New tank syndrome, need help!

[bauta]

Scenario: My old 20g community tank (completely cycled) been upgrade to a new 55g tank.
One month ago, I set the 55g on the stand; add new gravel (blue one from PetSmart), 200W heater, AquaClear 70 filter (new), and top-Fin air pump (double output) and a new very nice castle.
Then I add about 20% of water without dichloride. From my all tank I grab all the plastic plants, some gravel and two filter pads to the new tank. Also I graved one castle form the old tank directly to the new one.
After, I top the tank with water, I added dichloride (AquaSafe), add EasyBalance with Nitroban and I start the equipment. After one hour later I added some water from the all tank and all the cloudy disappears.
One day later I moved my four Zebra Danios and the algae eater to the 55g. Two days later I tested ammonia and levels where below 0.5ppm, and then anxious for moving fishes to the new home, I moved the three guppies. Again, two days later ammonia below 0.5ppm and my anxiety, move 2 red tetras and 2 neon tetras (tank moved completely).
4 days later I tested ammonia one more time, levels about 0.5ppm again. I figured out that cycle where completed because the objects I moved from the old tank (novice things). Do you now what? I went to LST and I did buy 3 small tiger barbs.
Aggression start against one of my guppies, I found that tiger barb in school are less aggressive and I end adding 3 more green tiger barbs. The red tail tetras and the tigers are doing a very nice school. Aggression ended, two of my guppy’s swims like tigers are not there, and they cross the tiger school like if they are the owners of the tank. Only one of my guppies hides all the time. Definitely, guppies must go, one of my friends will take care of them.
Two weeks ago, I start noticing ammonia levels going up. As a novice, I start looking for information and I found a link to this forums site. All the information I was reading shows me that I was building a catastrophe.
Fighting for the live of my fishes, I start adding additives and ammonia removers. Below is the detailed:
Two weeks ago, ammonia 1.0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, ammo-lock added. Next day, same reading, 15%w/c, add Ammo-Lock, next day, same reading, 25% w/c, add Prime, entire week: ammonia 1.0, 25% w/c and Prime added.
This week, Monday: ammonia 1.0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, 25%w/c and Prime and salt added. Tuesday: same reading, 25%w/c and added AquaSafe, salt, Cycle and Prime. Wednesday: Ammonia 1.0, add more Cycle, no w/c. Thursday: Ammonia 1.5, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, no w/c, Prime added. Today Friday, ammonia 1.5, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, no maintenance performed yet.
I really don’t know what I doing right (this is a crazy mess) .
My fishes look happy, they swim animosity (except one guppy), tigers are at a very high speed, some times in line, some in groups, some alone, but they look nice, guppies swimming in between them, zebras chasing each other, some zebras chasing tigers, one tiger to another and so on. There are a lot of activities there and every fish look OK. They eat normally, competing for the flakes.
I feed then less than 5 minutes eating two times a day.
My questions are: do you thing that adding aquarium salt to the new water during w/c interfere in cycling?
How could I save my fishes from this new tank syndrome?
My inventory: Prime, 3 on 1 PH 7.0, Cycle, AquaSafe, EasyBalance and aquarium salt
Thanks for your help,

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The salt shouldn't make any difference in the cycle. I would stop adding ammo-lock, because it can interfere with the cycle (it can remove all the ammonia and starve the bacteria you're trying to grow), and can also interfere with test results (show up as ammonia even though it's been changed so it's not harmful). Try going a week without adding any ammo-lock or other chemicals asside from dechlorinator during water changes, and do a water change every 2-3 days and see what the levels are after that.

 

[bauta]

Saturday Journal:
Water source Test Results: (without any quimicals)
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
PH = 7.2
Tank maintenance: 25% w/c (no salt added). I using Phyton for w/c, before start filling I prepare 20ml of AquaSafe dichloride and I add it to the tank as the water is been filling.
Reading: (after 2 hrs of w/c)
Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite : 0.0
Nitrate: 5
PH: 7.6
I don't see my tank cycling. What do you think?
i added about 25ml of Cycle. (after the readings)
My fish are happy and eating well, the hiding guppy is now into the others and happy.
I am very worry about cycling, I am praying for my fishes.
I will keep you posted. Thanks for your help Capslock, i will follow your recomendation, today i added cycle, but i will stop adding quimicals to see what happing.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you're getting nitrates at all, it means that it's at least partially cycled. So you're just waiting a little bit (week or so) for the bacteria colonies to grow, rather than waiting a long time (month or so) for new types of bacteria to start to form.

