Im so upset =(

[Guanchy]

Like ive mention before im new to te fish hobby so i bought my fish and tank at the sametime and just put them in the tank without cycling it first. I didnt know anything about cycle. I have a 15g and i had corydoras neon tetras and guppies, the guppies recently had babies and they all died yesterday!!!

And today the rest of my fish died too =\ i was in te process of cycling the tank and i thought i was doing pretty good. they all got a white stuff around them i believe a fungus but idk why because i was doing 50% water change everyday because my ammonia was high so the water was always clean and i used to put fish conditioner in the water first before putting it in the tank and i also made sure that the water was similar if not the same temperature!

Im a bit dissapponted now idk if i want to get new get new fish! Im gonna try to cycle the tank without fish now and then i will see if i get more fish!

I need help because i have no idea how to cycle it!!!! Ive been reading online about it but honestly im a bit slow lol i cant understand how to do it.

Additional information: In this same tank before i got my last fish i had other fishes too and they got a fungus and died. So i emptied it put and cleaned it well with very hot water! Threw out all the filters cartridges, ornaments, gravel and plants! And i bought everything new! Would it be possible that the fungus was still in the tank? Or could it be the fish i got from the LFS? Because i noticed that i got the fungus right after i put a new fish that i bought from my LFS. The other ones i had were from petsmart and they were doing fine after i added that new fish!

Im sorry for this long message i hope im not annoying anyone with all these questions!

 

[Thyra]

I am sorry for your loss! The person that can help you the most with fishless cycling is FreshyFresh. It takes patience and also pure ammonia which is hard to find (it usually has surfacant to make it suds and perfume in it which is a no-no) Just exactly how many fish did you have in that tank and what were your readings for ammonia and nitrite? Did you check the temperature of your water when you found all your fish dead? I once had a heater malfunction. When I first started I did a fish in cycle because I couldn't find pure ammonia anyplace. The mistake you may have made is adding all those fish at once plus it is possible that you got a bad batch of fish. Petsmart once told me that it was best to not buy fish from them on Friday because that is when they get their fish in and they are more stressed out and haven't had to to acclimate. Ich is contagious, but I myself have been wondering about whether or not fungus is. Try not to get discouraged - next time just don't buy a bunch of fish at once. Put something like a betta and a couple of platys in there to start with.

 

[Guanchy]

I am sorry for your loss! The person that can help you the most with fishless cycling is FreshyFresh. It takes patience and also pure ammonia which is hard to find (it usually has surfacant to make it suds and perfume in it which is a no-no) Just exactly how many fish did you have in that tank and what were your readings for ammonia and nitrite? Did you check the temperature of your water when you found all your fish dead? I once had a heater malfunction. When I first started I did a fish in cycle because I couldn't find pure ammonia anyplace. The mistake you may have made is adding all those fish at once plus it is possible that you got a bad batch of fish. Petsmart once told me that it was best to not buy fish from them on Friday because that is when they get their fish in and they are more stressed out and haven't had to to acclimate. Ich is contagious, but I myself have been wondering about whether or not fungus is. Try not to get discouraged - next time just don't buy a bunch of fish at once. Put something like a betta and a couple of platys in there to start with.

Thanks a lot, my ammonia was at 3 i know a bit high thats also why i was doing the water changes and i wasnt feeding them everyday. the nitrite was at 0. My heaters are actually working fine i have two of them, i still have the tank running with no fish so i can start doing the cycle once figure out how to do it.

I also have a betta but he has his own little tank with heater and plant. He is actually doing fine. i wanted to put him in the 15g actually after all my fish died but im scared that whatever sickness the fish had it still in the water or ornaments etc...

 

[Thyra]

Lets see if some one else will chime in with their opinions, but surely with ammonia at 3ppm that is what killed your fish. One thing you could do is turn the heat up to about 90 and if there is any ich in the tank, that would kill that. Also with that much ammonia in the tank (which you probably got by adding too many fish at once) you might be able to start your cycle from there. Have you check your level today?

 

[OrangeCones]

Sorry to hear of your loss. What dechlorinator do you use, Guanchy?

 

[FreshyFresh]

Gaunchy, I'm very sorry to hear about your fish loss. Many of us have been through that early on in the hobby.

Problem is, if I'm not mistaken, you were given a lot of information from this board early on about how to cycle, measure water parameters, water changes, etc....

Like said, 3ppm ammonia would be very lethal to fish I'd think. Any time you measure ammonia in a tank with fish, you just don't do a 50% water change and leave it alone. You continue doing water changes until you measure no ammonia. Take the water right down to where your fish can still safely swim.

