# Help! Tank problems!



## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

In our 30 Gal tank we are having some problems that just started...

all of our fish seem very still with not much life... they are eating alot still when I feed them but not moving much. In the tank there is two cat fish, three electric yellow cicklids, two jack dempsey's, and 2 blood parrot cichlids...

one of the cat fish this morning completely stopped moving for awhile... he was still alive but eventually died awhile later.. we dont know what is going on! They have lived in the tank for about 2 months now and they have all been VERY healthy... nothing has changed... water changes all regular etc... only thing is we added some bamboo to the tank.

Also the two blood parrots are just hanging out in a corner of the tank and will not moved until feeding etc... they are just down there kind of lifeless and they look a little pale.

temperature is good, not sure of the PH and all that, but we have never had a problem


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

sounds like ammonia or chlorine poisoning - but i'm far from an expert. did you cycle the tank? do you have pH and ammonia, nitrate and nitrite tests? we'll need a little more info on your water parameters (pH, temp, etc).

do an extra water change today and monitor the reaction of your fish. 

i know you've had them for two months now, but if it's a problem with your water parameters (ie, high nitrates) it could slowly poison your fish.

thirdly, and this is what happened to me the first go-round - you may not have properly cycled your tank. since toronto water is relatively hard, there were enough buffering agents in your tank to limit the effect of ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. now that it's been several weeks, your tank may have bottomed out and had an ammonia spike or some such. i'm basically just regurgitating somethign someone explained to me, so i might not have it right.

anyways, test your water and see what you get.


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## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

Are you sure the bamboo wasn't treated with something..


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Are they hanging at the top gasping for air might be an oxegen problems but you do need to check your water also it could be the bamboo if it was treated with something.Twoheaded could be right though your tank could be in a cycle also how big are the fish.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

my vote is the bamboo. Did you rinse it? It could very well have been treated with a fungicide or some other agent that is now in your water. 

If that is the case, I think your best bet it large frequent water changes coupled with running carbon to remove the contaminants.

But first, how do the fish look? Are the huffing, reddened, scales sticking out, etc etc? Knowing that might help.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> my vote is the bamboo. Did you rinse it? It could very well have been treated with a fungicide or some other agent that is now in your water.
> 
> If that is the case, I think your best bet it large frequent water changes coupled with running carbon to remove the contaminants.
> 
> But first, how do the fish look? Are the huffing, reddened, scales sticking out, etc etc? Knowing that might help.


I think they are just a little pale.. dont look ti be gasping for air just not very lively in there... the bamboo was bought for tanks at a local store.

I gave them an extra dose of aqua-plus awhile ago, i cant do a water change because its to cold out and my damn pipes are frozen!

In one spot at the back of the tank it almost looks like there is a bit of mould on the gravel? a little cottony patch?


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Sounds like something rotten do you feed vegs any fish missing . Get it out of there, can you put up a pic. Where are you located.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

pat3612 said:


> Sounds like something rotten do you feed vegs any fish missing . Get it out of there, can you put up a pic. Where are you located.


North bay ontario gotta go get my girlfriend from work will try and have pics later on, wont be able to get any of the mould though its to hard to focus on and its not enough to see in a blurry pic

i just transfered the other cat fish into the gold fish tank because it looks to be on its way out too.  they were my favorite guys too


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

north bay! that's my home town. represent. fuggin cold out there right now, snow up to yer tits too.

if it's not the bamboo it may be water qual issues. did you cycle the tank?


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

*appearance*

One of our fish has redness around its gills. Our parrot cichlids are very pale and don't want to move from one corner. Their eyes also look half closed and sick. The rest of our fish seem to be trying to escape, they are swimming frantically for the top. As for the catfish that passed away today he was still breathing quite noticeably but he seemed to be paralyzed.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I just thought maybe it could be lack of oxygen in the water so i just added a bubble rock to the bottom?


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thats why I asked what size your fish are. Whats your filter on there. If the air is no help go get some bottled water better ph drop then ammonia poisoning or any poisoning.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

pat3612 said:


> Thats why I asked what size your fish are. Whats your filter on there. If the air is no help go get some bottled water better ph drop then ammonia poisoning or any poisoning.


