New Tank Concerns, Water Readings, and Ich

[Zissou]

Hello!

I've recently set up a 15 gal tank for my family. Reading through this forum has been very helpful in *hopefully* making the right decisions to set up a successful aquarium community for my kids to enjoy. The tank I purchased was a starter kit with powered filter, hood/light. I also installed a submersible heater and an air stone/pump. I treated the water with the included aqueon dechlorinator and ran for 48 hours before adding any fish.

I added Tetra Safestart along with 2 small platys last Thursday. After 48 hours, I tested the water with the API liquid master test kit and levels for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates were all at zero. I tested again the following day and again last night. All levels are still at zero 5 days after adding the fish and safestart. Is this normal? I would have expected to see the readings go up with the new fish. I have not done any water changes yet per the instructions from safestart. I plan to do a partial water change this weekend which will be 10 days after adding the fish and tss. I've been feeding once a day no more than can be consumed within 3-5 mins. As funny as it sounds to ask, should I be concerned that I have not seen any detectable levels of toxins? I expected to see somewhat of a spike. What would you make of this? Or am I just being impatient?

Also, last Saturday I noticed that our sunset fire wag platy had a few white spots on the base of her tail fin. I remembered reading about ich and determined that this must be what's going on. I monitored her over the weekend, increasing the temperature from 78 to 82 incrementally over the course of 2 days as I had read that higher temperatures can be successful in treating ich. I also added 2/3 the recommended dosage of Rid Ich yesterday in hopes of preventing the ich from spreading. This morning most of the spots were gone but the fish seemed a lot more lethargic than normal. I would like to do a water change with the ich treatment tonight but I am concerned about messing up the safestart bacterial growth. Should I wait it out and just do the ich treatments for now without any water change? Also are there any concerns with using the Rid Ich in a new tank and with safe start? Is the ich something that would have come with the fish from the pet store or something that was in the tank? I had only had the fish for 2 days before seeing spots. I looked closely when purchasing the fish though and I know that she didn't have any spots when purchased.

I've also purchased Prime which I intended to use to treat the water during the cycle but haven't added it yet as I read that it could prevent the safestart from doing its thing. Should I use that after the 10 days with the water change?

Sorry for throwing out so many questions at once! Thanks for all the good info this forum provides. I appreciate any feedback y'all can offer.

Thanks!

 

[Zissou]

Also regarding the Ich, I believe my filter has activated carbon in it. Should I try to remove the carbon from the filter pad? Or should I temporarily replace the filter pad with something that doesn't have carbon? As the tank is still cycling I would be hesitant to remove any filter media.

If I simply continue to raise the temperature and discontinue the medication will this clear up the ich on its own?

I am trying to come up with the safest solution given the current conditions. Again, any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Zissou]

Too many questions for one post?

 

[GNarnian]

A temperature of 86 degrees and daily water changes will clear the ich right up! As far as the safe-start, I've never used it. I always do fish-in cycling and watch my water parameters very carefully. Do you have a good liquid test kit like API's Master test kit? This is far more accurate than the strips, and will give you all the water parameters that you need to know to keep your fish healthy.

I would do a water change tonight, and clean the gravel with a siphon. this gets rid of the ich that is in the substrate.

 

[Zissou]

Thanks. Glad to hear the temp will clear it up, I didn't really like the idea of adding chemicals through the medication. I just did the one small dose and now my tank is blue.

How many days would you recommend holding the temp at 86 to clear the ich? Then to bring it back down is it ok to drop a degree or 2 every couple hours or should it be spread out over a few days? How much can the temp fluctuate before straining the fish? I will likely keep my normal temp at 78.

I do have the API master kit and am surprised to see that all the levels are still around zero after 5 days of adding fish and safestart. When would you expect to see some movement in those figures? I've been holding off on the water change since the readings have been so low and safestart recommends waiting at least 10 days to let the bacteria establish itself. I'd rather not see the ich problem continue though and may take your advice and start doing regular water changes now. 25% sound about right?

Thanks again!

 

[GNarnian]

I would wait 5-7 days after the last spot of ich is seen on the fish before you lower the temperature back to normal. And you are right on the money with how to raise the water temperature.

Tropical fish are used to warmer water, so they shouldn't stress out at all. Just make sure there is plenty of gas exchange (water movement at the top of your tank) Warmer water holds less oxygen.

And yeah, the meds do make the water blue. That's why I don't use them!

When you have an ich outbreak at the beginning of your cycle, it's usually because the fish are stressed and their immune system is compromised. So it isn't entirely your fault, so don't feel too bad! just make sure you do gravel vacs with your water changes to get all the ich out of the substrate! Hope that helps!!!

 

[Zissou]

Very helpful. Thanks!

I have been running the air pump 24 hours/day and with the filter pump there seems to be a decent amount of movement in the water surface. Since buying the tank though I've learned that the column shape is less than ideal because of the smaller surface area for gas exchange. Hopefully the air pump will make up for some of that. I've had the temp at 84 for a few days now and the fish seem comfortable to me. Hopefully getting enough O2.

This is all very new and fascinating to me as I've never kept fish before but I am totally digging this new hobby. Thanks for your support.

Time to try out that new gravel vac...