If you want to continue a fish-in cycle, do it with a few zebra danios (or the likes). Keep your tank setup and just make sure you change the water until ammonia and nitrites are zero, add the zebras and go with it. Measure water parameters daily and change water often until you read nothing but nitrates.

If you want to go fishless, leave your water at 3ppm ammonia, keep the filtration and heat on and up to the high 80F range. Measure your params often and wait for nitrites, add ammonia as needed, then wait for nitrates. It will take weeks this way.

You could add used decor or filtration from your betta tank to speed things along w/ either the fish-in or fishless cycle.

 

[Guanchy]

Gaunchy, I'm very sorry to hear about your fish loss. Many of us have been through that early on in the hobby.

Problem is, if I'm not mistaken, you were given a lot of information from this board early on about how to cycle, measure water parameters, water changes, etc....

Like said, 3ppm ammonia would be very lethal to fish I'd think. Any time you measure ammonia in a tank with fish, you just don't do a 50% water change and leave it alone. You continue doing water changes until you measure no ammonia. Take the water right down to where your fish can still safely swim.

If you want to continue a fish-in cycle, do it with a few zebra danios (or the likes). Keep your tank setup and just make sure you change the water until ammonia and nitrites are zero, add the zebras and go with it. Measure water parameters daily and change water often until you read nothing but nitrates.

If you want to go fishless, leave your water at 3ppm ammonia, keep the filtration and heat on and up to the high 80F range. Measure your params often and wait for nitrites, add ammonia as needed, then wait for nitrates. It will take weeks this way.

You could add used decor or filtration from your betta tank to speed things along w/ either the fish-in or fishless cycle.

thank u!!! yes i got a lot of info and i thought i was doing it right but i guess not!. im going to be doing the fishless cycle i dont want to kill anymore fish.

Do you think that the fungus or whatever the fish got is still in the ornaments and filters? i have two filters in the tank and two heaters

 

[FreshyFresh]

I doubt it's a harmful fungus in your tank. Most likely an algae or bacterial bloom. Ammonia is what killed the fish. Keep what you have running and crank the heat up to 89degF or so. Try to keep the ammonia level to 2-3ppm during your fishless cycle until you see nitrites appear, then keep it minimal, like 0.25ppm. I tried keeping it to 3ppm when nitrites appeared and this caused nitrites to spike SO high the API master test kit wouldn't read it. The cycle stalled until I did several huge water changes to bring the ammo and nitrites down.

I used Austin's brand ammonia from the dollar store. Make sure it doesn't list perfumes, dyes or surfactants on the ingredients list.

 

[exhumed07]

just a word of advice if you decide to get another tank after this one is cycled, to avoid the cycle issues for the most part. take filter media out of the cycled tank and add it to the new tank with fish in the tank. leave the media in the tank for a month or so and the tank will be fully cycled. the filter media jump starts the bacteria needed for the cycle.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yep, I started my new 20g long, with new gravel, but ran my used HOB filter and sponge/bubbler in it. I fully stocked it right away and never saw any ammonia or nitrites. Instant cycle so to speak.

This was when my 29g cracked and I had to re-home the 20 fish that were in it.

The only way I'd fishless cycle again is if I had absolutely no source for used media or decor.

 

[Guanchy]

I doubt it's a harmful fungus in your tank. Most likely an algae or bacterial bloom. Ammonia is what killed the fish. Keep what you have running and crank the heat up to 89degF or so. Try to keep the ammonia level to 2-3ppm during your fishless cycle until you see nitrites appear, then keep it minimal, like 0.25ppm. I tried keeping it to 3ppm when nitrites appeared and this caused nitrites to spike SO high the API master test kit wouldn't read it. The cycle stalled until I did several huge water changes to bring the ammo and nitrites down.

I used Austin's brand ammonia from the dollar store. Make sure it doesn't list perfumes, dyes or surfactants on the ingredients list.

just a word of advice if you decide to get another tank after this one is cycled, to avoid the cycle issues for the most part. take filter media out of the cycled tank and add it to the new tank with fish in the tank. leave the media in the tank for a month or so and the tank will be fully cycled. the filter media jump starts the bacteria needed for the cycle.

u guys are awesome! thanks !!!

how do i know when my tank is fully cycled?

 

[FreshyFresh]

When you read nothing but nitrates with your liquid test kit and it stays that way fully stocked.

