Slowly losing my Rosy Barbs

First off my set up.

In fish cycling 125G with what started out to be 15 Rosy Barbs, used TSS plus, 12 days in right now and haven't done a water change, per TSS instructions.

Using API master test kit, readings as of day 11
Ammonia .75 PPM
No2- 0
No3- 5 PPM
Ph- 8.0
Temp 77.5

Lost the first two fish within 8 days or so. Both looked kinda beat up, no scales missing but had a bloody look to them under the skin in several spots. Went home at lunch today and found another one with the same look.

I have not noticed any aggressive behavior or fin nipping that would lead me to believe they are wounds inflicted from tank mates.

Is this just a result of in fish cycling or do I have another issue?

 

I would guess it's due to cycling. No ammonia is good for fish, but .75 is very high. Sounds like it could have been ammonia poisoning.

 

I plan on doing a 50G water change today after work.

 

0.75 is not that high for ammonia, especially if you're using TSS+. If they're looking beat up, it doesn't sound like ammonia. Ammonia poisoning often presents as red gills. The red spots under the skin sound like something else is wrong.

 

Is this just a result of in fish cycling or do I have another issue?

Hi, thankyou for the water parmeters.
Its definitely a result of fish-in cycling. Once you get your tank started, you can always save that good brown goo that grows on the filter and use it to seed other tanks, just swish it around in a bucket of declor water, put the filter back in (dont was it all off, but most so the flow is good again) and if you want to setup more tanks, use that brown water full of bacteria and pour a moderate amount into your new tanks. Or use one of the old filters, put a new one in, and use that old brown pad on the new tank. Instanty cycled.

 

The brown water from swirling media isn't full of bacteria - it's full of waste. The bacteria don't fall off that easily. Using that will only add waste, not bacteria. Instead, put some extra biological media in your current filter and move this extra over to a new tank to seed it.