Semi-New Aquarist: SunSun Nightmares and Dying Tiger Barbs

[Wake]

Good evening all.

I've been running fishtanks for about a month now. Started with a 10-gallon, then a 30-gallon, and have settled on a 55-gallon freshwater tank.

1) I used an established 30-60 gallon Whisper filter on my 55-gallon tank.

2) My ammonia and nitrite levels are at 0.

3) Also own a SunSun HW-302 canister filter, and have been using it for over three weeks.

4) I had 9 tiger barbs. They kept dying and then stopped. Once I put the SunSun into the 55-gallon tank, four more died in two days. Also owned 4 green emerald cory catfish, and one went belly up.

5) Did an emergency water check. NitrAte was at 40 ppm. I'm thinking 'Holy , how did this skyrocket so quickly?'

6) I have been doing 40% water changes every week. Just now I did a 70% water change: testing the NitrAte level and it HAS been going down.

7) The SunSun canister filter from China has filter media. White and blue filters, bioballs, charcoal pellets, and these porcelain tube things. I don't know in what order this stuff should be placed in the three racks.

8) When I set up the SunSun filter onto the 55-gallon tank, I then plugged it in and it started running. All of this nasty-looking filmy came pouring out of the branch tube and into the water. Then my fish started dying. Where did I go wrong and what should I do?

9) I'm assuming since my ammonia and nitrite are at 0ppm, and my NitrAte was at 40ppm, that my tank is currently filtered.

10) My fish had been dying at an alarming rate, and now I'm watching to see if any more die. I am sick and tired of my tiger barbs dying and some people saying they're very hardy. BS! I just watched two sputter, flounder, and die right before my eyes.

11) I have about 14 different plants. Turns out some of their roots/stems are rotting. I keep hearing stuff about C02 injections. I only use aquarium sand from Petco.

12) Right now I have 5 tiger barbs, 3 green emerald catfish, and 4 skittish minnows. I want to get a pair of German Blue Rams but I DON'T want to endanger them until I know what the heck is happening.

13) I also have a bubble curtain. My pH balance is around 7.0. I know about the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH levels. I don't know about hardness, softness, oxygen/C02, or anything else like this.

14) Should I but expensive equipment? A protein skimmer or a UV sterilizer or...? I don't even know what that stuff is but I'm at my wit's end here.

Please help!

 

[Clayman]

How did you cycle your tank? Fishless or with fish in. What came out of the return hose of you filter? Was it a brand new filter? Are you doing anything to get your ph at 7? Are you using tap water? And dechlorinator? 40ppm nitrates should kill your fish like that.

 

[Wake]

It's either 20 or 40 ppm. The orange hue on the test vial made it difficult to tell between the two.

In my 30 gallon tank I cycled with minnows and ghost shrimp.

Out of the return hose all of this thin, membraned semi-translucent gunk came out. It looks like it was covering the inside of the green tubes of the SunSun canister filter. Yellowish-looking gunk in large, thin flakes.

Haven't done anything to keep it at 7. In my older 30-gallon tank I had been using aragonite, but that made the pH too high and was unhealthy.

I have been using tap water. Also been using Jungle Safe Start to dechlorinate and add slime coat. Been leery of it, because I don't know if that is causing my fish to die. I also remember putting in about a tablespoon of dissolved aquarium salt into 55-gallon tank to help lower fish stress.

 

[threnjen]

Safe Start like this? Aquarium StartUp: Ammonia Removal: Tetra SafeStart PLUS

If so, that is not a dechlorinator (would be nice if we can solve your problem this easily!)

 

[ImACoolguy]

Good evening all.



I've been running fishtanks for about a month now. Started with a 10-gallon, then a 30-gallon, and have settled on a 55-gallon freshwater tank.



1) I used an established 30-60 gallon Whisper filter on my 55-gallon tank.



2) My ammonia and nitrite levels are at 0.



3) Also own a SunSun HW-302 canister filter, and have been using it for over three weeks.



