Jackie Frost

My problem is that I was ignorant to fish keeping and I got two goldfish from Walmart (One of them a black moor like yours, Jess.) WIThOUT CYCLING THE TANK FIRST!!! I like to blame the Walmart lady who told me it only took two days for a tank to cycle. But I blame myself too. I should have known better then to trust an average Walmart employee about fish ...

One of my fish already sucumbed to lack of cycling. The other one, Molly the Moor, is much more hearty. But I don't want her to die too. Is there anything I can do to speed up the cycling process, or help her cope without hurting her?

jdhef

You can speed up the cycle by doing a large water change to get the ammonia levels as low as possible, then add Tetra SafeStart. If you go this route, wait 7 to 10 days before testing your water. If after 7 to 10 days you are showing ammionia or nitrites you will have to do what I am going to give you for a second option.

If you don't want to use or can't find SafeStart, you will need to do daily 50% water changes using a water conditioner called Prime until your tank cycles (this could take several weeks). The Prime will detox ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours at which point you will be doing another 50% water change.

Best of Luck, and don't feel bad, I started out the exact same way, except the sales woman at PetSmart sold me a 2 gallon tank for two goldfish my daughter won at a school fair.

Lucy

Hi Jackie, I'm sorry you lost your fish and found yourself in this position.
Water changes will be you and your fish's best friend for a while. Hang in there and be patient. It going to take some work on your part.

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.

Or you can try and find some Tetra SafeStart. It's a bacterial additive that many members have used to quickly cycle their tanks.
Don't be fooled by products with similar names.
If a store doesn't carry it, don't let a salesperson talk you into buying any other bacterial additives. It probably work and will likely set your cycle back.
With Tetra SafeStart, you add it once. The others you have to keep adding it with every water change because the bacteria they contain are not aquatic and die off quickly.

Good luck, oh and don't feel bad many members have started out the same way you have.

John!

Jesskb

Good luck to you!