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July 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| MURKY tank! paramaters all OK
got a 20 gallon tank, new-ish. have a blue gourami, 2 red swordtails, 1 pleco. black pebble bottom, 1 green-tinted (from algae) decoration, and a new plant. the water gets green within 2 days of a water change, and after 4 days, you can hardly see through it. do i keep changing the water? the filter is a little dark, but i just replaced it last week. ammonia - hopefully zero, being vigorously treated with an anti-ammonia thingy that has bacteria in it, but the green problem was going on before i started using this, so it is not to blame. nitrate: 0 nitrite: 0 chlorine: 0
hardness: 75 (soft) alkalinity: 80 (moderate) pH: 7.2 (neutral) | 
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July 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by fishy777  the water gets green within 2 days of a water change, and after 4 days, you can hardly see through it. do i keep changing the water? | Green water can often be caused by elevated ammonia levels, which are a definite possibility in an uncycled tank.
Several possible cures are discussed in this thread: Green Water Quote:
Originally Posted by fishy777 ammonia - hopefully zero, being vigorously treated with an anti-ammonia thingy that has bacteria in it, but the green problem was going on before i started using this, so it is not to blame. | Can you be more specific about what this "thingy" is? I agree it's likely not to blame for a green water problem, I'm just curious what is and how it would work. | |
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July 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| When you say ammonia is hopefully zero? What ammonia "thingy" did you use? If your tank was only set up in June and you threw out your filter, you could very well have thrown out the majority of your good bacteria, which would send your tank into a cycle. How long has it been fully cycled? If you can give some more info, there will be others along to help. Does your tank get any sunlight? How long are lights left on during the day? Hang in there someone will help figure it out  | |
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July 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I'm guessing that since this tank was set up in June, that ammonia could be quite high right now, while nitrite and nitrate are reading 0. There is no way IMO that nitrate could read 0 with that stock list if the tank were cycled. | |
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July 2nd, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hi fishy...time for an API liquid master test kit....great kit and does `100's of tests..im with the others..that tank isnt cycled and you need to start daily 40% water changes with either some prime, amquel+, or ammo lock if you can find either of them.....otherwise your fish are going to start having major issues..changing out yoru filter killed and got rid of any beneficial bacteria you needed for the cycle...  goodluck! | |
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July 2nd, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| THANKS EVERYONE!!  i like shawnie's idea. i will do daily 40% water changes, and continue to use my ammonia eliminator (called NUTRAFIN CYCLE). my filter may be new, but it's still mucky as heck, so i'm sure there's some good bacteria in there. i'm pretty sure my ammonia is low now, but i'll get a tester strip to be sure.
Last edited by fishy777; July 2nd, 2009 at 09:04 PM.
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| hi and welcome to fishlore! i agree with shawnie and everyone else. If yoru showing no nitrates then your tank isn't cycled yet and you do need to do the daily water changes. but i wanted to add that Nutrafin Cycle is not a ammonia eliminator. its not the right kind of bacteria to allow your tank to correctly cycle. you have to keep adding it often for the life of the tank in order for it to work. a properly cycled tank needs no suppliments other then a water conditioner with each water change. i suggest you stop using cycle and get Tetra SafeStart (TSS) if you can find it. TSS contains the right kind of bacteria to jump start you cycle. if you cant find TSS look for prime. prime is a water conditioner and ammonia detoxifier that neutralizes ammoina for 24 hrs. do your daily water changes and use prime and your cycle will start up. good luck!!! | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| One thing you need to consider is not only is the tank not cycled yet, but the pleco is going to need a new home. If your pleco is a common pleco they need a 75g+ tank. They produce more fish waste than they clean up.
I would consider an oto or two for a 20g tank. | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Good morning. Hate to hear that you are having tank difficulties. Amquel + is a very good conditioner as well. It detoxifies ammonia (but will not harm the cycle), nitrites and nitrates for a 24 hour period until it's time for another water change. You may still get readings of ammonia even after adding it but not to worry it is detoxified.
Best of luck and have a GREAT July 4th weekend. | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by fishy777 THANKS EVERYONE!! i like shawnie's idea. i will do daily 40% water changes, and continue to use my ammonia eliminator (called NUTRAFIN CYCLE). my filter may be new, but it's still mucky as heck, so i'm sure there's some good bacteria in there. i'm pretty sure my ammonia is low now, but i'll get a tester strip to be sure. | nutrafin cycle is NOT an ammonia eliminator and its why your tank isnt cycled....you need to stop using it and continue with DAILY 40% changes and try to find some prime, ammo lock, or amquel+ ..one of those will detoxify the ammonia and nitrites but still cycle the tank properly  as long as you use the nutrafin cycle, you will never have a complete tank unless you use it for the life of the tank .... | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| ugh. fish are so much work. can't they just swim and be pretty?
SURPRISE. guess who recommended nutrafin cycle?? PETCO. i was holding ammo-lock, and she said put that down i have something better you have to use all the time, and handed me nutrafin cycle. probs because now i have to go back there 8x a month to get refills. so ammo-lock is what i need? i also have watersafe plus, should i be using that? | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| also, my pleco is the length of a housekey (only thing i could think of that length)... so he's prob ok in my 20 gal? | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by fishy777 also, my pleco is the length of a housekey (only thing i could think of that length)... so he's prob ok in my 20 gal? | What kind of pleco is it? If you have a common pleco, it will quickly outgrow a 20 gallon. You'll get to the point where your tank can't maintain a nitrogen cycle without massive frequent water changes due to the waste produced by a pleco. With proper care, common plecos can grow up to 2 feet.
If you have a smaller type of pleco, like a clown, bristlenose, or rubberlip, it should be fine. | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| i think common, but it's so tiny! and hasn't grown a centimeter. | |
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July 3rd, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| They grow fast, and being in a 20g tank will cause it to have "stunted growth" which will shorten its lifespan and cause health problems. He really needs a new home. | |
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July 9th, 2009
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| | Fish Helper
| [quote=fishy777;624071]ugh. fish are so much work. can't they just swim and be pretty?
they are COMPLETLY worth it. but i do think people that think fish are easy pets to take care of and just get them for that reason are in for it. | |
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July 10th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| [quote=luvlee11;628264] Quote:
Originally Posted by fishy777 ugh. fish are so much work. can't they just swim and be pretty?
they are COMPLETLY worth it. but i do think people that think fish are easy pets to take care of and just get them for that reason are in for it. | IMO they are easy pets, they don't soil the carpet, scratch the furnature... and just keeping their waterchanges up and feed them they do wonderful!
Its the easiest pets I have ever had, but you do have to know the nitrogen cycle and get the tank matured first. | |
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