Tank water problems :( Helpppppppp

J

JackieFish84

Small Fish
#1
Sep 24, 2008
44
0
0
#1
Ok...so I've had my tank for about 3 months now, and unfortunately I didn't cycle it when I first got it. But I've been doing water changes and testing for ammonia, etc etc.

Yesterday I came home to see 2 dead fish....and now my guppy is dying.

I thought maybe I should test the water...

The pH is lower than usualy..it's 6.2 (usually 7)

My ammonia level is off the chart...supposedly 7.5....but I read that using products to neutralize can cause a fake high reading.

I'm about to test for Nitrites...and I'll post the outcome...

I just want to know what I'm doing wrong!! I don't want my fish to keep dying...plus my other tank has my guppy fry and I don't want the same thing to happen to them.

Please help.
 

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#2
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#2
Same thing happened to me when I set up my 10g earlier this year. I had no idea what cycling even was, until I found MFT, but that was after I had set my tank up and had fish in it. I lost cory catfish and guppies.

I think the only thing you can do to help your fish along is daily water changes. It sucks, but the alternative will probably be more fish deaths because they just can't live in water with ammonia levels that high. :(

I also use SeaChem Prime water conditioner- it neutralizes chlorine and ammonia, etc. I recommend it.
 

J

JackieFish84

Small Fish
#4
Sep 24, 2008
44
0
0
#4
you say the cycling could take 2 months..but i've had my tank longer than that. can my chemicals be giving me false readings?? and if so how do i tell the real readings??
also...what else could be killing off my fish?
 

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#6
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#6
My tank was up for probably a month or so before I learned what it meant to cycle, then after I bought my test kit & starting testing everything, it still took like 2 months or something ridiculous until I was done cycling.
 

punkrockfish

punkrockfish

Large Fish
#9
Nov 27, 2004
841
0
0
40
New Orleans
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#9
i was thinking that maybe you somehow removed some beneficial bacteria, which could be causing your tank to cycle again. in regards to filter cleaning, all you need to do is rinse off the filter pad in tank water you have removed while doing a water change. tap water, or replacing it, will remove all the good stuff. in terms of using a gravel vac, not much to it. simply move the siphon around in the gravel, not too deep, and get some of the junk out.
 

punkrockfish

punkrockfish

Large Fish
#12
Nov 27, 2004
841
0
0
40
New Orleans
Visit site
#12
only so you can give the company money. how often do you change it? the most important thing is to get all the extra gunk off the cartridge that builds up there. however, that doesn't mean replacing it. when you do that, you remove all the bacteria that has stored up on the cartridge.
 

sombunya

sombunya

Large Fish
#13
Jul 25, 2008
304
0
0
67
So. Cal. USA
#13
A couple of my tank's filters have not been touched for about two months. Water is nice.

Unless your filter has stopped flowing, don't mess with it. And make sure you have gravel, decorations etc. for the good, nitrifying bacteria to grow on.
 

MissFishy

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
#14
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#14
You don't need to change filter catridges. Simply swish them around in TREATED tap water every month or two to keep them free from gunk. If you change them out, you are defeating the purpose of having the good bacteria live on them to filter your water.

Also, make sure you are treating your tap water with a water conditioner. Water out of your tap contains chlorine which will kill your good bacteria. Always treat the water BEFORE you add it to your tank. I would suggest stop using any chemicals in your tank so you can get some accurate tank readings and then just do water changes accordingly.
 

Chris_A

Chris_A

Large Fish
#15
Oct 14, 2008
615
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
#15
What brand of test kit are you using for the ammonia? Here's the thing, the chemicals don't give a false reading, most kits just don't differentiate between NH3 (ammonia) and NH4 (Ammonium) and I can just about promise you ALL of what you are reading is NH4. That low pH is probably saving your fish from having already died from NH3 poisoning. It's basic chemistry, the free hydrogen atoms that give you the low pH bond with the NH3 to create (marginally) less toxic NH4. The down side is at 6.2 there is also a risk for Acidosis.

What I would do is one or two major w/c's, say 50-60%, and then daily 25% until you get through the cycle. Also, I would second the recommendation to dose with prime, it's all I use if I cycle with livestock. Well, that and time. ;)

Here's the important part... whatever you do, don't swing the pH. I would leave it on the low side (6.5 ish) until the NH3/NH4 tests 0 but consistent is more important right now. That means dropping the ph of any water you add to the tank be it w/c's or evap top up. For small tanks I've used milk jugs, larger ones 5 gallon pails. BIG tanks... that's a bit more tricky. I would mix w/c water at least a day or two in advance to make sure it's stable (the pH that is), I normally go a week but I'm a bachelor and have lots of "free" space lol ;).

Hope this helps! Usually understanding how the processes work behind how something works can make a decision easier. :)

Good Luck!
Chris
 

HeyKristy

HeyKristy

New Fish
#16
Oct 18, 2008
6
0
0
Atlanta, Ga
#16
I'm so glad I found this site. I think us newbies think cleaner is better. That is the way it works for all my other pets. I'm doing a fish in cycle (really because I didn't know much better) and changed the filter cartridge a week ago. Ammonia up. Imagine that. I'm doing daily water changes to get it down and watching all my other readings. Right now only my cory cats are acting strange. Hopefully they will make it through this.
 

mistercoffee

mistercoffee

Large Fish
#17
Sep 15, 2008
425
0
0
Chicago, IL
#17
HeyKristy said:
I'm so glad I found this site. I think us newbies think cleaner is better. That is the way it works for all my other pets. I'm doing a fish in cycle (really because I didn't know much better) and changed the filter cartridge a week ago. Ammonia up. Imagine that. I'm doing daily water changes to get it down and watching all my other readings. Right now only my cory cats are acting strange. Hopefully they will make it through this.
Click to expand...
This site is wonderful isn't it? Just keep up with the water changes and good luck!
 