 

[MissFishy]

Here is what I think happened. You would have had an instant cycle had you treated your water before adding the cycled filter media/ornaments. When you added your filter media and ornaments from your old tank into a new tank with untreated water, you probably killed off the bacteria. What you should do now, if you still have the other cycled tank set up, is to transfer some gravel/ornaments/filter media from that into the new tank. This will help "seed" your new bacteria. In the meantime, you really have to keep that ammonia below 1.0. You can do that by doing frequent water changes, as many as it takes to get it below 1.0. Make sure to add your water conditioner to the new tank water BEFORE adding the new water to your tank in the future.

 

[bauta]

MissFishy, Unfortunately my old tank is away. You are right, I mistakenly forget adding water conditioner before moving objects from old tank. BIG MISTAKE.
For the future I will used the learning from mistakes. Today nothing is been added to the tank, fishes looking OK, eating, swimming normal. Tomorrow I will test the water and update you.
Thanks you all, I filing better, my fishes, with your help and my research, will survive. By the way, the guppy is missing again, the last time it shows partial tail (tigers are disturbing it).

 

[bauta]

Today Readings: *DRUMMER*
Ammonia = 0.25
Nitrite = 0.25
Nitrate = 10
PH = 7.6
No maintenance been performed (no w/c, no chemicals). I filling better, the cycle is now showing progress. Note that I didn’t add salt on the last w/c. do you think this affect?
I am concern about the PH levels, before I was trying to adjust it with API PH-Down but it never when down. I read in the forum that PH is better stable than try to adjust it.
It is OK for tiger fish?, I am planning to add angelfish after the cycle complete, is PH reading OK for angel fish?
I test my top water and it is hard. How lower a PH or remove minerals to hard water?
By the way, my guppy appears again. It is swimming normally and fighting for its portion of food. I don’t know how this fish is happy and swimming as a torpedo when close to a tiger. The tiger destroyed more of its tail and the dorsal fin is on the muscle only. I am attaching a picture of it. Note how the tail looks like if it fired, and the dorsal fin is tiny.
I was offering as a gift, my three guppies, to one of my friends but he doesn’t like them, now I must keep them for some time. I really don’t want to see any of my fish die. (It is very frustrating)
Please help me with the PH concerns, thanks for your help and support again,

 

[MissFishy]

First of all, that is a gorgeous male guppy. For his sake, make sure you have lots of plants in there for him to hide in and get away from the barbs. Are all 6 barbs schooling together, or are they seperating themselves by color? If you have a full school of barbs, they will usually stick to themselves and not pick on other fish. Keep an eye on your water parameters.

Don't mess with your PH. It is perfect for either angels or barbs. Don't add anything to change it. Stable PH is much more important than a specific number.

 

[bauta]

Hi MissFish,
Yes, I have plants there (plastic), one small castle in one corner and one medium castle on the other corner, a natural rock forming a bridge and other objects in corners were the fish hide. the guppy hide more frecuently into the medium castle (together with the alga-eater) in a way that I not able to find it.
The Barbs are schooling all six together with the two red tail tetras. They are about the same size. These eight fishes look beautifully together. Some time the tetras go apart but more of the time they are together.
I am noticing that as the water parameters move to normal, tiger aggression decrease. The other two neon-tetras are swimming on the bottom in the way that tigers ignore them. Zebra Danios? Torpedo fish, no worries.
I will not add any chemical to water and I will keep one eye in nitrite.
Do you think that adding aquarium salt to my next w/c will affect the cycle completion? I hear that salt is good for stress and to lower nitrite. Is this statement right?
Thanks one more time for your help. After I found this forum I am filling not alone, you provide a lot of information for the survival of these beautifully creatures.
Thanks a lot, (I will introduce myself very soon, by the way, I am a male)

 

[MissFishy]

I would NOT do the salt in the tank. The barbs, danios, and tetras do not like salt in a tank. It will not lower nitrite. Continue to do regular water changes. No salt or PH chemicals.