Over crowded?

Michwol42795 said:
What color are the gills? It's probably something to do with the cycle-ammonia, nitrite problems.
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Nitrite is 0, and ammonia is .5 ppm according to the two tests I've done today. I can't get a good look at what his gills look like.

Edit: Nevermind, they're pinky red. I'm going to do another nitrite test. But the ammonia was 1ppm, now it's dropped to .5 ppm in the last day.
 
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Anything over 0.25 can hurt the fish, so I'd probably increase the water changes to keep it at a safe level. Being lethargic, or laying at the bottom of the tank are signs of ammonia poisoning. See http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm
Here's a good article on the symptoms of nitrite poisoning, since that may be the next thing that comes up as your tank cycles: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm

Another tip, too: detoxifiers like Prime will neutralize the ammonia that is present when the Prime is added, but that initial dose will not continue to neutralize ammonia that the fish produce thereafter. Even if you add a very large dose, it doesn't stay viable in the water long enough to neutralize much ammonia that is produced after it is added. So, it's better to do frequent water changes, with a regular dose of Prime, than to overdose with Prime at one go.
 
Yeah, it sounds like ammonia poisoning. Prime will help, but remember that it still shows up in the test, so it may not look like it's helping but it is. Watch the other 3 closely, Chubs may just be more sensitive than the others.
 
King Chubs said:
I've been doing water changes every other day. I guess I'll switch to daily, until I get the problem resolved.
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Yeah, daily water changes are often necessary when cycling with fish. I've only been through a fishy cycle once, and it was a total ordeal--I felt like I was a slave to my little red water-change bucket. I couldn't believe how fast the ammonia levels would shoot up. Sometimes I had to do a change in the morning and at night, even though I wasn't feeding the fish.

Did you see my earlier post about using store-bought ammonia? It really is the easiest way to do it, because you can just dump in ammonia up to 5 ppm, and then let the tank sit there.

Although, I guess in your case, the fish will be in a cycling tank either way, right?

Do you at least have a python or other water change hose that hooks up to your sink? If not, get one, because it will make your life SO much easier. If I'd had one during my fishy cycle, I would have had a much better experience. It makes daily water changes a breeze. Just hook up the hose, and drain and refill the tank by opening and closing a valve. I can do 50% on my 55 in under 20 minutes, and all I have to be there to do is add my water conditioner after I switch the valve to refill.
 
Well since it has only been a couple days I wouldn't worry about nitrite levels still being zero. You could transfer filter media or use a bacteria additive to help speed the process along.
 
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