Help With New Tank Syndrome

gf purchased a fish tank around three months ago all was good till about four days ago nitrates and nitrites have skyrocketed tank has marineland penguin 200 with bio wheel all was new with tank water tested at "petco" after a good six weeks of water changing and cycling that tank they gave us the green light to get fish I know not the best be we ran out of the master test kit we had a friend barrow it and they haven't returned it So now we are stuck with the tetra strips hpfully better than nothing.... they are showing the two are way off which is concerning my gf about her fish.

29gal
Penguin 200 flirted with biowheel
Whisper air pump for air stones.

We have 2 glo fish one small angelfish one bristlenose and three angle rams I believe there called.
I don't think we're are overcrowded and I do know some fish should not be in that tank with rams but everything has been fine so far no issues. Just that nitrates and nitrites.

 

You have some stocking issues with a few of the fish. Not sure if your GloFish are tetras, barbs, or danios, but they should be kept in a school of at least 6. Also getting a new test kit would be my first priority, strips are not dependable.

Have you been keeping up with water changes?

 

I know I thought I would be able to take care of it with a few water changes but the are called Glofish tetras. Decent sized small fish one red and blue I was not at the store at the time of purchase so sadly had no pick or say lol. But any other tips or just keep doing water changes? I have done three in the past three days two 40-50% and one 25% change tonight because they seem to be dropping a little.

I had tiger oscars for a few years and a few other aggressive fish so this isn't my first tank just been a while since I had one going and don't remember everything just looking for a little help.

And I'm not sure what you mean should we get more of the glofish? Or maybe rehome?

 

We can help you better if we know your specific water parameters... can you get a new master test kit? What are the AM, NI, NA readings since your water changes?

EDIT: you wouldn't want to add fish while you're having water/cycling problems like this, but maybe after things have calmed down...

Do you have Seachem Prime? That will detoxify /nitrite/nitrate and help your fish survive if you're having a spike (without depriving your beneficial bacteria)...

 

Well I just got done with the water change around 30 mins before post I have one strip left but I know it's not good to test right after wc so I'm trying to give it atleast a few hours to mix in good with older water and it's currently 11:30 pm so no way to get a test kit possibly tmrw I can run to get one or mine back

Or should I try and test it now?

 

And I'm not sure what you mean should we get more of the glofish? Or maybe rehome?

I'm not a stocking expert by any means. TexasDomer BottomDweller stocking advice?

 

All fish seem fine eat fine swim normal play normal wait to be fed as soon as you get close to tank just worried cause she is lol

I'm not a stocking expert by any means. TexasDomer BottomDweller stocking advice?

Yea I know the one inch per gallon but if that is the truth we are way under there all baby fish

yes prime is in the tank

 

WELCOME to Fishlore!!!

How did you cycle the aquarium? You are also underfiltered, a filter is judge by the gph not what it say on the box. For HOBs you want 8-10x the gph of the size tank, thus for your 29 gallon you want at least 232 gph.

What are the exact parameters?

For stocking, as mentioned above your glo tetras are actually genetically modified skirt tetras. Thus they need a group of 6 minimum. As far as the rams, don't know what you mean by "angel" rams as there aren't such a thing I believe. Do you mean german blue ram? How many are males? How many are females?

Yea I know the one inch per gallon but if that is the truth we are way under there all baby fish

The inch-per-gallon is a MYTH. It seems like your a beginner, just because you have a tank doesn't mean your experienced . As mentinoed you have stocking issues not overstocking.

 

Yea I know the one inch per gallon but if that is the truth we are way under there all baby fish

1 inch per gallon is a bad stocking guideline. By that logic you could put a 10" fish in a 10 gallon tank. It has more to do with activity level, size, aggression, and bioload (the amount of waste produced).

As far as the rams, don't know what you mean by "angel" rams as there aren't such a thing I believe. Do you mean german blue ram?

I looked it up, and they appear to be balloon GBRs.

 

I looked it up, and they appear to be balloon GBRs.

