BassNFool

I bought a 10 gallon tank kit and set it up.
The pet store owner told me to come back the next day after setting up and getting the pH right to buy the fish.

I bought 3 zebra danios and 3 Red minor serpaes.

I then learned about cycling....

What now Are my fish doomed?

aspects

just keep an eye on your water parameters.
daily WC will help combat the ammonia in the tank. keep your water test kit handy, and test your water daily. (maybe twice daily, if you feel you need it), and do a 50% WC as needed.
it may be more than once a day, it may be less. it depends on how far along in the cycle your tank is.
during this period, your water test kit is your best friend.

redlessi

Welcome to Fishlore Since you already have fish a few questions for you. I would not say your fish are doomed as danios are pretty hardy, not sure about serpaes. Do you have a water test kit, if not you will need one and the API freshwater kit is highly recommended. Did you get a water conditioner, if not Prime is the best to use when cycling a tank with fish already in it as it will neutralize the ammonia and nitrite. You will need to do daily partial water changes until you have a cycle. Make sure not to disturb the gravel or clean or change the filter until the tank establishes. There is an awesome thread about the nitrogen cycle on the forum, once you read it all of this will make some sense. Good Luck

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore
That's the exact same thing we were told when we first started.
Unfortunatly, we didn't find Fish Lore until about a year after we had a tank of dead guppies.
Your fish aren't doomed and we'll try our best to help you and your fish through the cycling process.

First, you'll need a test kit. The API is highly recommended. Try to avoid the strips as they can be inaccurate.

Here's a basic explanation of the nitrogen cycle:
First your ammonia (from fish waste and left over food) will rise.
In a few weeks bacteria will start to develop and you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop.
After a few more weeks a different kind of bacteria begins to develop and you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.
Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to your fish.
So until your cycle is complete, you need to keep the levels down with 50% daily water changes.
Using Prime as your water conditioner will detox the ammonia for 24 hrs between water changes.
When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.

Hang in there and be patient, cycling can take up to a month.
Best of luck.

iloveengl

Hello! Welcome to FishLOre!!

It's great that you got the cycling knowledge - that will certainly help save your fish from doom.

Cycling with fish is definitely doable (it just takes more work). A bottle of Prime, daily partial water changes, and a liquid test kit (strips are too inaccurate) will keep your fish safe during the cycle process (about 4-8 weeks with fish).

Best would be returning them to the store if possible and doing a fishless cycle, but not every LFS accepts returns.

Another option is Tetra SafeStart. This is usually only available online, but it is the only product on the market nowadays that contains the proper bacteria to immediately cycle a tank (with fish!). Other products that claim to do this don't contain the proper aquatic bacteria, so once the bacteria dies, your tank will crash and you essentially start over or keep spending money on new bottles.

Tony G.

WELCOME TO FISHLORE!!!


You have been given great information above! I highly reccomend you get the API test kit as well as the Prime. I would suggest you do 30-50% WC's a day to keep the ammonia low, while dosing with prime to detox the ammonia for 24hrs.
As you know, Danios are really hardy fish, so they might have a chance at living through your cycle.

Hope you enjoy the site!

iloveengl

Umm, has anyone mentioned pics? We do love them if ya got them.

Lucy

Due to a misunderstanding, I've cleaned this thread up so we can continue to help BassNFool with their original question.

BassNFool

Thanks for the great advice. I just got back from Walmart I was looking for a Test Kit..... No luck. I was also hoping to find Tetra StartSafe.... No luck. I bought API Stress Zyme which claims to Speed the development of the biological filter. I added the prescribed amount and have treated water for a 50% WC. I'm waiting a while for the chemicals to mix well... I will probably do the cycle before bed.

My wife will by me the test kit tomorrow.

Thanks again,

BassNFool

Lucy

Many members have had luck using TetraSafeStart but it can be pretty hard to find. Some members say it didn't work for them.

Unfortunately Stress Zyme and many other products that claim to help the cycle don't work.
They usually contain the wrong kind of bacteria. It's not aquatic dies off quickly not allowing your tank to properly cycle.
If you read the directions, I believe it says you should add it with every water change or when adding fish. That's going to get quite expensive.

I'd suggest you stop using it and follow the advice of the above posters about doing water changes or try TetraSafeStart.

Pics would be great when you get a chance. We'd love to see your tank.

iloveengl

x2 Lucy

Yup, Walmart doesn't care the good stuff for cycling or testing. I had to go to Petsmart for my liquid tests and ordered online for the TSS. If you google it, you'll find lots of online places that sell the products. I really like http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/index.web because their prices are more affordable than other sites and I've had really good experiences with them.

