Ok Ive messed up

[wilsonriverfish]

My twenty gallon tank has had all sorts of problems from the day I bought it used were it was in good condition but probally never ever cleaned. I cleaned it out with a razerblade cause it had calcium growth? all over the glass and brought it home and bought a new filter for the hob filter a. T hen filled it up and let it cycle for awhile 2 months , but all the fish I have put in there have lost there lives. The fish were all neons, cory, 1 tiger barb they all died one barb looked as if it fins were decaying and the next day I found it sucked up the filter and then there was two barbs left in the tank. Next day or two I notice that one of the other barb has started to show signs of fin decay, so I think that it might be the tank and I then do something stupid I put the diseased looking barb into my nice tranquill 70 gallon. Any Advice?
Also The funky tank always has this strange green algae appearing stuff that looks like green candle wax on the gravel? Should I disconnect the tanlk and clean it all out with bleach?

 

[wayne]

Do you have a picture , how deep is the substrate. Is the filter working correctly? Basically it sounds like horrible water quality.

 

[seastaar88]

first of all, your avatar is pretty creepy hehehehe i did a double take on it.

i would have bleached it from the start since you never know what was in a used tank. since most of the fish have already died, it might be worthwhile bleaching and starting over. if not, take the opportunity of an empty tank to get your water quality under control and add fish gradually.

 

[Mahamotorworks]

If it has been nothing but problems from the start then I would start over. It may take a while to get everything back and running, It will be worth it.
Bleaching it would be the way to go.

MAHA

 

[cusunfireguy]

I agree. I would bleach it and rinse it really good. And yes, very creepy avitar! LOL

Steven

 

[Lotus]

Here's where testing is useful, as it helps diagnose problems. For example, do you know what your nitrites, nitrates, ammonia and pH have been during this time? When you say you cycled for two months, how did you cycle your tank?

While it is possible to have a bacterial infection take hold in your tank (from not quarantining fish), it's more likely water quality problems. What were the symptoms in your other fish before they died? How soon after putting them in the tank did they die?

 

[JustOneMore20]

The funky tank always has this strange green algae appearing stuff that looks like green candle wax on the gravel?

This sounds a bit like Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae. Just a guess...

I would also like to know how you cycled the tank..."for awhile". Did you use ammonia? or fish?

I think I would start over and bleach the tank. Make sure to rinse it many many times after bleaching or you'll still have problems. Use a 1 part bleach to 19 parts water and still rinse many times.

If possible, leave it outside to dry in the sun.

 

[wilsonriverfish]

ok to cycle the tank I let it run with 2 goldfish feeder gish in it also but in this product I dont remember what it was Oh let me check.....a product by tetra aqua called easy balance.. Im gonna go get a test kit tonight and I will post later the results i get.

 

[wilsonriverfish]

ok to cycle the tank I let it run with 2 goldfish feeder gish in it also but in this product I dont remember what it was Oh let me check.....a product by tetra aqua called easy balance.. Im gonna go get a test kit tonight and I will post later the results i get.

also I should ad it gets a monthly water change

 

[wilsonriverfish]

I purchased the master test kit and here is the results

Amonia o
nitrite 0
ph 7.6
nitrate 160

 

[Mahamotorworks]

Your nitrAte is really high. I would do a Big water change. From the other number it seems that you Cycle is complete. If it has been that high the whole time then that would kill the fish.

MAHA

 

[Moby Dick]

Easy fix

I would use Vinegar instead of Bleach. It is not as harsh and easier to get out of your tank. I have restored an old 30 gallon that was giving me the same problem and Vinegar worked great. Do not dilute the vinegar. Also within a two days the tank was up an running with African Cichlids.*celebrate

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

Use a 1 part bleach to 19 parts water and still rinse many times.

*laughingc wow... thats 1 gallon of bleach in a 20 gallon aquarium!

 

[SANND]

If you do decide to clean the tank out with bleach, make sure you use just plain bleach, no scents. They're darn near impossible to rinse completely as I found out...