If so, then they will still have the same aggressiveness toward each other if you have 3 males or 2 males.

 

I'm not sure on the rams will have to do more research and I have not said I'm an expert clearly here for advice but have no way to test the water right now as stated before

If there German blue rams how would I know if male or female? By the reflection in the black dot or another way?

We have no issues till around four days ago I told my gf she is over feeding the fish and this is what caused it but I'm not an expert. And is why she has made me take over.

 

We can help you better if we know your specific water parameters... can you get a new master test kit? What are the AM, NI, NA readings since your water changes?

EDIT: you wouldn't want to add fish while you're having water/cycling problems like this, but maybe after things have calmed down...

Do you have Seachem Prime? That will detoxify /nitrite/nitrate and help your fish survive if you're having a spike (without depriving your beneficial bacteria)...

Good call Jenny, the immediate problem needs fixing first, prior to addressing any stocking and equipment issues.

 

I have a few friends that I might be able to rehome the fish too until this tank get under control but if it isn't necessary then would rather go that route

Also forgot to mention gf moved tank from one side of our living to another a few days earlier could this have caused this along with the over feeding?

 

How much are you feeding? This can be a problem especially since your filter is a bit small

 

She would use way to much not sure how to measure maybe like four pinches of flake.. and I would have to net so much food after she fed them
I try to do a small pinch of flakes even smaller pinch of granules and we have frozen blood worms which are small Cubes I do half so one thing for two feedings . I than net the very little remaining food in tank.

 

I have a few friends that I might be able to rehome the fish too until this tank get under control but if it isn't necessary then would rather go that route

It shouldn't be necessary...just tell us what the nitrite/nitrate levels are and get some Prime!!! That + water changes should be enough to get you through what seems to me like a minI cycle.

What has your regular water change schedule been like on the tank?

 

It shouldn't be necessary...just tell us what the nitrite/nitrate levels are and get some Prime!!! That + water changes should be enough to get you through what seems to me like a minI cycle.

What has your regular water change schedule been like on the tank?

I try to do a water change on her tank atleast once every two or three days. Until this now it has been once every day for three days

I have prime I just need to get another test kit

And not only am I changing water I'm also cleaning gravel

 

I have prime I just need to get another test kit

ASAP!

Once you know your levels, you can do further water changes and/or dose Prime to get them under control... 1ml (one cap thread) neutralizes 1ppm ammonia (or nitrite(?) per 10 gallons for 24-48hrs... for nitrite above 2ppm you can dose up to 5x the basic amount.

How are the fish acting??

 

I will get one asap

Test strip is saying nitrate between 40 and 80
Nitrite 3.0 to 5.0
Hardness 150
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 120 to 180
Ph 6.8 7.2

ASAP!

Once you know your levels, you can do further water changes and/or dose Prime to get them under control... 1ml (one cap thread) neutralizes 1ppm ammonia (or nitrite(?) per 10 gallons for 24-48hrs... for nitrite above 2ppm you can dose up to 5x the basic amount.

How are the fish acting??

Fish seem fine all eat all play all love food and when you go by the tank they love to fallow you

 

Fish seem fine all eat all play all love food and when you go by the tank they love to fallow you

A couple of things. You need to get an API Freshwater Test kit the liquid kind and not the strips. They are very unreliable. You probably should get the kH/gh liquid tests too, just to have them on hand just in case. They can wait though if you need to space it out. I would probably get some Stability also to go with your Prime, just in case you need it.

Then you need to test your tank. Follow the directions exactly. You will need to shake certain bottles and vials once the solution is added for certain periods of time. Each step is important. Once you know your accurate parameters then you can proceed. If they don't have the testing kit at your local pet store Amazon has it for $20. I have amazon prime so it only took 2 days to get here.

Those are your first steps. Be sure to dose prime each day for the volume of water you are replacing in the tank. Once you establish your parameters then we can move on to the next step.

Welcome to FishLore!

Edited my post to reflect my next post below. I missed a post that contained the parameters.

