Fusion Fish

Hi all,

I had my tank set up and running for about a year...10 years ago, then had kids and never got it back up.

Well, I'm happy to say that I'm up and running again.

I have a 25 gallon tank. I have 3 silver dollars, 2 male guppy, 3 male molly, 2 corydoras. The person at my local fish store said that I could put my fish in right away if I used Neutral Regulator. Although, I had read that the tank needs to cycle first, but, I listened to him....So I got some cheap ones from walmart. I've lost 3 fish so far. And now my water is slightly cloudy white. Sadly I found this forum after I set up my tank

I'm using a whisper tank filter, a bubble curtain and a heater.

Do I really need to be changing a portion of the water everyday? I haven't changed it all yet.

thumper

hi welcome to fishlore yes you should be doing 50% water changes every day and doseing with prime or stress coat+ to detoixif the ammona and nitires
what kind waters tester do you have if you dont have i would recommed the API master test kit to test your ammona and nitirtes and nitrates

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore fusion fish!

unfortunatately, you do need to change daily 40-50% water with some prime water conditioner so you wont have any more deaths..the only other way would be to get some established filter media from a friends tank or get some tetra safe start..the cloudyness is the bateria bloom and is normal for a new tank .....I hope things look up soon!

Lucy

Hi Fusion Fish welcome to Fish Lore

I'm really sorry you lost some fish. Do you have a test kit? The API master kit is highly recommended and very accurate. Avoid the strips, they're not very reliable.

Your water changes would depend on what the readings are for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom and will usually go away on it's own.

aquarist48

Hello and welcome to Fish Lore. Sorry to hear about the bad info from your LFS and the loss of your fish. A lot of us have been where you are with your tanks. Hang in there, be patient and listen to the advice you're given and you'll be enjoying a beautiful tank I'm sure, before you know it! Good Luck.

Fusion Fish

Thanks all!

Don't shoot me now...but, I have the 5-n-1 test strips. I just tested...

Nitrate 20ppm
Nitrite 0
pH 7.2

I will see if my local place has the API kit. I thought that the Neutral Regulator detoxed the nitrate from the water? Man, I'm confused...I gotta go read the nitrogen cycle article again!

Thanks for all your help! I'm sure I will have many more questions to come

Fusion Fish

When I do the daily water changes, do I need to suction the gravel or leave it alone?

TIA

agabr123

welcome!

you'll definitely want to suction the gravel during water changes, otherwise the fish waste and leftover food will build up and cause an ammonia spike.

Fusion Fish

Thanks Alex. Glad I did it right.