Its the filter that came with the tank kit, one of the ones that sit on the back of the tank and pumps up and out... i thought they were suposed to add oxygen?


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Would they be better off with the tank light on or off?


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

They do but it depends on how many fish you have,how big your fish are. 1inch of fish to 1 gal of water. You can get away with more but only if you want to do water changes every few days.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

pat3612 said:


> They do but it depends on how many fish you have,how big your fish are. 1inch of fish to 1 gal of water. You can get away with more but only if you want to do water changes every few days.


we have about 20 inches of fish


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Leave the light on you dont want to stress them even more then turning it off then on.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

How's the temperature in the tank? That may be an issue, too.

You can also try changing the water with melted snow (take a big pot and melt lots of snow in it -- it does take a long time, but the water will be OK to use once it reaches the same temperature as the tank since there are no chlorine or other additive problems). I did this for years when I lived in a place with very hard water, since my fish prefer soft water, and it was fine.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I did a 60% water change earlier, added a bit extra of aqua-plus and they seem to be swimming around a bit nore now since I added the bubbler too.... the other cat fish passed though, which upsets me i loved those guys


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Here is a video to give an idea at how much they are moving...


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Gotta be the bamboo!

Took the blood parrots out and put them in the 20 gal goldfish taank and they seem better, but i just lost a peacock cichlid in the big tank, he was almost a year old and was our biggest fish.

Getting grace from work then i guess we are going o transwer all the fish then completely re-do the tank!


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Drained 98% of water, cleaned gravel, threw out bamboo, re-filled and used about 10% old water... we let it cycle for a couple hours now the fish are in and look very happy.... but we lost another electric yellow cichlid that we have had since august


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

good to hear things are improving slightly. Do the fish look a bit better? More coloured up?

You may want to run carbon to remove any traces of the chemical that may still be lingering. As for the fish, I'd say just keep clean water and keep them well fed, and they should come around if the damage hasn't been severe or permanent.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> good to hear things are improving slightly. Do the fish look a bit better? More coloured up?
> 
> You may want to run carbon to remove any traces of the chemical that may still be lingering. As for the fish, I'd say just keep clean water and keep them well fed, and they should come around if the damage hasn't been severe or permanent.


I have always had the carbon slide in the filter


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

We have one Jack Dempsey that is hiding under a rock on the bottom, and he will not move.. only way I can make him do anything at all really is by tapping on the glass... even then his movement is minimal? Is this a sign of a sick fisg or is he just trying to protect himself?


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

I'd guess your tank wasn't cycled. But why guess?  
Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and take it from there.

Also, ditch or replace the carbon. It could be leaching toxins.



andygace said:


> I have always had the carbon slide in the filter


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

andygace said:


> We have one Jack Dempsey that is hiding under a rock on the bottom, and he will not move.. only way I can make him do anything at all really is by tapping on the glass... even then his movement is minimal? Is this a sign of a sick fisg or is he just trying to protect himself?


mine duck under cover when scared/startled....but come rushing out when they see it's me with food. 

Why tap on the glass? It's like someone holding a jackhammer to the side of your house.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I can no longer find the jack, i dont know if hes hiding under a rock or if hes dead under one!

Also we lost another peacock cichlid last night a few hours after doing to water change. Pleco is doing good, blood parrots look decently good and the 3 electric yellows are doing fairly good too it seems, but thats all we have left.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

how big is he? Mine can't hide...too big. 










too bad about the losses...the dangers of adding some things to their enviro....


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Riceburner said:


> how big is he? Mine can't hide...too big.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


hes only about an inch


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

Prodicus said:


> I'd guess your tank wasn't cycled. But why guess?
> Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and take it from there.
> 
> Also, ditch or replace the carbon. It could be leaching toxins.


yes, please test your water. you can bring a sample of your water to a fish shop or buy a test kit.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I guess the electric yellow cichlids are feeling better! I just introduced a Jack Dempsy i forgot in the community tank and when I added him the electric yellows went crazy! Then they attacked the blood worms I fed them


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Here are some pictures of the tank as of now..


























wow didn't realise the side of the tank was that dirty until the flash hit it!