 

A couple of things. You need to get an API Freshwater Test kit the liquid kind and not the strips. They are very unreliable. You probably should get the kH/gh liquid tests too, just to have them on hand just in case. They can wait though if you need to space it out. I would probably get some Stability also to go with your Prime, just in case you need it.

Then you need to test your tank. Follow the directions exactly. You will need to shake certain bottles and vials once the solution is added for certain periods of time. Each step is important. Once you know your accurate parameters then you can proceed. If they don't have the testing kit at your local pet store Amazon has it for $20. I have amazon prime so it only took 2 days to get here. Until then you should do 30-50% water changes everyday to keep your Ammonia and nitrate levels down. Just in case.

Those are your first steps. Be sure to dose prime each day for the volume of water you are replacing in the tank. The dose is 0.1ml per gallon, so if you remove 3 gallons your dose is 3 drops. 10 gallons is 1ml and so on.

Once you establish your parameters then we can move on to the next step.

Welcome to FishLore!

I plan on going first thing tmrw to get the test kit and also plan on doing another wc but should I do the wc before or after I test with the API master kit?

 

Test strip is saying nitrate between 40 and 80
Nitrite 3.0 to 5.0
Hardness 150
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 120 to 180
Ph 6.8 7.2

Ohhh I missed this. So you need your Ammonia level for sure. That is the most toxic to your tank. Even over nitrates. Your fish can actually get Ammonia burns. Over feeding with cause a spike in your Ammonia. Your fish's stomach is generally the size of their eye. So feeding twice a day a smaller amount is the way to go.

You need to keep your nitrates under 20. Doing a 50% water change will lower it to 10-40. So I would do 2 back to back 50% water changes within a few hours of each other (or even early the next day) to get those nitrates down to 5-20. Make sure you dose with prime. Once your levels are down you can dose at the normal dose for your replaced volume. Since you will be replacing 100% of your tank volume, I would dose as you go. Dose for the first 15 gallons when you do the first change. Wait for a couple hours, do the second water change and dose for 15 gallons again. Then I would wait 24 hours to test your tank to give it a chance to settle. Then we can go off of those levels to see what the next step is for you.

For the record my tank is overstocked too, and it does require a 30% water change every 5 days or so, instead of once a week like most tanks. So be prepared for the same thing to happen. You won't really know until you start testing with the liquid kit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Ohhh I missed this. So you need your Ammonia level for sure. That is the most toxic to your tank. Even over nitrates. Your fish can actually get Ammonia burns. Over feeding with cause a spike in your Ammonia. Your fish's stomach is generally the size of their eye. So feeding twice a day a smaller amount is the way to go.

You need to keep your nitrates under 20. Doing a 50% water change will lower it to 10-40. So I would do 2 back to back 50% water changes within a few hours of each other (or even early the next day) to get those nitrates down to 5-20. Make sure you dose with prime. Once your levels are down you can dose at the normal dose for your replaced volume. Since you will be replacing 100% of your tank volume, I would dose as you go. Dose for the first 15 gallons when you do the first change. Wait for a couple hours, do the second water change and dose for 15 gallons again. Then I would wait 24 hours to test your tank to give it a chance to settle. Then we can go off of those levels to see what the next step is for you.

For the record my tank is overstocked too, and it does require a 30% water change every 5 days or so, instead of once a week like most tanks. So be prepared for the same thing to happen. You won't really know until you start testing with the liquid kit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Will do wc before I go then and one after I get back thanks and I will get test kit and let you all know

 

I plan on going first thing tmrw to get the test kit and also plan on doing another wc but should I do the wc before or after I test with the API master kit?

Edited my previous reply here so Never mind then lol we are posting at the same time

 

Never mind then lol we are posting at the same time

I have done a wc the past three days two were 50% changes and today's was a 25-30% wc with prime in the new added water

 

Will do wc before I go then and one after I get back thanks and I will get test kit and let you all know

Do this. Sounds like a perfect plan.