J

JackieFish84

Small Fish
#18
Sep 24, 2008
44
0
0
#18
Hmm...ok...i thought I had to change the filter cartridge every so often...thought that's why they come in boxes of 8. haha. I have the tetra whisper filter with the biobags...i put the cotton looking bag over the cartrige with carbon in it....
so what/how/how often do i clean that?? Just take the whole cartridge out and clean it off in tank water?

I definately did something wrong because all but two of my fish died :( oh and my african dwarf frog.
I have another tank with guppy fry, about 2 weeks old, and they seem to be fine...I'm doing the water changes, but they have a sponge filter...

So...if the last two fish die (unfortunately they look kind of sickly) I want to start over and do a fishless cycle. I am moving in a month and a half...so I dont know if I should do the cycle...and then just keep the filter and gravel wet for the move....so I dont have to wait forever to cycle when I get to the new place...
(Although I might buy a bigger tank, but I hear I can use the gravel and filter media for that as well to speed up the cycle)
or should I just wait until I move to start over?? Does it make sense to start cycling now?

Also...the dwarf frog (very small)....can I put him in the tank with the guppy fry?? If i restart the bigger tank I dont want to leave him in there for the ammonia spikes..

Thanks again for all the help!!
 

ishar

ishar

MFT Staff
#19
Jul 27, 2007
1,490
0
36
36
Hamilton, ON.
#19
I just want to comment on the whole filter cartridge switching. I want to mention two things, one is the frequency at which you can change them, and the other is the economical way to do so.

When setting up a new tank, meaning within the first month or two from the point of having your tank cycled, you should never change your filter media, no matter how filthy it gets. If it is so dirty the water is not flowing, you can either rinse it in dechlorinated water to remove the large particles but keep most of the bacteria, or do what I did and swap out half of the filter floss (if you don't know what I mean then you will understand when I talk about how to change the floss economically). This way you retain most of your bacteria and the tank won't be recycled. Once your tank is about two months old, or older if you can manage it, there should be enough bacteria in the substrate (as long as you didn't swap it or disturb it too much... which I would really hope for your sake that you didn't this soon into the game :p) to retain the cycle, and you can swap out your filter media as necessary when it gets so dirty it impedes the flow of water through your filter.

To do this economically, all you need to do is ask your LFS about bulk filter floss. I know that the Big Al's near me (my LFS) bags like 20 sq ft of this white cottony stuff called filter floss. It costs like $5 for that much- and like $10 for three replacement cartridges from my filter's company. To use it, you take your first filter that came with your tank (or any of the replacements you used) and you rip and cut the old filter floss off and keep the plastic frame. The you just elastic band or tie the new bulk filter floss to the frame after you cut a piece that is a little larger than the frame itself. This is VERY cost effective and much cheaper in the long run- my 20 sq ft has lasted me about 10 months so far and I am only about half done... so you do the math on how much $$$ you save.

In summary, when first cycling, do not switch the filter unless absolutely necessary, and wait another month or two after the tank is cycled to swap it out fully. I hope this helps clear some things up. I apologize if this post is seen as a hijack.
 

mistercoffee

mistercoffee

Large Fish
#20
Sep 15, 2008
425
0
0
Chicago, IL
#20
ishar said:
I just want to comment on the whole filter cartridge switching. I want to mention two things, one is the frequency at which you can change them, and the other is the economical way to do so.

When setting up a new tank, meaning within the first month or two from the point of having your tank cycled, you should never change your filter media, no matter how filthy it gets. If it is so dirty the water is not flowing, you can either rinse it in dechlorinated water to remove the large particles but keep most of the bacteria, or do what I did and swap out half of the filter floss (if you don't know what I mean then you will understand when I talk about how to change the floss economically). This way you retain most of your bacteria and the tank won't be recycled. Once your tank is about two months old, or older if you can manage it, there should be enough bacteria in the substrate (as long as you didn't swap it or disturb it too much... which I would really hope for your sake that you didn't this soon into the game :p) to retain the cycle, and you can swap out your filter media as necessary when it gets so dirty it impedes the flow of water through your filter.

To do this economically, all you need to do is ask your LFS about bulk filter floss. I know that the Big Al's near me (my LFS) bags like 20 sq ft of this white cottony stuff called filter floss. It costs like $5 for that much- and like $10 for three replacement cartridges from my filter's company. To use it, you take your first filter that came with your tank (or any of the replacements you used) and you rip and cut the old filter floss off and keep the plastic frame. The you just elastic band or tie the new bulk filter floss to the frame after you cut a piece that is a little larger than the frame itself. This is VERY cost effective and much cheaper in the long run- my 20 sq ft has lasted me about 10 months so far and I am only about half done... so you do the math on how much $$$ you save.

In summary, when first cycling, do not switch the filter unless absolutely necessary, and wait another month or two after the tank is cycled to swap it out fully. I hope this helps clear some things up. I apologize if this post is seen as a hijack.
Click to expand...
No that was a great post with some really good info, thank you. Have a beer. *celebrate
 

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