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Bought a kit!

GH-30
KH-40
pH-6.5
NO2-3
NO3-20


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

What matters most is nitrite and ammonia. Your nitrite (NO2) is at a very toxic level. If possible, remove the fish. Otherwise you need frequent (at least daily), large water changes.

What about ammonia (NH3/NH4)?



andygace said:


> Bought a kit!
> 
> GH-30
> KH-40
> ...


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

no2 and no3 are nitrites and nitrates - they're a little high. i forget what the acceptable limits are but an ideal situation is 0 on both counts (someone please correct me if i'm wrong).

seems to me then, andygace, that your problem here is cycling. check out this link http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php.

what's happening, i'm assuming, is that fish fesces is being broken down into toxic components - ammonia, primarily. that ammonia is fed upon by bacteria and broken down into less harmful components, no2 and no3. it's normal to have a little no3 in your tank, but no2 is a slow, silent killer. you've likely slowly poisoned your fish.

but it's not too late. do a water change, 10-20 percent every two to three days, you should see your no2 count drop. after that, be sure to keep up your weekly water changes, and you should be able to avoid these issue.

good luck! and someone kick me in the pants if i got something wrong, please


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

twoheadedfish said:


> no2 and no3 are nitrites and nitrates - they're a little high. i forget what the acceptable limits are but an ideal situation is 0 on both counts (someone please correct me if i'm wrong).


One correction: Nitrates from 20 to 40 ppm are deemed by most as acceptable. Water changes and/or plants will lower nitrates. High nitrates is harmful in the long term. Ammonia and nitrites are harmful in the short term.



> seems to me then, andygace, that your problem here is cycling. check out this link http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php.
> 
> what's happening, i'm assuming, is that fish fesces is being broken down into toxic components - ammonia, primarily. that ammonia is fed upon by bacteria and broken down into less harmful components, no2 and no3. it's normal to have a little no3 in your tank, but no2 is a slow, silent killer. you've likely slowly poisoned your fish.
> 
> ...


Different fish are sensitive to different levels of ammonia and nitrites but, some say anything above .25 ppm nitrites is toxic.

So a level of 3 ppm is extreme.

I would do a 75 percent water change to start, 50 percent the next day, 25 percent the next. If your fish are hardy, they may survive, but unless you take radical action, they will suffer gill damage even if they survive.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Put them all in the goldfish tank before I bought the tester... just tested that one and WTF!?!?


GH-30
KH-40
PH-6
NO2-5
NO3-50

and the temperate was 21 degrees celcius! I dont know how the goldfish lived like this for a year and stay very hardy?


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

well I did another partial water change and everything is down pretty good actually, also bought some amonia killing disolving block things... put them in... then we put in 2 cat fish, a few jack dempseys, a blue dragon, a parrot cichlid (lost the female in the other tank) and a pleco...

at first one of the cat fish looked like the others before they died.... but we turned off the light and covered the tank with a towel... this was a few hours ago and the cat fish was pretty well belly up but i just took a peak in the dark and they are both swimming around and everyone looks pretty happy actually.


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

andygace said:


> amonia killing disolving block thing


don't leave it in too long. you'll starve the bacteria that feed on the ammonia and run into the problem all over again.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

twoheadedfish said:


> don't leave it in too long. you'll starve the bacteria that feed on the ammonia and run into the problem all over again.


Too late? But the directions told me to let it completely disolve?


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

oh, it's a one application sort of deal, then? that's just fine. i was picturing ammo chips that you let sit in your filter or something. 
you'll be fine. just don't rely on it to maintain your tank. so far so good.


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

Did you ever test for ammonia? It's quite possible to have lots of nitrites and 0 ammonia (NH3/NH4). The problem may have nothing to do with ammonia and everything to do with nitrites.



andygace said:


> well I did another partial water change and everything is down pretty good actually, also bought some amonia killing disolving block things... put them in... then we put in 2 cat fish, a few jack dempseys, a blue dragon, a parrot cichlid (lost the female in the other tank) and a pleco...
> 
> at first one of the cat fish looked like the others before they died.... but we turned off the light and covered the tank with a towel... this was a few hours ago and the cat fish was pretty well belly up but i just took a peak in the dark and they are both swimming around and everyone looks pretty happy actually.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Prodicus said:


> Did you ever test for ammonia? It's quite possible to have lots of nitrites and 0 ammonia (NH3/NH4). The problem may have nothing to do with ammonia and everything to do with nitrites.


