is the Ammonia, pH, Nitrite, Nitrate, water hardness. You can buy this kit in the store for $15-20 (if you print the internet price from Petsmart and take it into the store they will honor it) and that will last you 6 months to a year.

Then you need to do a water change of 25-50% EVERY WEEK, adding the dechlorinator to the water every time (like AmQuel or Prime).

Then every 2-3 months, when your filter gets dirty you need to clean it, using dechlorinated water so not to kill the bacteria colonies, chnage out some of the pads when they get too old.

What you keep asking about seems to be short term solution and I am trying to tell you long term success. But, keep using that medication if it is working for the next few weeks. Look at the directions. Some say you need to do water changes every couple of days so that you dont make the medication in the tank too high and kill the fish or the good bacteria in your tank. You can over-medicate. Then when you are done medicating do a big water change and add carbon to your filter to get the rest out of the water. Make sure not to put fresh carbon in the filter while medicating or it will take the medicine out of the water.

 

[crystalawrence]

ok thanks alot alot for your advises.. i really appreciate it.. thanks alot.. i will do my best to make my fish tank clean and remain the water a tip top quality conditions... and give my fish a happy healthy life... i will be posting pic soon real soon... thanks alot...