need advice, kinda messed up

[Springcheeks]

Sorry to hear the swordtail died. Its a little hard to see from the pics (or maybe I need glasses!) is the swordies gills red? From the way the fins have disolved I would say that is ammonia burn. How are the other fish going?

Seems the rest of my views dont get the popular vote. Doesnt matter, we all do things different I guess. I've always cycled a new tank that I could not get a seeded filter for the way I described and not lost a fish from it. The water wont foul as much as people think if the fish you choose to cycle with are small waste producers, you stock lightly and you feed minimally. Of course if fish are getting sick then water changes are needed.

Since i'm in the minority i'll butt out.

 

[smallfry]

Springcheeks,
Your experience and advice is NEEDED, so don't butt out.... Variations of opinion is what helps people to get a "well rounded" view of how they should/could help their fishies.... Don't despair! 8)

* Besides there is usually more than one "right" way to do things....

Jaws, your swordtail had finrot which is a symptom of a bunch of things, two of them being stress and ammonia burn. HTH

 

[jaws561]

I hope the other fish dont get it, the serpaes look fine and are zooming around the tank like always, the female looks fine, and she is doing better then she first was. should I still do water changes? if so how much? Thanks

 

[smallfry]

Hey Jaws,
It it was me, I'd still do water changes each day, but maybe small ones so as not to cause undue stress (as Springcheeks pointed out).

So maybe like 10% each day...for the next couple weeks or until the parameters are where they should be

 

[smallfry]

* The finrot is a symptom, not a disease unto it's own.... so I think if you minimize the ammonia affects on the fish the fin rot will be prevented.

 

[jaws561]

Ok, The tank now has little or no amonia, and the nitrites are going up a lot, the color in the test kit is pretty red, it says 3.3 - 33 mg/l and there is very little amonia. Will the nitrites go down next? Then I can add fish? Its only been about 3 weeks of having this tank, mebay 3 1/2 and it seems to be cycling fast. Thanks

 

[rubysoho]

I've heard tanks cycle faster with fish than the no fish method, but I don't have any proof to back that up with. How are the remaining fish looking?? I hope they pull through the rest of the cycle.

 

[jaws561]

They seem to be doing just fine, the female is being more active, she still has a hard time getting food as when i go out my hand at the top she gets realy scared, she sometimes gets a small piece or 2 when the serpae's miss the rest. What happens after the amonia has gone down and nitrites go up, whats next to happen?

 

[Menagerie]

Once the nitrites spike, they will go down and you should see a rise in nitrates. Most fish can handle up to 40ppm of nitrate. Once the tank is fully cycled, ammonia and nitrite should be undetectable and nitrates will be detected

 

[jaws561]

So I will be able to add more fish after the nitrites go down? or after the nitrates go up? Thanks and what are some good fish to add to swordtails and serpae's?

 

[jaws561]

Hello again, it is week 3 and 3 days so far and the test kit reads as follows:
Nitrite 1.5 ppm or mebay a little higher to 5 or so, and the NitrAtes are starting to go up to about 5 ppm and is almost reaching 10 ppm. The Amonia is pretty much 0 ppm now. my wife already added 2 balloon mollies and a swordtail (replace the one that died). also she just added 2 of what I think are dwarf gourami's. All the fish seem to be doing just fine and like it in the tank. Thanks guys!

 

[jaws561]

the pics,,, it wouldent let me put it in the other post
is this fish a Dwarf Gourami?

 

[smallfry]

yup....looks like it to me