We do have quite a bit of nitrites, look earlier in the post, but I did a water change and they went down to suitable levels then I added the fish.

Overnight we lost two cat fish and the blue dragon, we are down to 3 Jack Dempsey's, 3 electric yellow's, and a parrot which is on its way out now.

If these fish die i might just give up on the tank completely and see what happens with the other one with thriving fish and even worse water!


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Take some of your old media out of the goldfish tank  and add it to your new tank filter some of the gravel in the old tank will help to.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Take some of your old media out of the goldfish tank and add it to your new tank filter some of the gravel in the old tank will help to.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

pat3612 said:


> Take some of your old media out of the goldfish tank and add it to your new tank filter some of the gravel in the old tank will help to.


the thing is i tested the old goldfish tank that i have had for a very long time and the ater is even worse than the cichlid tank


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

The venturesome Prodicus interjects a suggestion:



Prodicus said:


> I'd guess your tank wasn't cycled. But why guess?
> Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and take it from there.
> 
> Also, ditch or replace the carbon. It could be leaching toxins.


Prodicus' advice is reiterated:



twoheadedfish said:


> yes, please test your water. you can bring a sample of your water to a fish shop or buy a test kit.


Prodicus' advice is followed. Well, almost:



andygace said:


> Bought a kit!
> 
> GH-30
> KH-40
> ...


Prodicus reflects:

Okay, so at this point you have tested for water hardness and pH, Nitrite and Nitrate. No sign of an ammonia test.

Prodicus replies, asking if you've tested for ammonia:



Prodicus said:


> What matters most is nitrite and ammonia. Your nitrite (NO2) is at a very toxic level. If possible, remove the fish. Otherwise you need frequent (at least daily), large water changes.
> 
> What about ammonia (NH3/NH4)?





andygace said:


> well I did another partial water change and everything is down pretty good actually, also bought some amonia killing disolving block things... put them in... then we put in 2 cat fish, a few jack dempseys, a blue dragon, a parrot cichlid (lost the female in the other tank) and a pleco...
> 
> at first one of the cat fish looked like the others before they died.... but we turned off the light and covered the tank with a towel... this was a few hours ago and the cat fish was pretty well belly up but i just took a peak in the dark and they are both swimming around and everyone looks pretty happy actually.


Okay... You treat your water for ammonia, but you don't say you've tested for it yet. Silly Prodicus, he asks again:



Prodicus said:


> Did you ever test for ammonia? It's quite possible to have lots of nitrites and 0 ammonia (NH3/NH4). The problem may have nothing to do with ammonia and everything to do with nitrites.


You repeat yourself regarding nitrites and suggest that I look in earlier post:



andygace said:


> We do have quite a bit of nitrites, look earlier in the post, but I did a water change and they went down to suitable levels then I added the fish.
> 
> Overnight we lost two cat fish and the blue dragon, we are down to 3 Jack Dempsey's, 3 electric yellow's, and a parrot which is on its way out now.
> 
> If these fish die i might just give up on the tank completely and see what happens with the other one with thriving fish and even worse water!


Prodicus looks in earlier post, multiquotes, and asks again: Have you tested for ammonia?

Prodicus reaches for the whiskey bottle.


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## ka NUK (Dec 19, 2008)

I think you should test for ammonia.  

ka NUK


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Okay, no i didn't test for amonia reason being when I went and bought the tet kit i could only afford the one I got. I was going to buy amonia too.


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

I'm REALLY surprised you got a kit with water hardness and pH, but no ammonia test. What kit was it? Was it an open package?

You can get away without testing pH, GH, KH and even NO3. Ammonia and Nitrites are the two fundamentals.

