swaneel23

Hi... I have a bacteria cloud in my 20 gallon tank...fishes seems to be little ill....not much(only two Ramarosies seems to have little redning at there gills)
But my tanks very much messed up...and I really want to wash gravel and put it back again with fresh new water(since all the waste has been acumulated at the bottom...that looks eww)..But I am confused whether I should take the Risk or not(since I have lost 7 fishes from the day I brought the tank)..Please send me some advice

Shawnie

your tank hasnt cycled yet....and the cloudyness is a combo of over feeding (the stuff that has accumulated on the bottom) as well as a bacteria bloom from it being a new tank...get some prime water conditioner and do daily 50% water changes for a few weeks to save the rest of your fish...you need a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates at least for now so you can see where your parimeters are for the cycle...API master kit is what alot of us use...heres a link for you to read that explains it all out for you http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm goodluck

swaneel23

so should I change the water completely along with cleaning the tank?? Plz reply

Shawnie

no just 50% and do a vacuum of the bottom but make sure you have some kind of water conditioner ...and do the water changes everyday !

gonzo127

Hi, well the first thing you need to do is read about the nitrogen cycle as Shawnie as said, so that you can understand what is happening,

secondly no you do not have to wash the gravel as this is likely to kill all of the good bacteria that has started to build up, if you want to get rid of all of the waste at the bottom of the tank your best bet is to buy an aquarium vacuum and suck it up

as for the water change, you will need to do around a 50% change daily for a week or so

Sasukii

yes yes! you will be surprised at what a gravel vac will do for you! They are easy, and you can see such a huge difference after you use it! and don't touch your filter!!! it's imperitive you do not change your filter, or do a 100% water change. It will just set you back even further.