dead fish already!!

[krazymom]

Yes, another uninformed newbie

I already asked this question somewhere on here but can't find it to see if it is answered?? So I'm asking here...

I started up a 55 gallon tank I got from a friend, cleaned it all well with vinegar and water and rinsed well. Used some of their old rocks along with some new well rinsed ones. Set up two under rock filters and a over the side one. (not sure exactly what it is?) Cycled only for two days, put in 3 little catfish but was feeding them the wrong food (unknowingly, flake food instead of bottom feeder pellets) went to the pet store 5 days later and bought new fish. While I was at the store 2 of the catfish died. I thought it was from starvation cause I learned the proper food at the store. I put in the new fish and then later that same night (tonight) the 3rd catfish died. Looked very bad before he died. Swimming wierdly, upside down and drifting around, looked a bit fuzzy and with teeny bubbles on him. Now I'm learning about ick and quarantine, what should I do to protect my new fish? 2 gold loaches, 5 neons, 8 zebra danios and a algea eater of some sort. Should I buy a heater and slowly get my tank up to 86 degrees? I love the loaches and others and don't want to loose anymore. It came on so suddenly in one day they all died. Didn't notice anything unusual before. Thanks!

[elke]

ok i have a 45g ciclid tank first you should of let that tank cycle for at least 2 wks before adding fish second no heater you need that water at least 76 at all times as for the new fish cross figers and pray if their in the tank

[krazymom]

Yes I know that now....oops! Anyways I do live in Arizona and it's about 80 degrees inside my home in the summer and about 76 in the winter. Doesn't the water usually stay at room temp? I read that 86 degrees kills ick. I'm wondering if that is what the catfish had or was it something else? I need to learn how to test the water too. Thanks, I should have found this forum BEFORE getting fish and having a problem Duh!!

[bzbee]

Cycled only for two days

Hi there! Welcome to the hobby and to AA!

First things first, what are your water parameters like? Are you using a used filter from your friend and was it basically kept wet in a tank with fish throughout the transfer from your friend or was it ever in storage or washed in tap water? I'm trying to determine if the beneficial bacteria is still present in the filter. It sounds to me like your fish may have died from "new tank syndrome", ie an uncycled tank. If this isn't the case, ignore the following:P

Cycling takes time, usually around a month. Basically, colonies of bacteria need to form on the walls of the tank, the gravel and the filter, that can break down toxic ammonia from fish excrement into (still toxic) nitrites and finally into less toxic nitrates. You should only add something in the order of 2 fish a week and only after the tank is cycled. It's not a total disaster that you didn't, it just means you have to work hard for the next few weeks to keep your fish alive.

If you don't already have one, I'd recommend you go buy a good test kit like the Master Test Kit from Aquatic Pharmaceuticals and do a [acronym:385a1e1f18="Partial water change"]PWC[/acronym:385a1e1f18] everyday to keep ammonia <1ppm and nitrites <0.25ppm. The better option that will save you time but cost you some money up front is to find yourself some Biospira tomorrow and use enough of it to treat your 55G. It will cycle your tank overnight. In the meantime, you will still have to do PWCs. (I'm assuming you know about using dechlorinator for water treatment so I won't go into it here, but feel free to ask!)

I would remove the under gravel filters you're using as they could get troublesome in the long run. Your other filter is probably a Hang-On-Back ([acronym:385a1e1f18="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:385a1e1f18]) power filter. Depending on the flow rate, you might need another to supplement it. Do you have a make and model for the filter?

Good luck! We're here to help you through this, so fire away at the questions and keep us posted!

[krazymom]

Yes, I did use Ammonia Chloramine Eliminator when I filled the tank. And the filter was dry for about a week but when I cleaned everything I took the sponge and charcoal bag out so as not to get them cleaned with the vinegar. I had to use vinegar to get rid of lots of white build-up. And I made sure to rinse it all very well. I did use two big bowlfuls of their old rocks which did stay wet all week in a bucket. The rest of the tank and equipment was sqeaky clean. I will get a test kit [acronym:87184ee914="As soon as possible"]asap[/acronym:87184ee914], are they expensive? I tried to see the markings on the filter pump but can't get a good look from where it is.

[bzbee]

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...;pcid1=;pcid2=

They aren't too expensive if you buy them online, but I'm afraid the LFSs will probably charge ~$25-30 for the exact same kit. There might have been some bacteria in the gravel, but even then it would have only shortened the cycle time to at best 2-3 weeks.

I would actually bring a sample of water in to your [acronym:bce972ce11="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:bce972ce11] first for a free water test (PetSmart and PetCo do this) before you buy the test kit. If they confirm that the tank is not yet cycled and that you have high levels of [acronym:bce972ce11="Ammonia"]NH3[/acronym:bce972ce11] or [acronym:bce972ce11="Nitrite"]NO2[/acronym:bce972ce11], get the Biospira first since that's what will actually save your fish.

[Andos99]

Get rid of the undergravel filter. Purchase a [acronym:29cdc6e0b6="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:29cdc6e0b6] filter, buy a test kit, wait about 6 weeks and purchase [acronym:29cdc6e0b6="Normal Output Fluorescents"]NO[/acronym:29cdc6e0b6] more fish until your tank is cycled! You will undoubtedly lose some more fish in the next few weeks, but DON'T keep replacing them until your tank is fully cycled. There are volumes of articles about cycling on this website and others that can get you up to speed. The reason I suggest getting rid of the undergravel filter is due to the fact that they are breeding grounds for disease and will create major headaches for the uninformed aquarist down the road. Good luck to you and keep asking questions!! Your fish will thank you.

[krazymom]

Thanks for the info, I'm off to the [acronym:5315847398="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:5315847398] today to test the water. I will replace the [acronym:5315847398="Under Gravel Filter"]UGF[/acronym:5315847398] in a few weeks when I can afford to buy a new filter as I did read the related article about how bad they are. I also read somewhere to only have 1/4 inch of gravel? I have about 2 inches, do I need to take some out? When I do take out the [acronym:5315847398="Under Gravel Filter"]UGF[/acronym:5315847398] how much gravel should I have then? One more question, do I need something to put bubbles in the water to oxygenate it, I don't have anything like that yet, just the 2 UGFs and a [acronym:5315847398="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:5315847398].

Thanks for the help, wish I had done my homework FIRST!