In any case, at this point what matters is nitrites, since you know you
have ammonia consuming bacteria present. (Otherwise, you wouldn't 
have nitrites). Just remember that until your tank finishes cycling, those 
nitrites will only be managed by changing water. Keep testing and 
changing the water until there is no measurable nitrite.

I hope this helps!



andygace said:


> Okay, no i didn't test for amonia reason being when I went and bought the tet kit i could only afford the one I got. I was going to buy amonia too.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Prodicus said:


> I'm REALLY surprised you got a kit with water hardness and pH, but no ammonia test. What kit was it? Was it an open package?
> 
> You can get away without testing pH, GH, KH and even NO3. Ammonia and Nitrites are the two fundamentals.
> 
> ...


The strips I got were 20$ and they have everything i posted on each strip... the amonia tester was another 20$ by itself so I figured id be better off with the all in one with no amonia. 

just did another water change about 35-40%. Dont want to waste the strips so i will test the water again tomorrow after I do another 20% or so.


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

andygace said:


> The strips I got were 20$ and they have everything i posted on each strip... the amonia tester was another 20$ by itself so I figured id be better off with the all in one with no amonia.
> 
> just did another water change about 35-40%. Dont want to waste the strips so i will test the water again tomorrow after I do another 20% or so.


I hadn't seen those strips before. I know it's late to advise on test kits, but if I had only 20 bucks for testing I would get
http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c153432/p17090027.html
130 ammonia tests for $7.79 + tax and shipping,
and
http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c153432/p17090029.html
180 nitrite tests for $6.19 + tax and shipping.

Liquid reagent tests are more reliable and cheaper than strips.

I would test before your water change tomorrow. Then you'll have an idea how much water to take out.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

cool, but i cant order them yet.

i just tested nitrites and they are at 0.5 or less.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I just lifted the towel on the cichlid tank and they are looking good they are swimming around not looking like they want out so thats a good sign...

i havn't fed them at all today and i am going to wait until the water is a bit better yet probably tomorrow or the next day then i ill uncover the tank as well


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

They aren't going to starve. Just keep up the water changes and test for nitrites as much as you can. You can always take some water to your lfs for testing. Here's some info on nitrite poisoning:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm



andygace said:


> I just lifted the towel on the cichlid tank and they are looking good they are swimming around not looking like they want out so thats a good sign...
> 
> i havn't fed them at all today and i am going to wait until the water is a bit better yet probably tomorrow or the next day then i ill uncover the tank as well


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Yesh, what a mess.

I think you need to get out of panic mode and slow down. You're stressing the fish even more that way by switching them back and forth.

Usually, inactive fish is due to temperature issue. Do you have a heater in your cichlid tank and is it working? Some people turn their heat down during the night and it's then that your fish will get their temperature shock. If you have a tank heater and it's working, make sure the tank's temperature is around 22 - 24C.
(As a side note, gold fish is a cold water fish, they can take 15 - 20 no problem. 20C is their prefer temps though.)

Work on your water, that is your first priority. Keep changing those water if your test keeps showing high nitrite.

You need to get an ammonia test kit as every told you. Without an ammonia reading we can only see 1/2 the picture and hence our help are limited.

How are you doing your water change? Is it from tap water? If so, try to dechlorinate it first before you dump the water into the tank. Do you gravel vac? As in, do you suck the poop out of the gravel? That might be your source of ammonia there if you didn't clean your tank propertly.

Keep changing your water, until the nitrite is low.

If you can, test your tap water after you dechlorinate it to make sure it's ammonia free. If there is ammonia presense in your tap water. Then that might be the source of your problem.

If your nitrite is not going up. Strech your water change to two days, then three days to get back to your normal routine.

Not sure why you are blacking out your tank! Doesn't help much at this point.

Thinking ahead, if you can, there is a product call melafix. This will help your fish heal faster and recover from this as well as protect them for getting sick. But at this point, I do not recommend this as melafix kills some bacteria as well. In a normal tank, that's what I would use, but in a tank that is going through a cycle (that is what is happening right now), you might make it worst. Still you can use this after your tank is fine, this will help your fish recover from this ordeal and protect them from succuming to disease after their ordeal.