4) I had 9 tiger barbs. They kept dying and then stopped. Once I put the SunSun into the 55-gallon tank, four more died in two days. Also owned 4 green emerald cory catfish, and one went belly up.



5) Did an emergency water check. NitrAte was at 40 ppm. I'm thinking 'Holy , how did this skyrocket so quickly?'



6) I have been doing 40% water changes every week. Just now I did a 70% water change: testing the NitrAte level and it HAS been going down.



7) The SunSun canister filter from China has filter media. White and blue filters, bioballs, charcoal pellets, and these porcelain tube things. I don't know in what order this stuff should be placed in the three racks.



8) When I set up the SunSun filter onto the 55-gallon tank, I then plugged it in and it started running. All of this nasty-looking filmy came pouring out of the branch tube and into the water. Then my fish started dying. Where did I go wrong and what should I do?



9) I'm assuming since my ammonia and nitrite are at 0ppm, and my NitrAte was at 40ppm, that my tank is currently filtered.



10) My fish had been dying at an alarming rate, and now I'm watching to see if any more die. I am sick and tired of my tiger barbs dying and some people saying they're very hardy. BS! I just watched two sputter, flounder, and die right before my eyes.



11) I have about 14 different plants. Turns out some of their roots/stems are rotting. I keep hearing stuff about C02 injections. I only use aquarium sand from Petco.



12) Right now I have 5 tiger barbs, 3 green emerald catfish, and 4 skittish minnows. I want to get a pair of German Blue Rams but I DON'T want to endanger them until I know what the heck is happening.



13) I also have a bubble curtain. My pH balance is around 7.0. I know about the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH levels. I don't know about hardness, softness, oxygen/C02, or anything else like this.



14) Should I but expensive equipment? A protein skimmer or a UV sterilizer or...? I don't even know what that stuff is but I'm at my wit's end here.



Please help!

Hello!

5. Your tank may be cycled BUT how fast did you add all the fish? Adding fish too fast can be too much for the BB and you need to wait for them to catch up to the bioload.

6. That's good. Many people on here change 50% weekly.

7. Generally the best setup for canisters: coarse foam(so soak up big physical waste), fine filter foam
(Soak up smaller physical waste), filter media/extras. This ensures your filter media doesn't get clogged up with particulate waste.

8. I've never used SunSun but have always heard good things about them... That is odd that stuff shot out of it... I don't have the slightest clue what it was.

9. It does look like your tank is cycled, but with the current situation I would still make sure water parameters are in check.

10. I did have tiger barbs once. From what I've read/experienced they really need a good sized group. That and they sometimes can go off the deep end for no apparent reason. If you got them from Petco that could be just a bad stock.

11. Do you know the species of plants? This will help as not all aquatic plants are planted. Some are also much harder to take care of than others.

12. Let's get your tank fixed before getting a sensitive fish like Rams.

13. Do you use test strips or a liquid test kit? Liquid kits are much more accurate than strips and more "bang for your buck". API sells a kit you can likely get at Petco.

14. No you don't need any of that. I have 6 running tanks and only used a UV Sterilizer on 1 tank and that was to help with a GSA problem.


Caleb

 

[ImACoolguy]

Safe Start like this? Aquarium StartUp: Ammonia Removal: Tetra SafeStart PLUS

If so, that is not a dechlorinator (would be nice if we can solve your problem this easily!)

No Jen Jungle Safe Start is a Walmart/chain store cheap water conditioner. I used it when I started fish keeping. OP, I would recommend Seachem Prime. Many people on here including myself swear by it.


Caleb

 

[Wake]

Good morning!

1) Checked my nitrAte again and it's hanging around 10ppm. Doing another 45% water change.

2) Just checked the high range pH of my tank, and it's at 8.2! I'm thinking it jumped that high when I added the SunSun filter, because it came from a tank that had a 1" deep substrate of pH-raising aragonite. Google is telling me Tiger Barbs do best in a pH of 6.0-8.0, so maybe that could be a factor...?