 

Do this. Sounds like a perfect plan.

Also should I change filter?

 

Also should I change filter?

Noooo! Do not change your filter until it is literally falling apart. All of your beneficial bacteria lives on your filter media. If you change it, it will ruin your cycle. If it gets dirty, just swish it around in your dirty tank water to clean it. Don't ever rinse it in tap water or the chlorine will kill your bacteria. You can use water treated with a dechlorinator, but dirty tank water is really the best. Before you decide to change your filter, I would put another filter cartridge in your tank (behind your regular filter media or in a second filter all together) for a month before you throw away the old one. That way it is seeded with enough of the bacteria to not disrupt your cycle. After you are more comfortable with your tank, research making your own filter media on you tube. It will save you money, and explain the whole filter media process etc.

 

Noooo! Do not change your filter until it is literally falling apart. All of your beneficial bacteria lives on your filter media. If you change it, it will ruin your cycle. If it gets dirty, just swish it around in your dirty tank water to clean it. Don't ever rinse it in tap water or the chlorine will kill your bacteria. You can use water treated with a dechlorinator, but dirty tank water is really the best. Before you decide to change your filter, I would put another filter cartridge in your tank (behind your regular filter media or in a second filter all together) for a month before you throw away the old one. That way it is seeded with enough of the bacteria to not disrupt your cycle. After you are more comfortable with your tank, research making your own filter media on you tube. It will save you money, and explain the whole filter media process etc.

So rinse in dirty water when doing wc maybe once a month? I'm also going to remove all the tank decorations my gf has in her with I'm thinking bogwood or something more natural and possibly som flat stone to build a cave.. she has some octopus thing and a bubble cannon. tmrw when I do a water change I'm going to remove them and she has medium small gravel that I wish was sand lol so we could get some live plants maybe.

 

So rinse in dirty water when doing wc maybe once a month? I'm also going to remove all the tank decorations my gf has in her with I'm thinking bogwood or something more natural and possibly som flat stone to build a cave.. she has some octopus thing and a bubble cannon. tmrw when I do a water change I'm going to remove them and she has medium small gravel that I wish was sand lol so we could get some live plants maybe.

Replace the filter with a more powerful one, but keep the filter media (sponges, cartridges, etc)

 

Replace the filter with a more powerful one, but keep the filter media (sponges, cartridges, etc)

Penguins 350?

Penguins 350?

I actually have my old emperor it was for a 65 but if it fits I may swap them out

Noooo! Do not change your filter until it is literally falling apart. All of your beneficial bacteria lives on your filter media. If you change it, it will ruin your cycle. If it gets dirty, just swish it around in your dirty tank water to clean it. Don't ever rinse it in tap water or the chlorine will kill your bacteria. You can use water treated with a dechlorinator, but dirty tank water is really the best. Before you decide to change your filter, I would put another filter cartridge in your tank (behind your regular filter media or in a second filter all together) for a month before you throw away the old one. That way it is seeded with enough of the bacteria to not disrupt your cycle. After you are more comfortable with your tank, research making your own filter media on you tube. It will save you money, and explain the whole filter media process etc.

It won't let me upload pictures says there too big but if I can figure it out I'll take beofre and after one to show

 

Replace the filter with a more powerful one, but keep the filter media (sponges, cartridges, etc)

Yes. Fahn is right. I thought you were just talking about your media. You have a 29 gallon right? So you need to have it circulate 8-10 gph per 1 gallon of tank water. So you will need one that has 240-300 gallons per hour.

Okay what about like the penguin 350?

I think that would work just fine.

I actually have my old emperor it was for a 65 but if it fits I may swap them out

I am not sure what the gph is but if it is around 300+ I think it would work. I am not a filter expert that is for sure. I am getting ready to set up a 30 gallon tank so I have been researching filters. That's the only reason I know about gph at all really lol

 

Yes. Fahn is right. I thought you were just talking about your media. You have a 29 gallon right? So you need to have it circulate 8-10 gph per 1 gallon of tank water. So you will need one that has 240-300 gallons per hour.