BassNFool

I panicked. I was worried about losing the fish. Since my tank is so new I figure I haven't hurt anything... no bio-filter to hurt .

I plan on not using the stress-zyme any more.

My tank must have had a lot of ammonia built up aready. After the 50% WC and the added stress-zyme the fish are much more active and are using the full water column ( previously they were hugging the bottom ).

BassNFool

Pics soon.

Lucy

I don't blame you. It's worrisome when our fin babies aren't doing well. All the different products are enticing and it can get confusing.

[quote=BassNFool;676803]My tank must have had a lot of ammonia built up aready. After the 50% WC and the added stress-zyme the fish are much more active and are using the full water column ( previously they were hugging the bottom ).[/url]

I'm glad they're feeling a bit better. Have your girlfriend pick up some Prime also. It's a water conditioner that not only removes chlorine etc from tap water but will also detox ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours between water changes.
Post your water parameters after you test tomorrow and we can go from there.

aquarist48

Hello BassNFool and Welcome to Fish Lore. Lots of great information above.
Have fun and enjoy the site. Best wishes for your new tank!
Ken

jprime84

Seachem Prime will keep them safe. You really dont need to do the water changes all that often once you get that. I was in the same boat as you with my Danios in a 20g tank. I started adding Prime and monitoring daily about 3 or 4 days in and none of my fish have died, or even appeared to be stressed. Its been close to 4 weeks now, and ammonia has dropped to zero but im still waiting on nitrite.

jdhef

Lucy, what are you trying to get this poor guy into divorce court. His WIFE was going to pick up a test kit. What will she say when his girlfiend gives him one!

Lucy

Shawnie

im going to respectfully disagree...you need to do water changes every 24 hours as prime looses its strength after time..as well as you need to lower the ammonia..prime doesnt do that it just detoxifys it....just because a fish doesnt die, doesnt mean its not suffering ammonia poisoning...
jon catches all our "errors" doesnt he

sirdarksol

Welcome to Fishlore, BassNFool.
I've got very little to add to the excellent advice above. I want to second Shawnie's statement that Prime does not replace daily water changes while the tank is cycling. The fish continue to produce ammonia, and this will overwhelm the Prime dosage, which is why you want to do daily water changes.

BassNFool

Well, I finally got the water testing stuff. The results:
Ammonia 0.1
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 10.0

I guess the stress-zyme is still keeping the levels ok. I will test again tomorrow. The fish seem to be doing well.

I wonder how long I will have to wait for the stress-zyme to give out and throw things into the normal cycle.

I'm loving my tank & fish.

BassNFool

jdhef

What can I say...it's a gift!

BassNFool

FishLoreMasters,

Well, that didn't take long. Second test...

Ammonia: 4.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 10

I did a 50% WC and the Ammonia level dropped to the expected 2.0 ( tested again to see if the added water had ammonia in it). Will a 2.0 Ammonia level hurt the fish? I do not yet have the Prime ( I live a long way from civilization ). Should I do another 50% WC in the morning.

Thanks all,

BassNFool

Lucy

Any amount of ammonia is toxic, but, yeah, 2.0 is pretty high.
If it were me, I'd do another 50% tonight.

BassNFool

Lucy, thanks for the quick reply.

I'm preparing for the second 50% WC.

BassNFool

BassNFool

I need to be much more careful to review my post before pressing the submit button...

The ammonia level was not 4.0, it was 0.4. I may have been doing a lot of work for nothing. My corrected numbers are:

Ammonia: 0.4
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 10

My test kit doesn't even read past 0.8. I feel stupid. So at what level must I do a WC?

Thanks,

BassNFool ( emphasis on FOOL )

BassNFool

My wife found the mis-reference to a girlfriend and the following discussion quite funny.

My girlfriend did not see the humour in it.

I kid, I kid

BassNFool

Tony G.

IMO you should do a WC eitherway since you have ammonia. LOL at the girlfriend hahaha

BassNFool

Day 5...
Today's readings: ( after 3 50% WC in 24 hours )
Ammonia: 0.0
nitrite: 0.0
nitrate: not tested

All fish still going good. I've ordered Tetra SafeStart to speed the process and limit the negative effects on the fish.

I've taken pictures on my phone and will post them when I get to work tomorrow. No cell service at home.

BassNFool

Lucy

jdhef

Of course you are kidding (wink, wink)