skinny64

hi i have tank for 3 weeks now have guppies platys and some neons they have all been very happy we noticed last night 1 of the guppies was a bit thin and its tail was not as fanned out as it usually was, when we got up this morning the guppie was gone we assume the other fish has eaten it we tested water and the ammonia was 8 which we know is high we have done a partial water change any suggestions what we can do to keep the ammonia down

jsalemi

Have you tested the nitrites and nitrates? It sounds like your tank either hasn't finished its first cycle, or is in a mini-cycle for some reason.

For an immediate fix, you might want to run to your local fish store and pick up some AmQual Plus -- it does a pretty good job of neutralizing the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the tank in a hurry. It's only a temporary fix, so you should test your water first and see where your tank is in the cycle.

skinny64

lost another guppie during the night and another one is dying did a water test this morning nitrite was 2.0 ammonia 4.0 nitrate 5.0 ph 7.6 i dont know what to do next i did a partial water change yesterday do i do another 1 today

armadillo

Hi Skinny. You can cycle with fish, don't worry. There are ways to control the situation. What you need to do is:
1/ Condition the new water that you put back in from the tab with ammonia-locking conditionner (e.g. Prime or Amquel + if you can get a hold of either)
2/ Test the water every day for a'nia, n'ite, n'ate. If a'ia > 0.5; n'ite > 0.5 or n'ate > 25, do a huge water change (up to 75%). These are my own ballpark figures, other members may be more or less cautious with their 'alarm' thresholds.
3/ Watch your fish like a hawk for signs of waste poisoning (darkened gills - purple-looking), gasping for air, hanging around close to the water surface. The second you see signs, do another water change.

You'll have to go through this for 3 weeks or so (I hope no more, although some cycles last way longer, but let's not imagine the worst yet).

Your remaining fish can be OK, don't worry.

skinny64

hi there lost another guppie this dinner time so i am only left with 3 now, i did my water test this morning and the water test kit that i am using is the api and the readings are down from yesterday ammonia was 4.0 nitrite 2.0 nitrate 5.0 and ph 7.6 could you tell me if that is bad because everyone keeps telling me different, a guy who has bred fish for 30 years just told me to do a water test each day and than if it is still bad do a water change saturday because he said if we keep taking too much water out we are taking the good bacteria out also the fish we are losing are the first fish we put in the tank and they were male guppies he said that they could be pining for females would be grateful for anymore suggestions thanks i felt so sad when my little guppies died

capekate

Hi
well it does sound like your tank has not finished its cycle yet. The ammonia readings are too high along with the nitrite and more than likely that is why your fish are dying.
As far as that fellow telling you not to change your water because you would be loosing your good bacteria is baloney! The bacteria you need to cycle your tank is not in the water, it grows on the filter, gravel and decorations. When your readings are that high you can not afford to wait til saturday to change your water, your fish will be dead by then. Please consider doing a 50% water change asap! get the tap water conditioned with a water primer, such as prime if you have it or use whatever water conditioner you have that you have been putting in the tap water to treat it. Also get the water temperature as close to possible as the tank water, so not to shock them.
Good luck with your tank.. let it cycle, in the meantime do those water changes and do not rinse out your filter media.
~ kate

armadillo

Hi Skinny. That guy was right, but didn't tell you the full story. Here's some answers:

Ammonia is very poisonous. After a while, it quickly gets transformed into nitrites, which are also poisonous. In an established tank, nitrites get transformed into nitrates, and that, the fish can manage up to certain quantities.

Ammonia -> n'ite -> n'ate takes a long time to happen for the first time in a new tank, and a tnak is said to be fully cycled when all a'nia and n'ites are immediately transformed into n'ates, so that you can detect only nitrates in your water. This has obviously not happened to your tank yet, and can take a few weeks.

So, any quantity of ammonia or nitrite is dangerous to the fish, so you need to indeed change a lot of your water everyday that you get a positive reading for a'nia or n'ite in your tank.

Oh, and most good bacteria (the ones that do the Ammonia -> n'ite -> n'ate transformation), live in your filter medium and in your gravel, so doing water changes won't affect your bacteria so much. What does affect your cycle with water changes is that your tank takes longer to learn hwo to cycle a'nia and n'ites, as the water is kept quite clean always. But that's OK, as your fish' lives are worth having to wait a little longer before you can stop doing daily readings and daily water changes\

skinny64

hi thanks for advice will do a water change tonight could you give me thoughts on my decorations in my tank i have a piece of coral and 2 shells what my husband got when he was snorkelling in bulgaria we boilt them for 7 hours before we put them in the tank 1 fish breeder says they are fine and another says no should i take them out thanks

jsalemi

Coral and shells can have a lot of calcium in them that leaches out into the water and plays havoc with the pH. And unstable pH affects the ammonia levels, so you may want to do a pH test, and also check the coral and shells to see if they're leaching calcium. The easiest way to test them is to put a drop of vinegar on them -- if it fizzes, don't put them back in your tank.

skinny64

thanks for that, also could you tell me if i should put some ammolock in the fresh water when i do it in the next 10 mins thanks

skinny64

i forgot to say i put some in yesterday when i did a partial water change