I think that would work just fine.



I am not sure what the gph is but if it is around 300+ I think it would work. I am not a filter expert that is for sure. I am getting ready to set up a 30 gallon tank so I have been researching filters. That's the only reason I know about gph at all really lol

It says 350 gph

It says 350 gph

And at first I did mean the media until they said to get a bigger one lol

 

As for stocking GBR need warmer water than skirt tetras

 

gf purchased a fish tank around three months ago all was good till about four days ago nitrates and nitrites have skyrocketed tank has marineland penguin 200 with bio wheel all was new with tank water tested at "petco" after a good six weeks of water changing and cycling that tank they gave us the green light to get fish I know not the best be we ran out of the master test kit we had a friend barrow it and they haven't returned it So now we are stuck with the tetra strips hpfully better than nothing.... they are showing the two are way off which is concerning my gf about her fish.

29gal
Penguin 200 flirted with biowheel
Whisper air pump for air stones.

We have 2 glo fish one small angelfish one bristlenose and three angle rams I believe there called.
I don't think we're are overcrowded and I do know some fish should not be in that tank with rams but everything has been fine so far no issues. Just that nitrates and nitrites.

Seachem prime and stability together will do the trick

Seachem prime and stability together will do the trick

And better do it quick before your fish die they are already getting sick from that toxic water of yours and make sure to add stability around the same time everyday for the 7 day period and prime every other day (48 hours) it will ensure there's good bacteria in there so you don't have to stress yourself also add it every water change you can even keep adding it after 7 day period I've added mine everyday for a month now I add after every water change and make sure to do it with prime cause it locks up the ammonia until the bacteria eats it

 

I don't understand how your fish are alive (let alone a-okay) with those nitrite levels. I've always understood (and observed) nitrite to be even more toxic than ammonia. Did you test the water before or after dosing the tank with Prime? Either Prime has neutralized nitrite (and it's not reflected in your test), or your test strips are way off the mark...

 

I don't understand how your fish are alive (let alone a-okay) with those nitrite levels. I've always understood (and observed) nitrite to be even more toxic than ammonia. Did you test the water before or after dosing the tank with Prime? Either Prime has neutralized nitrite (and it's not reflected in your test), or your test strips are way off the mark...

Doing wc now. Will be heading to get API master freshwater kit soon today

I don't understand how your fish are alive (let alone a-okay) with those nitrite levels. I've always understood (and observed) nitrite to be even more toxic than ammonia. Did you test the water before or after dosing the tank with Prime? Either Prime has neutralized nitrite (and it's not reflected in your test), or your test strips are way off the mark...

Mast test kit is on the way home all decor is out only filet air pump and gravel bought some drift wood to redo the tank will do the washing process first tho and will post the Parameters soon.

Low rang ph is 7.2 ppm
High rang ph is 7.4 ppm
Ammonia is 0 ppm
Nitrite NO2- is 2.0 to 5.0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- is 5.0 ppm

Followed instructions exact.

Ohhh I missed this. So you need your Ammonia level for sure. That is the most toxic to your tank. Even over nitrates. Your fish can actually get Ammonia burns. Over feeding with cause a spike in your Ammonia. Your fish's stomach is generally the size of their eye. So feeding twice a day a smaller amount is the way to go.

You need to keep your nitrates under 20. Doing a 50% water change will lower it to 10-40. So I would do 2 back to back 50% water changes within a few hours of each other (or even early the next day) to get those nitrates down to 5-20. Make sure you dose with prime. Once your levels are down you can dose at the normal dose for your replaced volume. Since you will be replacing 100% of your tank volume, I would dose as you go. Dose for the first 15 gallons when you do the first change. Wait for a couple hours, do the second water change and dose for 15 gallons again. Then I would wait 24 hours to test your tank to give it a chance to settle. Then we can go off of those levels to see what the next step is for you.