Lastly, keep this in mind. You still might get fish die off even a week after you've done everything right and your tank is back to normal. The important thing is to fish the dead out ASAP. That Jack Dempsey you said you can't find. I'd look under every rock to see if he is OK. All it takes is one dead and rotting fish to take the whole tank out.

Again, fix your water problem first and don't add anymore new stuff into the tank. Chemical or otherwise. The only thing you can add at this point is a new carbon replacement to absorb all the bad chemicals. Note: a carbon is only good for 2 to 4 weeks only. Afterward, there is a chance that it will release the stuff it absorbed back into the water when they start to break apart. So take out your old carbon filter and trash it.

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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Zebrapl3co said:


> Yesh, what a mess.
> 
> I think you need to get out of panic mode and slow down. You're stressing the fish even more that way by switching them back and forth.
> 
> ...


I did take out the old carbon filter a few days ago and its not running any right now


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

nitrites seem to be pretty steady at around 0.5


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

water change. You want ammonia to be zero and nitrites to be zero. Nitrates under 40 ppm are tolerated, but the other two, any thing above zero is harmful.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Good, as long as your tank looks like it's stabalizing, it a good sign. Don't do to many things too fast as that will just shock your bacteria colony into another cycle or just delay the inevitable cycle.

A new carbon filter is still a good option.

0.5 nitrite means that you still have a partially established colony of ammonia eating bacteria. So now you should be looking at where is the source of ammonia coming from?
I think we all guess that it's the bambo, and I am in that direction as well. Most bambo are soaked in chlorine to kill off bacteria, fungus, germs and to make it look clean. So I am not supprise that there are residual left to leach into your tank.
But what started it all doesn't mean taking it out will stop the melt down. The bleach might have killed of lots of bacteria in your gravel and filter. The die off of bacteria, in turns breaks down and decay and release more ammonia. Fish that died and decay release ammonia (in fact some hardy fish starts decaying before it's even dead). Stress fish release ammonia. Tab water may also contain ammonia as well.

So that's why you have to head these things off and minimize the ammonia getting into your tank. Water change and gravel vac and making sure you add clean water during water change right now are the most you can do.

You need to take your nitrate reading as well. This will give you an idea if you have a strong nitrite eating bacteria colony present. If you have nitrate, that is good. That means you have the nitrite bacteria. If you come up 0 in nitrate, that is a concern as you know that your nititre isn't going anywhere and it will take some time to grow your nitrite bacteria colony.

Good luck,

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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

Isn't the ammonia coming from the fish waste? That's my guess.

And I don't think we have stability until nitrite is 0. 
Constant readings with constant water changes means instability.



Zebrapl3co said:


> Good, as long as your tank looks like it's stabalizing, it a good sign. Don't do to many things too fast as that will just shock your bacteria colony into another cycle or just delay the inevitable cycle.
> 
> A new carbon filter is still a good option.
> 
> ...


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Zebrapl3co said:


> Good, as long as your tank looks like it's stabalizing, it a good sign. Don't do to many things too fast as that will just shock your bacteria colony into another cycle or just delay the inevitable cycle.
> 
> A new carbon filter is still a good option.
> 
> ...


nitrate was 30.


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## Prodicus (Nov 3, 2008)

I'm assuming it was 30 before you started your frequent water changes.
I'm sure it's much lower now. Anyway, your tank is processing nitrites, so 
it should eventually reach equilibrium with 0 nitrites.


andygace said:


> nitrate was 30.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Hows your tank doing


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Lost another cichlid today....

Seems like nothing is changing everyday in the afternoon I test the water and the nitrites are up to about 3 or so do a water change and they go down to 0.5.... do the same thing everyday nothing changes


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I just tested our little 2.5 galon tank with guppies in it and the levers are all PERFECT!!! What the hell! The damn thing doesn't even have ap roper filter and its been running for over a month with 8 or 9 fish!


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Iam wondering if whatever was on the bamboo is still in the tank. Can you get anybody to take your fish for a while. You might have to strip that tank and start it over .


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

What are the guppy and goldfish tank decorated with?

I couldn't help but notice in the video (which I finally got around to watching) and the full tank pic you posted later, that you have a lot of (excuse me) awful fake plants in there. 

