tko187

Hi, i set up a dechlorinated freshwater tank, 50 gallons, When i bought the tank i watched a setup video on the internet on videojug. I basically followed their setep advice which was to leave the filter and heater running for two days then add fish, this is what i went ahead and done.

I now have 10 neons, 2 corys, 2 clown loaches, 2 silver sharks, 5 zebra danios, 2 guppys, 1 pleco, 1 siamese fighter. 25 in total of which i have lost 1 guppy and a cory!!!! I am devastated.

I never did any ph or ammonia tests as the fish shop salesman never said to, i have just really noticed all this stuff now. You guys are probably gonna cuss me, i know i deserve it, i just want to know the best way to salvage this situation without having more fish die, i dont have a qaurantine tank either!!

Please can someone help me, i cant give the fish back to the shop as they wont take them, What can i do? There must be some sort of medication to fix this problem, i have seen something called bio spira which says it will cycle the tank in 24 hrs!! Can i use this with fish in the tank?? Also all the information on the net with regards to cycling has got me really confused, im not sure what to do at all?? Im getting different signals from everywhere!! Ive talked to lots of different fish shops and they also tell me that 5-6 days is ok then u can add fish. Please someone break it down for me!!! Nobody seems to be helping me, i think they are all just interested in making money!!


Guys pls help me im desperate..........i wish i seen this site 1 week ago and everything would be cool...............there must be a way i can save these fish, i know now that there is too many fish added at once, pls take it easy on me, im reealy fragile just now. I will check this tread in the morning...hopefuly there is a angel out ther!!

lilsoccakid

welcome to fishlore! glad u found us

if you can, try to bring the fish back for a refund, or just get them off your hands, because it looks as if you could be in trouble

well i would immedietly go try to find bio-spira, or at least a product called PRIME, which will do wonders for keeping ammonia and nitrites from killing your fish.

i would do an immediate 50% water change and do 50-60 percent water changes a day until you have cycled the tank. please read about the aquarium nitrogen cycle


somebody will chime in soon with more information

good luck, and keep up on those 50% water changes!

Alessa

First of all welcome to fishlore!
Look. Were not here to blame anyone but to help as much as we can...
Most of us didnt even know about the nitrogen cycle before we got our first fish...

Many say biospira does work... unfortunately, it has to be kept cold (not frozen) for it to work. at this point the only thing you can do is order it out of ebay or this other website (which link I cant FIND ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!)!, add it and hope for the best. your tank is filling up of ammonia which will kill your fish slowly that's whats going on. if you add the biospira (and its a good batch) its supposed to cycle it in less than 48 hours. Get it, and meanwhile do daily 50+ % water changes.

after you do todays water change and order biospira check this link, it will help you understand things better:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

and again, welcome!

Halibut

Welcome to fishlore.....

Your aquarium info says you do not know about the nitrogen cycle please read this link it will help you to understand what is going on in your tank.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Now for saving your fishies because I went through this myself recently. Start by ordering bio-spira I believe I got it from aquariumplants.com this will help speed up the cycle in your tank. Get yourself an API Master test kit from drfostersmith or petsmart or someplace like that, should be more than about 20 bucks unless you go into the store to buy it. Measure your water parameters start off with Ammonia/Nitrite, you wont yet see Nitrate and PH will be out of whack until the cycle is completed. Now since you have fish you need to keep these levels down so I would do 50% water changes daily until you can get some bio-spira in the tank. Once you get the bio-spira it will want you wait atleast 7 days before doing a water change but it will also help to keep the toxins down in your tank. After the 7 days do a 50% change wait 24hrs and test/change water daily again until your test kit reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 5-20 nitrate. That is about all you can do I did this same thing and no fish lost except 1 tiger barb 3 weeks after I cycled(I think it was just his time everyoneelse in the tank are doing great). Dont get to down on yourself you'd be surprised how many here have gone through the same thing just learn from the mistakes you have made move forward and ask lots of questions here.

HTH Mike

Alessa

here is the link for the BioSpira
http://www.aquariumplants.com/Bio_Spira_s/47.htm
good luck, let us know how it goes.

and yes... all the stores tell you is "ok" to add fish after a couple of days... so that they all die and you have to go and get more from them!

Butterfly

Do you have a testing kit? If not you need one asap, The best one I've found is aquarium pharmaceuticals fresh water kit. Testing will tell you when to do water changes and when your cycle is over.
Do you know about the nitrogen cycle?
carol

tko187

thanks for the replies guys, i really apreciate this. To everyone who replied. i thought i was buggered, pardon my french!!

Firstly i cant order from the net because it will take over 7 days to reach me, ill have to find it tomorrow in the shops. Until then should i change my water 50%?? and do i need to dechorinate it before i put in tank? The tap water i add will be cold does this affect the fish or should i maybe use warmish water??

Im sorry so many questions, regarding the cycling, what do i do, ive read so many different methods and i am overwhelmed by it all, i know i have to change the water, i will do it first thing tomorrow, what about feeding?? should i stop or reduce, i notice my guppy and beta are going to the top to gasp for air, i hope its not too late!!!! Also my clown loaches are always hiding is this normal??

Please if anyone can breakdown the method i need to use in easysteps it would be a lifesaver, ive checked the links and im just geting even more confused i need quick action,,Faaaast!!

