Someone help

[Brookelynnb]

I just came home to my 20g fishtank cloudy, dirty, and blackish.. Not to mention the awful smell. I just did a water change by vacuum Sunday and everything was fine! I don't know why it's so gross now.

I vacuumed about 50% of the water out, getting poop & such, washed the ornaments, replaced the filter, and added "ammo-chips" into a mesh bag & out it in front of my filter.

Not sure if that all makes sense, but can someone help me and tell me what's wrong or what to do!!

 

[Rodeo one]

By 'replace the filter', do you mean a new one with carbon or charcoal in it? If so, did you rinse it first?

 

[librarygirl]

Did something happen between Sunday and now to the tank? Was someone else feeding the fish or doing maintenance? Did you replace the filter before or after you found it black? If you replaced all of the filter media you threw away most of your good bacteria so the tank may go into a mini-cycle now; have you tested the water for ammonia, etc? Water changes and vacuuming alone should probably have helped, changing the filter media probably wasn't necessary and again may throw your tank into another cycle. Ammo chips aren't needed either IMO; if ammonia is high, water changes will help. Can you test the water and post results?

 

[Brookelynnb]

On Sunday, I did a water change by vacuuming. That day, I didn't touch the filter media at all, because I had already added a new one a few weeks prior. I have a goldfish in there, and since he is very dirty I'm very good about vacuuming. I went to a friends for the day and had my mom feed him that night, but she knows how much I feed him.

Last night, I did a 50% water change using stress coat as the conditioner. I took the filter media out, threw away the Bio Bag, replaced it with a fresh new one &rinsed off the black sponge. I also cleaned out the black filter itself. I rinsed it out and scrubbed it with a toothbrush, and Qtips to get in the cracks.

As of what I can see right now, the tank is definitely cleanER, (still a mucky cloudy) and my fish is still alive. ??????

I still just don't know what happened.
I'm leaving on a cruise for a week and I'm worried about them. Help.

 

[cheesy318]

You should never throw away your bio bag. That houses your good bacteria which eats the invisible killers such as ammonia. Always leave the biobag alone. Don't even clean it. Unless it gets damaged. Then you leave it in there with a new one so you can jump start bacteria growth instead of starting from scratch

 

[Brookelynnb]

There's not enough room in my filter itself to hold 2 filters, an ammo chip bag and the sponge with the frame.

 

[cheesy318]

What kind of a filter system do you have

 

[Brookelynnb]

Tetra 20g

 

[Mebbid]

Were you getting any ammonia readings that made you put the ammonia chip bag in the filter?

 

[Brookelynnb]

These are my readings the day after the tank was nasty. There is high ammonia, due to the goldfish.

 

[Mebbid]

How long has the tank been set up and how many goldfish do you have in the tank?

Any ammonia reading at all means 1 of 2 things. Either the tank is uncycled or underfiltered.

Even with goldfish you should be able to get a 0 ammonia reading without the use of ammonia chips.

 

[Mordachai]

The black sponge that's in the whisper filter is the most important part of the filter. That should stay in always (I do rinse mine under well water, briefly, each time I clean my filter; but I would never rinse it with soap or chlorinated water).

The other part - the white bag that contains activated charcoal is the part that comes out and gets swapped for a fresh set of charcoal from time to time.

 

[Brookelynnb]

So if it's under filtered or uncycled, what should do? I've had it set up for about 7-8 months so the fact that it could be uncycled seems illogical.

I don't wash the black with anything but warm water!! It's pretty clear right now, but I'm just concerned it'll happen again, and I want to know the cause to prevent it again!

 

[cheesy318]

If it's underfiltered you need a bigger filter. If it hasn't cycled yet, get a bottle of nutrafin cycle. Do you have any nitrates in your tank? Nitrates will eat the ammonia. So if you have nitrates, your tank is on its way to being cycled

 

[Brookelynnb]

No, I got a water test the other day an they said I had 0 nitrates which was very abnormal, yet good.

 

[cheesy318]

Nitrates are what eats the ammonia. Your tank is not cycled if you have no nitrates

 

[Mordachai]

Nitrates are what are produced by the BB from nitrites. It is a chemical, not an active biological entity. Plants consume the Nitrates as a fertilizer. Not sure what you mean by "they eat the nitrites"?

 

[cheesy318]

The good bacteria and the nitrates help get rid the ammonia. That is what I mean by "they eat the AMMONIA" please if you are going to quote me at least quote correctly

 

[Old Scales]

Ammonia is the waste product from the fish. Its the first part of the nitrogen cycle. One form of bacteria "eats" the ammonia and produces nitrites. After nitires are formed another type of bacteria starts growing and changes the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are much less harmful to the fish and can be used some by live plants. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish in even small amounts.

 

[Mebbid]

Bottom line, if you are seeing 0 nitrates in a non planted tank then there is a major issue. Especially in a goldfish tank.

How often do you change your filter pad? That is often the #1 culprit. It should never be changed except when it is literally falling apart. I have had the same filter pad in some of my tanks for 8 months as an example. Once a month it is a good idea to rinse them out in old tank water and then voila, fresh cycled filter pad.