For the record my tank is overstocked too, and it does require a 30% water change every 5 days or so, instead of once a week like most tanks. So be prepared for the same thing to happen. You won't really know until you start testing with the liquid kit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Results are in

And better do it quick before your fish die they are already getting sick from that toxic water of yours and make sure to add stability around the same time everyday for the 7 day period and prime every other day (48 hours) it will ensure there's good bacteria in there so you don't have to stress yourself also add it every water change you can even keep adding it after 7 day period I've added mine everyday for a month now I add after every water change and make sure to do it with prime cause it locks up the ammonia until the bacteria eats it

Have them parameters on

 

Doing wc now. Will be heading to get API master freshwater kit soon today


Mast test kit is on the way home all decor is out only filet air pump and gravel bought some drift wood to redo the tank will do the washing process first tho and will post the Parameters soon.

Low rang ph is 7.2 ppm
High rang ph is 7.4 ppm
Ammonia is 0 ppm
Nitrite NO2- is 2.0 to 5.0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- is 5.0 ppm

Followed instructions exact.


Results are in


Have them parameters on

Low rang ph is 7.2 ppm
High rang ph is 7.4 ppm
Ammonia is 0 ppm
Nitrite NO2- is 2.0 to 5.0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- is 5.0 ppm

 

You are very close to being cycled. As soon as you get to 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, + nitrates you will be fully cycled. This is the formula I use (that I learned here in the forum)

If your Ammonia + Nitrites = less than 1, dose full tank volume of stability and prime. If your Ammonia + Nitrites = more than 1, do a 50% water change then dose stability and Prime for full tank volume. Repeat every 24 hours until cycled. Once you have 0,0,5-20 for 2-3 days you can assume you are cycled and switch to testing once a week with 30% water changes. (Prime dosing is 0.1ml for each gallon, basically one drop. For a 30 gallon tank that is 3ml. 1 tsp = 5ml. I have a medicine dropper to dose mine)

Always add Prime dosed at the water volume you are replacing once you are cycled. Keep your nitrates below 20. Because others have said you are overstocked, I would test every 5 days instead of 7. Once cycled if your nitrates go over 20, do a 50% water change. If you do a water change larger than that, I would probably add a half dose of stability to keep your bacteria up. That is purely optional though. If you over feed or if you don't vacuum well enough your Ammonia may spike. If that happens do a very thorough cleaning, change your water, dose with prime to full tank volume and stability just to kick the bacteria back into gear.

Keep us posted. You are definitely on the right track!

 

You are very close to being cycled. As soon as you get to 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, + nitrates you will be fully cycled. This is the formula I use (that I learned here in the forum)

If your Ammonia + Nitrites = less than 1, dose full tank volume of stability and prime. If your Ammonia + Nitrites = more than 1, do a 50% water change then dose stability and Prime for full tank volume. Repeat every 24 hours until cycled. Once you have 0,0,5-20 for 2-3 days you can assume you are cycled and switch to testing once a week with 30% water changes.

Always add Prime dosed at the water volume you are replacing once you are cycled. Keep your nitrates below 20. Because others have said you are overstocked, I would test every 5 days instead of 7. Once cycled if your nitrates go over 20, do a 50% water change. If you do a water change larger than that, I would probably add a half dose of stability to keep your bacteria up. That is purely optional though. If you over feed or if you don't vacuum well enough your Ammonia may spike. If that happens do a very thorough cleaning, change your water, dose with prime to full tank volume and stability just to kick the bacteria back into gear.

Keep us posted. You are definitely on the right track!

Going to do another wc tonight when gf leaves for work I also did switch to a brand new emperor bio 350pgh but have the one old filter in for now for the bacteria have the new driftwood soaking in 6 gal bucks of boiling water hopefully a few days or a week from now they will be ready for the tank and will soon swap the substrate to black sand like my old tank also rehoming the tetras and the three rams so will be down to the angle fish and albino bristlenose


She's gonna miss the little rams tho she did enjoy watching them play and come to find out there all female rams German blue rams.