The testing kit i dont have, i shall buy one tomorrow also, which kind do you recommend and should i check my tapwater first?

Thanks agaiin!! Everyone you are great, god bless you!!

Alessa

The method you should use is daily 50% (to make sure you lose the least fish possible) water changes with dechlorinated water until you get the biospira, test the aquarium water for parameters (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate), when you get it make sure it was kept cold, wait 24 hours after you add it and (if its a good batch) thats about it.


DECHLORHINATE IT!!!!!! add some water conditioner before you put the water in the tank and also try it to be around the same temperature of the tanks water... you should do it today and daily until you get the Biospira... if you do not do the water changes daily with conditioned (dechlorinated water) they will keep diying so do it now!

checking tapwater does not really serve any purpose if you use a water conditioner. Prime is the best since it alleviates ammonia toxicity for 24 hours(for now.... when you use biospira you cant use prime, instead use aquaplus...).

also reduce feeding to minimum since this limits the amount of ammonia entering the water.

let us know how its going. The best of lucks!

Lucy

Hi tko187 Welcome to Fish Lore

I know it's all confusing, but I'm glad you found us, the forum is full of wonderful helpful people with a wide variety of experience.

Don't worry about asking too many questions.

Yes, continue the daily water changes and always use a conditioner to dechlorinate the water. Conditioners also remove chloramine and detoxifies heavy metals.

Try to match the water from the tap to the temp of the tank water. Too warm or too cold will shock your fish.

The guppys and betta are probably feeling the effects of the ammonia, it is extremely toxic to your fish. If you can, you really should do a water change tonight and continue that daily unless you get bio spira.

Your betta really should be moved to a tank of it's own, it's not really compatible with your other fish. It's a good possibility someone will get hurt or killed. 2.5g minimum, heated and filtered.

Bio-spira as already recommended is your best bet, other wise you must keep up with the daily water changes.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Halibut

Yes you should do a change today and every day basically until your cycle is completed. Might have to have the bio-spira shipped but not sure I know I had too. Yes use a conditioner on the water to decloronate. When refilling use a thermometer and put it under the running water in your tap and adjust water temp to within a coupe degrees of what you tank is. This will reduce the stress put on your fish during water change and can be especially important when they are already stressed.

goggles

yes you realy should move your betta as soon as possible. i had mine in the community tank because i didn't know any betta. his fins got nipped at by the tetras. he is now in a 10g by himself and is as happy as can be. i hope you manage to sort it all out please keep us posted on how it goes.

Shawnie

If you use bio-spira, DO NOT use prime...they will not work together...you got alot of great advice..if you can get it, they ship over night as its live bacteria..its expensive but well worth it..if you cant, treat tap water with prime, daily 50% water changes with tap water the same temp as your tank, and sticking to that until the cycle completes, should keep your fish alive...getting the api test kit as others have mentioned, will be your best friend for the tanks life cycle goodluck

angelfish220

If you know someone else with a fishtank, you can go and grab a handful of gravel or a plastic plant, or even the filter media, and stash it in your filter, then you have added the correct bacteria to your tank, so it cycles faster. Using that method you can cycle in about a week.

TEST YOUR WATER!!! it is vital to test your water during the cycle, you NEED to, to know where your tank is in the cycle. Once your tank is stable, then you can test about biweekly and it will be fine, but during the cycle you need to test everyday.

Dont feel bad. When I first started I put 3 platies, 3 mollies, 4 guppies, and 6 danios in a ten gallon tank Now you know how to keep a fish tank, and you can restart right.

Annabelle

Well, the others have pretty much covered the important parts so here is my bit of advice. Dont worry and dont beat yourself up, its not your fault that you got bad advice because at least you sought advice, I know heaps of people who get animals without looking for ne info at all and then they wonder why they die. Just remember that as long as you are doing your water changes the way the others have suggested then you are doing your best and your fish have the best possible chance of making it through.

I ask tons of questions on here and everyone has been great because we just all want to help the fish and thier owners get the best out of this wonderful hobby. Deep breaths! And Welcome! Im glad you found this forum.

Evelyn1919

Welcome to fishlore!!!
everybody here has a lot of information and all they told you so far is what you need to know. the only thing i would add is if you get bio-spira and you are using prime (water conditioner) you should not use them together. once you get biospira you should wait a couple of days before you add it to your tank and do 2 big water changes (50%) so that most of the prime will be out of your tank cuz otherwise the beneficial bacteria will dye and there would've been no point on using biospira. DON'T test your water right after adding biospira (which is what i did) because you will be shocked and want to do a water change or like i did add ammolock with totally killed the beneficial bacteria from the biospira. if you can't find prime you can also get stress coat which i prefer using and my fish seem to like it better.

hope this works out for you and wish you lots of luck.

Evelyn

lalynya

Hey don't feel bad I've been working on my tank for months now and just killed like half of my fish yesterday..You'll get the basics it just takes time to figure out..when I fist started this tank set up I killed all my fish too...I had been keeping tanks for a while but never knew about the nitro cycle..don't feel bad..you learn from your mistakes and you will do better next time

lalynya

I recomend a master test kit and yes it is normal for your fish to hide..I've found guppy's to be pretty hardy so you may be in luck with them

Calab

Ouch!!! $96 for shipping!