 

[GNarnian]

Yay experimentation!!! haha

When I first started, I was worried I was going to mess it up, but it all comes together in the end! as long as your fish make a full recovery and are eating and happy, you are successful!

 

[Zissou]

So far so good. I've been holding the temp at 86 and haven't had any signs of ich for over 6 days. Slowly bringing the temp back down now.

I am still getting zero readings on my API liquid tests for ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. I've had fish in now for 11 days. Is this normal?

 

[Pisces3473]

I can't tell you if that's normal cause I've never experienced a Nitrogen Cycle, well not that I know of anyway. I've got a 55g Fresh and a 10g Salt. I seeded both my tanks at startup and used stabilizer for the first week on both. According to what I've read it goes 1, 2, 3, Am, Nitrite, Nitrate. Mine haven't done that so I'm monitoring closely. If you've got 0's across the board then I'd just test every couple of days for the first few weeks. I'm thinking, after starting this hobby and committing to doing it correctly, seeding a tank, although not wrong, adds more questions and skepticism than just doing a fishless cycle. Enjoy your tank and don't stress, sounds like you're doing great! Pics?

 

[Zissou]

Nice. How long ago did you start your tanks? Is the saltwater tank more difficult to keep? I'm only 2 weeks into the hobby and already dreaming about stating another tank for saltwater! Can't afford to make that happen any time too soon though.

I will continue to monitor every other day. If I am getting zero readings it is safe to assume that water changes aren't needed any more than once a week? I've done one 30% change so far. Anybody else's opinion about when to expect a spike? I used safe start which I understand is different than seeding but is supposed to speed up the cycle. I am skeptical that its already cycled but I guess surprised at the zero readings. From what I'd read I was prepared for higher levels during fish in cycling and anticipating daily water changes.

Here's a few pics. My three year old chose the decor

 

[Pisces3473]

No Aquaman?!?!?! Good looking tank, water looks great too. I started my FW about 2.5 weeks ago and the SW about 1.5 weeks ago. Both are doing well and the SW doesn't seem like a lot of extra work, so far. It's FOWLR but I plan on making it a reef at the end of March. Hopefully after 6-7 weeks the tank will be settled. I've ordered a much better light which is way overkill for my 10 but when my reef grows up it'll be a 40g, at least that's the plan for now. All plans subject to change without notice... The Fresh is doing well, I've done one 20% change and am checking the water every other day. I haven't done anything with the SW but try to get the SG to where it needs to be for a reef. I've been getting some varied readings so I'm not sure and figure patience is key, I keep hearing that every where about the SW. If/when you go salt, read up first and go slow. Do your homework SW can get very expensive especially if you want to do a reef (different types of corals). There's a wealth of knowledge here. When you're ready check out the SW side of the forum. You'll find Mr.X & Convict2161 all over the SW boards, they're a couple of very knowledgeable fellows. Keep it fun!

 

[Zissou]

Haha. Aquaman would be a nice addition. I am thinking about building a Lego aqua scape with him at some point. He loves the Legos!

Your setup and plans sound awesome. Best of luck with everything. Can't wait to see pics of your reef tank when you get it set up. I'd love to do something like that in the future.

Cheers!

 

[Pisces3473]

Haha. Aquaman would be a nice addition. I am thinking about building a Lego aqua scape with him at some point. He loves the Legos!

Your setup and plans sound awesome. Best of luck with everything. Can't wait to see pics of your reef tank when you get it set up. I'd love to do something like that in the future.

Cheers!

Here's a link to my build thread, I don't have any corals in yet but it's looking nice and the readings I'm getting are fairly consistent. The last post on my thread is from this morning. I've got enough flow in my tank I think I could go surfing... The Lego Aquascape sounds awesome. After you're done glue it all together and put it your tank. Look into which adhesive is ok for your tank and won't hurt the fish.

 

[Zissou]

Awesome. I'll be following your build thread for sure. Looking great so far!

 

[Kimlafeiet]

Your tank looks good. I used safestart when I started my 55 gallon with some existing gravel from my smaller tank, and I had zero readings as well. I had 10 guppies in there, and never saw a spike in any readings. I left the tank for almost 3 weeks before adding anymore fish, which I did slowly, a couple fish every 3-4 days, and tested every day. Never saw a spike in ammonia or nitrites, and only after most all the fish were added did I start to see nitrates. Just did my weekly 40% water changes, and all was well.
I truly think the safestart cycled my tank within the first few days. I did, however, get a bacterial bloom about a week or so after startup, probably from all the bacteria in te safestart. Milky cloudy water.....perfectly normal for a new tank. Just a heads up if your water gets cloudy.

 

[Zissou]

That is great to hear. I did get the bacterial bloom on the second or third day which I took as a good sign that the safestart was working. Zero readings again last night. I think I may be a safestart believer now. Especially now that you say your nitrates eventually rose without the spike in ammonia or nitrites. I'm hesitant to say my tank is cycled but I'll continue to monitor and post if anything changes. I may start adding a few more fish next week if everything remains stable. That will be 3 weeks since the first fish and like you said, just add one at a time every few days. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[Zissou]

Well I've added one more platy. Readings are still zeroes. But last night during a water change I was very surprised to find babies!

One of the original two had given birth to some fry. Only spotted a few. Netted and moved one to a breeder net. Keeping a lookout for others...

Didn't see that one coming!