If you didn't get them at a LFS (and even if you did), it is entirely possible that they are leaching toxins either from the materials they use or adhesives or pretty much anything. Also, ornaments can be deadly as well as many originate from china and while ceramic, use lead and other heavy metals in the glaze (paint) that can leach out and be highly toxic.

An aside (before I forget), the goldfish is fine at 21 C. It's a coldwater species, so heating it's water will do more harm than good. 

As pat said, it may be time for a complete strip down. I would put all your fish in a bucket with old tank water (before removing anything else, to avoid stirring up crap), take out all the gravel, ornaments and everything else (and throw them away, IMO), and replace fish and add new treated water, use a water conditioner (I use Prime by Seachem when I require a water treatment solution) for the new water, and I'd use it at 2 - 3 times the normal dosage (within recommended limits). Keep your filter on, and don't do anything to it, you don't want to kill the half-cycled media in there. Run new carbon if it's available to you. Also, I would recommend using a ammonia-binding media, if it is available to you too. It's not cheap, but sometimes necessary in emergencies. Really, you should be fine with the strip down, and new water. Keep up with regular water changes and monitor parameters daily.

If you can, get a piece of driftwood for the tank. Rinse it off a bit and put it in. The wood will release tannins which are beneficial to fish. And also provide a place to hide under. Or look for large stones for them to hide around and under. 

Also, look into soaking food with garlic before feeding - there's no hard scientific evidince, but the garlic is said to increase appetite and provide a boost to the immune system of fish.

At this point, I really don't think you have any more to lose. Tr everything, and if it doesn't work. Start over clean and fresh and get the right test kits


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> What are the guppy and goldfish tank decorated with?
> 
> I couldn't help but notice in the video (which I finally got around to watching) and the full tank pic you posted later, that you have a lot of (excuse me) awful fake plants in there.
> 
> ...


I basicly did that when we got rid of the bamboo, we stripped all the plants and rocks out, took out 95% of the water and then I sttirred the substrate around alot and added more water and then drained again with all the crap from the substrate and then I repeated that about 5 times, so all the gravel was perfectly clean.... and after that all we put back in was 1 rock with the substrate and thats still all we are running in there


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Added a spotted pleco, and snail and a small school of rosey reds... we took out the last electric yellow and transfered him into the healthy tank


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

I think tomorrow I am going to give all the fake plants and the other rock and the decorations a good wash and re-decor it and slowly add fish... I think it will be okay nitrites are staying around .5 now


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

That pleco looks like gibbiceps pleco. They will outgrow your tank in a few months and reach 14 - 16" eventually.

Also, the fact that all your fish ae huddled in one corner shoul tell you that they're not happy.

I'd just throw out those decorations if I were you, an only use 100% plastic plnts.


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> That pleco looks like gibbiceps pleco. They will outgrow your tank in a few months and reach 14 - 16" eventually.
> 
> Also, the fact that all your fish ae huddled in one corner shoul tell you that they're not happy.
> 
> I'd just throw out those decorations if I were you, an only use 100% plastic plnts.


They are 100% Plastic and they are made for aquariums and they cost about 7$ a peice!!! And if it out grows the tank we have no problems getting a bigger one! Oh and they basicly just go in the corner when I go up to the tank, but when I look from a bit of a distance they just swim around


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Just did a test this mroning, GH KH and PH all went up one level and NO2 and NO3 both dropped.... nitries are at 0-0.5 and nitrates are at about 10

oh and I havn't done a water change since yesturday morning so I am hoping if I do one today and a gravel vac I should be good to go for tomorrow


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Water still not getting better, going to drive 2 hours to Big Al's in barrie tomorrow and get all new substrate and plants.... going to go with sand this time and we will get some rocks to make some caves with...

I found a REALLY nice discus in town today.... about 7 inches long I might have to pick it up...


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## andygace (Jan 1, 2009)

Went to Al's today and we bought all new substrate for the 30 gal. and plants as well and some rocks. We ended up buying a nice size (about 4 inch) jack and an oscar! We had too lol, BIGGER TANK TO COME!


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