3) I thought to myself this: "You know what? Screw it." Just purchased Seachem Prime and Seachem Neutral Regulator off Amazon.com.

4) Do I need more plants? I just found my receipt from Petco and it's these: 8" Argentine Sword, 8" Wisteria, 8" Compacta, 8" Ozelot, and 8" Kyoto. Also have a 12" Beheri and a small clump of Christmas moss.

5) I also have a powerhead without the airtube or fan-thing. I just want it to push water one way to create a current.

6) Planning to clean out my SunSun and put in two or more of those course blue filters into it. I did not know to put in the blue filter media.

7) I made the mistake of adding about 14 at the same time. I was impulsive. My older fish (Siamese Flying Foxes, minnows, and older 4 tiger barbs) did survive. A majority of the newer fish didn't. I love those flying foxes, and they seem to be doing incredibly well.

8) I use the 'Freshwater Master Test Kit' from Petco. It's a collection of vials and different chemical bottles to measure nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, ph, and high range ph. (My fish would be SO dead without it!)

 

[ImACoolguy]

Good morning!



1) Checked my nitrAte again and it's hanging around 10ppm. Doing another 45% water change.



2) Just checked the high range pH of my tank, and it's at 8.2! I'm thinking it jumped that high when I added the SunSun filter, because it came from a tank that had a 1" deep substrate of pH-raising aragonite. Google is telling me Tiger Barbs do best in a pH of 6.0-8.0, so maybe that could be a factor...?



3) I thought to myself this: "You know what? Screw it." Just purchased Seachem Prime and Seachem Neutral Regulator off Amazon.com.



4) Do I need more plants? I just found my receipt from Petco and it's these: 8" Argentine Sword, 8" Wisteria, 8" Compacta, 8" Ozelot, and 8" Kyoto. Also have a 12" Beheri and a small clump of Christmas moss.



5) I also have a powerhead without the airtube or fan-thing. I just want it to push water one way to create a current.



6) Planning to clean out my SunSun and put in two or more of those course blue filters into it. I did not know to put in the blue filter media.



7) I made the mistake of adding about 14 at the same time. I was impulsive. My older fish (Siamese Flying Foxes, minnows, and older 4 tiger barbs) did survive. A majority of the newer fish didn't. I love those flying foxes, and they seem to be doing incredibly well.



8) I use the 'Freshwater Master Test Kit' from Petco. It's a collection of vials and different chemical bottles to measure nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, ph, and high range ph. (My fish would be SO dead without it!)

That's great you have a master test kit. Honestly seeing that none of your older fish died I think it was bad stock... After all, it is Petco mine isn't the greatest. Like I said, tiger barbs sometimes can be a hit or miss and like large groups. If you want to try them again I would add them back at no more than 3 every couple days.


Caleb

 

[Brookster123]

Back to this white foamy stuff that came out of the filter. Did you rinse the filter and media before installing??

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Wake]

I'm learning more about this bad stock crap going on.

Also, realized the filter I was using on my 55-gal was a Whisper filter only for up to 40 gallons. Just bought a Tetra Whisper (dual filter) for up to 60 gallons.

It was a thin, yellowy biofilm that came vomiting out of the green tubes/branch tubing. I was informed that I should have been using a course blue filter in the canister itself, which I hadn't used. Also, should have been using more of those white filters, and NOT use the activated charcoal. Not sure what good any of the bioballs are...

 

[Wake]

I have learned to put in those ceramic tubes in the bottom tray of my SunSun filter for settlement purposes, put in two coarse blue and then a top fine white filter in the second tray, and then for the top third tray I add a layer of biohome mini ultra for biological filtering.

Hopefully that will work...

 

[Saekalive]

Plants can be a little tricky depend on the tank. What type of light do you have?

-Weston --Sent Via The Space Time Continuum--

 

[Wake]

Plants can be a little tricky depend on the tank. What type of light do you have?

-Weston --Sent Via The Space Time Continuum--

I use two 18" Flomax bulbs that stimulate plant growth.