 

[exhumed07]

with the cycle you will see ammonia go up then it will go down and you will not read ammonia but you will read nitrites. then the nitrites will go down and be replaced with nitrates. once you go a week or so with reading no ammonia or nitrites it's safe to say the tank is cycled. I don't have the patience myself to do fishless cycling. I've always done fish in. but i do remember when i first got into fishkeeping about 12 years ago i thought a cycle was putting water into the tank and letting it sit with the filter running for a week and then adding fish. oh boy was i wrong lol.

 

[Guanchy]

AWESOMENESS!!! i thought doing a fishless cycle was the best way to go so i wont harm no fish, but for the future when i get another tank ill try the fish in cycle!

U GUYS ARE THE BEST! I SWEAR

 

[exhumed07]

we try our best i don't thing anyone on here wants to see anyone fail and get discouraged. at first things can seem complicated but will get easier as time goes on. also before buying fish, do yourself and the fish a favor and research before buying. make sure your water suits them. with hardness, and ph most fish will do fine adjusting but say a fish that likes a ph of 8 is put into your tank with say a ph of 5.5 it can be a hell of a shock. also if in the future you intend to breed the fish that can hinder breeding. then of course research what fish can go with others, you can have a very dosile community tank or you can have a somewhat agressive community tank, or you can have a fairly agressive cichlid tank. sometimes you can mix and match, alot of times you cannot. on the more dosile side would be rams, they would go ok with fairly agressive cichlids like in the hap or peacock families. but a hap or peacock would not go well with neons guppies or danios. then say my apistogrammas. they are realy shy unless you put in some dither fish, dither fish would be like a fish that brings them confidence. neons are a good choice. very docile and if they are around then there are no predators giving the apisto confidence. Thats one thing i cannot stress enough is research. do the research and the fish will love you for it. don't do the research and fish can be lost and you can become discouraged.

 

[Guanchy]

we try our best i don't thing anyone on here wants to see anyone fail and get discouraged. at first things can seem complicated but will get easier as time goes on. also before buying fish, do yourself and the fish a favor and research before buying. make sure your water suits them. with hardness, and ph most fish will do fine adjusting but say a fish that likes a ph of 8 is put into your tank with say a ph of 5.5 it can be a hell of a shock. also if in the future you intend to breed the fish that can hinder breeding. then of course research what fish can go with others, you can have a very dosile community tank or you can have a somewhat agressive community tank, or you can have a fairly agressive cichlid tank. sometimes you can mix and match, alot of times you cannot. on the more dosile side would be rams, they would go ok with fairly agressive cichlids like in the hap or peacock families. but a hap or peacock would not go well with neons guppies or danios. then say my apistogrammas. they are realy shy unless you put in some dither fish, dither fish would be like a fish that brings them confidence. neons are a good choice. very docile and if they are around then there are no predators giving the apisto confidence. Thats one thing i cannot stress enough is research. do the research and the fish will love you for it. don't do the research and fish can be lost and you can become discouraged.

great, will do! thanks for the advice im living to the bahamas at the end of the month so i think im just going to leave the tank running and get the fish once i come back the fist week of Septemeber. that should be enough time for the tank to be cycled and in good condition for the fish.

 

[exhumed07]

well you will need someone to add ammonia while you are gone to cycle the tank or need to have fish in the tank and cycle it before you leave. otherwise it's best to start once you get back. just letting the tank sit wont cycle it.

How long will you be in the bahamas? I went to aruba a couple years ago. one of the best vacations i've had. it's a very relaxed island and not very crowded. I'd get up at about 4am and go walk the beach and maybe run into 3 people. come 2pm or so and there were maybe 6 people on the resorts beach. the hotel bar had very reasonable drinks and food. i mean a drink with 4 shots of rum was about 6 bucks. hell here in the states it's not uncommon to spend that on a single shot lol.

 

[Guanchy]

well you will need someone to add ammonia while you are gone to cycle the tank or need to have fish in the tank and cycle it before you leave. otherwise it's best to start once you get back. just letting the tank sit wont cycle it.

