My aquarium is not looking good.

[Rudmin]

If any of you have been following my story you'll know that I was given a 33 gallon tank with 6 fish in it.

(If you haven't been following and care, the links are here)
First thread
Second thread

Well, funny things have been happening in the tank lately, the cichlids have been chasing each other around like mad breathing heavily and my featherfin is showing some signs of abuse (scraps below his top fin). I did a water test with an ancient and used liquid kit from my LFS and it did show some signs of NH3. (I'm still waiting for my API master kit in the mail) I promptly used a little less than a cap-full of Seachem Prime and figured it would last until my next water change. I haven't tested it since Tuesday but I have a dreadful feeling my fish are going to die inevitably.

After reading many, many, many article threads on this website and others I have a basic understanding of the cycling process. I read several times that you should never wash your filters with tap water because the chlorine in it will kill the good bacteria. Well after reading that I remembered my wife's aunt washed the filters and their sponges with tap water. I don't think I have the knowledge to save my fish if the tank is now un-cycled. I was planning on selling the two cichlids and the yoyo loach to another LFS, Elmer's this Saturday.

What is my best option here, do a bunch of water changes and hope for the best? I basically have to do a fishy cycle but with limited knowledge and resources.

 

[chunkoblue]

Yes, lots of water changes. If you can do 50% daily with a gravel vacuum that would help a lot. Make sure the temperature of the new water is the same as the tank and add dechlorinator first.

 

[DominionDesign]

Sorry to hear about your tank issues. The initial learning curve can be tough but after that you will enjoy it much more. One thing to ask about at your LFS is if they can board your fish for you while you properly cycle the tank. When I had my shop I used to do this for my customers. I would first ask fellow aquarists in your area for reccomendations on a good shop if you don't have one already, there are probably quite a few around here which can help in your area. Till then lots of water changes. Good luck!

 

[kingearwig]

I think that if you wish to avoid the heart ache of loosing fish (I think that if you try to cycle with the fish you proposed, you will will be lucky to have one left at the end of the cycle) you should get rid of all of the fish to the LFS and buy a dozen feeder guppies. Then in 6-8 weeks you will have lots of feeder guppies, a perfectly cycled tank, AND a nice fresh start.

BUT you might want to look into live plants. they can make a fishy cycle less of a death cycle.
Look into other things to speed your cycle up also. Will your trusted LFS sell you a bag of used substrate? Will they give you a big bag of their water?

 

[Star_Rider]

if the tank has been running for awhile and was established.. you may just be going thru a mini cycle. washing the media in the filter will wipe out most if not all the bacteria in the filter media..but other bacteria should be residing in the tank, on substrate and the walls of surfaces in the tank and on the filter.
watch the ammonia and nitrites and do water changes as needed to keep the ppm below .25.

hang in there and good luck

 

[Rudmin]

Okay, I just got home and tested the water again with my kit. My parameters are:

Nitrite: 0 PPM
Chlorine: 0 PPM
Ammonia: .5-1 PPM

I'll see what I can do about lowering the ammonia level.

 

[Quinn1928]

don't get rid of the fish exeptthe chiclids b-cause they are getting aggressive. just a mini cycle

 

[jm1212]

if your ammoina is as high as 1.0 ppm, then you need to do 50% water changes until it drops to 0.25

 

[jpappy789]

Do as many water changes to get rid of the ammonia...keep an eye on the params.

 

[Rudmin]

I just did a 50% water change, how long should I wait before doing another chem test?