Serious Help please!!!!!

[orangepunkins]

I am so worried. Here is the problem. I took a 55 gal fish tank and took all the gravel and sand out and started over on the tank EXCEPT for the filter. I had a canister filter that had been running with old hang filters on this tank for about 3 1/2 weeks to almost 4. So my husband took the 55 and restarted this tank with new sand and decorations. I then took the canister filter and put it on the newly tank because I thought it was already established. So my husband and I assuming the water was good since I used the same filter that had been running for those weeks. We go and get 2 sets of breeding rams. (last night) We decided to go to a mom and pop fish store today and drive the 1hr and 1/2 away and lucky I brought some water to test. I had ammonia and nitrites and nitrates some lots more than others. She said it looks like the tank is in the beginning of a newly cycled tank. So I bought SAFE START PLUS and a seasoned sponge filter she had already established in her tank. We also bought a HUDGE test kit. I retested my tank and my readings are as follows
nitrite .1
ammonia .50
nitrate 5.0
ph 8.2-8.3

we drawl from a well and I have never had this issue. Im on pins and needles watching these fish. I feel so bad for assuming that my water was good by thinking that my filter was in established order.
I did use a capfull of ammonia block.
I'm so afraid that I might have heart these BEAUTY'S!

What else can I do to lessen the evil of the water quality.
(I asked the lady should I do a water change she said no not yet)

Sorry for the long post.

 

[CoronaBlue]

Using filters from an old tank on a new jump starts the cycle but the media is where your good biologicals are mainly located. At this point I'd just wait 5 to 7 days and do a 30% change. Your nitrate levels will be unstable until tank cycles and it's just going to take time.


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[dalto]

So, first of all, half a ppm of ammonia is probably not toxic to your fish yet. Look for an ammonia toxicity chart and compare your ph, temp and ammonia to know what is an appropriate level.

There are two scenarios here. One is that you are going through a full cycle from the beginning and have to treat your tank like it was new. This could be because your canister did not have enough BB in it or you left it not running for too long, etc. You also could have less BB in the canister than expected and are going through what I would call a mini-cycle. A mini-cycle typically happens much quicker than a full cycle because you still have some bacteria and just need to wait until the colony enlarges.

Either way, the solution is the same. Keep checking the water and do water changes if ammonia or nitrite gets close to toxic levels.

 

[Mattfinn]

Your ph is very for rams too they prefer more softer acidic water.

 

[lovecatfish]

I do not recommend safe start plus though... I always had more success with seachem stability and any seachem products. I don't think you filter have been established anyway. Either a mini cycle or the bacteria is not there anymore since you have not 'fed' it with ammonia...

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[orangepunkins]

Here is an update my husband and I took the rams and put them in my 75 gal tank it is planted not extremely heavily planted but has a lot of plants. We then took the mollies and red eye tetras from the 75 gal and put them into the 55 gal. Within 10 min the rams perked up and were very active. I did a water change on the 55 and then I tested my 75 to see where the quality of the water is ( I have had it tested many times since the beginning of the month and that tank has a new filter with new media although I took some old media cut it up and used it in the canister. I had a small trace of ammonia and I'm thinking thinking it's because it's somewhat of a new tank. So my husband and I r looking at this 55 gal scratching our heads trying to figure out where we went wrong.
I told him u think it might be the slate rocks they r grey but have red rusty color mixed in. I will test the water again tonight and we will go from there. At least the rams seem happy now.


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