How long will you be in the bahamas? I went to aruba a couple years ago. one of the best vacations i've had. it's a very relaxed island and not very crowded. I'd get up at about 4am and go walk the beach and maybe run into 3 people. come 2pm or so and there were maybe 6 people on the resorts beach. the hotel bar had very reasonable drinks and food. i mean a drink with 4 shots of rum was about 6 bucks. hell here in the states it's not uncommon to spend that on a single shot lol.

i think ill just wait until i come back then because im going to be there for almost 2 weeks so idk if its ok for then to be without food for that long, i dont trust any of my friends to come feed them, last time i went away i left my sister in charge and when i came back the water was so cloudy that u couldnt see the fish lol and i was gone for a week.

and ive heard aruba is beautiful!! ive always wanted to go. Its my first time going to the bahamas so im very excited. I heard the food is great over there, and im not too concern about the drinks lol i dont drink alcohol, im just ready to relax and release some stress from work and family! hehe

 

[exhumed07]

i'm not a big drinker myself. i might buy 2 12 packs of beer a year and a 12 pack will last me a month or better. I got a bottle of jack single barrel i bought 2 years ago and it's still half full and my bottle of absinthe i bought about a year ago is about empty. but when i was in aruba happy hour was 2 for 1 and lasted from 5pm till 8pm so i drank a bit while i was down there lol. thats the only tropical place i've ever been though. besides that i've only ever been to canada a few times.

As for the fish they do sell 2 week feeder blocks. it's like a plaster with fish food in it that disolves over time for the fish to feed on. I've used them for a week before but never any longer. i remember a few years ago i went to north carolina for a week to visit my aunt and grandma and left the tank in the care of my dad. yeah it didn't go well. I had added new decor from petco that was in a tank about 2 days prior to leaving. I cam back and my green terrors and 2 of my 3 acei were almost solit white from ich. my dad didn't pay attention to the fish, just fed them and left so he didn't know. I lost about half my tank due to it. at least now he knows to look at the fish and call me if anything seems odd. but i agree it would be best to start up the tank after you get back.

When you start up the tank just get about a dozen danios for the cycle. they are hardy and will survive the cycle better then most fish. thats if you go for a fish in cycle. but use the time to do research. one thing i can suggest is look into doing a dirted tank. it's a simple low cost low tech way of doing a planted tank. find an organic potting or garden soil with no ferts or herbicides or anything in it. 100% organic. do a layer an inch or so deep and then cap it with no less then an inch of sand or gravel. thats it. no adding ferts, no need for CO2 injection. super simple. only thing that would be recommended is to get upgraded lighting. a standard dual t5 light strip will work but t5ho is recomended. you can get them for 60 bucks on amazon. dirt is best for a heavily planted tank and is not so good if you plan to move things around alot. take a look on youtube at dustins fishtank. he has about 700 videos on dirted tanks and fish. alot of good info on there

 

[Guanchy]

i'm not a big drinker myself. i might buy 2 12 packs of beer a year and a 12 pack will last me a month or better. I got a bottle of jack single barrel i bought 2 years ago and it's still half full and my bottle of absinthe i bought about a year ago is about empty. but when i was in aruba happy hour was 2 for 1 and lasted from 5pm till 8pm so i drank a bit while i was down there lol. thats the only tropical place i've ever been though. besides that i've only ever been to canada a few times.

As for the fish they do sell 2 week feeder blocks. it's like a plaster with fish food in it that disolves over time for the fish to feed on. I've used them for a week before but never any longer. i remember a few years ago i went to north carolina for a week to visit my aunt and grandma and left the tank in the care of my dad. yeah it didn't go well. I had added new decor from petco that was in a tank about 2 days prior to leaving. I cam back and my green terrors and 2 of my 3 acei were almost solit white from ich. my dad didn't pay attention to the fish, just fed them and left so he didn't know. I lost about half my tank due to it. at least now he knows to look at the fish and call me if anything seems odd. but i agree it would be best to start up the tank after you get back.

When you start up the tank just get about a dozen danios for the cycle. they are hardy and will survive the cycle better then most fish. thats if you go for a fish in cycle. but use the time to do research. one thing i can suggest is look into doing a dirted tank. it's a simple low cost low tech way of doing a planted tank. find an organic potting or garden soil with no ferts or herbicides or anything in it. 100% organic. do a layer an inch or so deep and then cap it with no less then an inch of sand or gravel. thats it. no adding ferts, no need for CO2 injection. super simple. only thing that would be recommended is to get upgraded lighting. a standard dual t5 light strip will work but t5ho is recomended. you can get them for 60 bucks on amazon. dirt is best for a heavily planted tank and is not so good if you plan to move things around alot. take a look on youtube at dustins fishtank. he has about 700 videos on dirted tanks and fish. alot of good info on there

Definetly!! ive heard that those tablets u put in the tank are not good tho, ive read online that they make ur water too dirty etc.. idk because i have never used it but u say u have.

and getting 12 danios? ummm i have a 15 gallons so i dont wanna just get danios because i dont like them too much to be honest lol im more of a corydora, neon tetras, guppies guy