smileyfish

My tank has been cycling for about a month now. My results of the latest water test are: ammonia - 0, nitrites - 0, nitrates - 3. The tank has had a terrible red/brown tint, well more than that really the water is red/brown you can barely see through it. The fish are extremely unhealthy looking too. One bosemani rainbow fish's eye has been getting worse through out its experience. At first it just looked a little out of place, then the scales started dissapearing around it, now its eye is basically just this huge bubble that looks like skin. Its horrible. What do i do? I feel like i should wait until the water is clear to be sure that the cycling is over, but it just looks horrible and i would like to put a water clearer or somehting. WHAT DO I DO?

kimb

Since you are cycling with fish, you need to be doing water changes everyday with a product like Prime or Amquel+. This detoxifies the ammonia and nitrite for 24 hrs between changes. How often do you change the water? I would say wc is needed immediately, others will be along to help with the water colour and the eye problem. Good luck

smileyfish

well that would explain alot. Someone that i know, who is a saltwater specialist, told me about 3 weeks ago that wc would destroy the cylcing. I havent cycled for that long. About how much do i take out, i usually take out about 35%. (ive only done it twice though.

aquarist48

Good morning. According to your readings your tank is cycled. I would suggest at least a 25 to 30% water change and add some Prime or Amquel + and possibly some Nova Aqua + as well. If you aren't using carbon in your filter now I would suggest adding some as well. With your fish being ill, pristine water conditions are crucial right now. It sounds like it good possibly be Popeye disease and the water change will surely help. Don't change out so much water that it will throw you into a mini cycle. Any time that you are cycling with fish water changes are crucial or your fish will be over taken by ammonia poisoning. Keep us posted.
Best of luck!

smileyfish

Alright thank you! usually i do my wc as part of my gravel vacuuming.. Is this a good method. ALso i was thinking of getting an undergravel filter along with the 45 gallon filtration system (using carbon media) to help cycle things better.

aquarist48

Hello. Being that your tank is recently cycled, I wouldn't vacuum more than 1/3 of your tank at a time. As for the rest you can just siphon the water out. I'm not a big fan of under gravel filters. Personally I consider them a waste trap.
What type of filtration are you currently using? It is suggested that your filtration be 8 to 10 x the volume of your tank. For a 40g tank the filtration should at least be 320 gallons per hour (GPH) if not 400 gph. If you want to add more you have to consider can your fish handle the current.

smileyfish

its about 320 i think. Its on a long tank and its on the back so the current isnt too big a deal. When i vacuum the gravel a LOT of water comes out so ok i guess ill do that. THANK YOU

Shawnie

great advice from others...water changes are important....are you still using an enzyme salt?(not even sure what that is) all the fish you have listed in this tank are NOT salt tolerable and that could be causing the skin/eye issues....

aquarist48

Sounds good. My pleasure Have a good day today!
Oh, you can always add additional filter media to the filter that you have if there is room. You can stuff it full, filter floss, batting material from wal mart (free of chemicals 100% polyester), sponges. It's always good to have spare media (in case you want to set up a 2nd tank