3 Guppies, barely survieved power outage

[DiaSmall]

Okay, my 8 year olds 10 gallon tank... that we attempted to cycle for weeks before we finally introduced 3 lil guppies too, is totally messed up because the power went out for 2 hours.

I do have the API master test, bucket, and a vacuum. We wanted to start this RIGHT.

My mistake, I started wrong withTetra safe start and then learned that we could use a dead shrimp. I have NEVER gotten a reading for Nitrate or Nitrite. The nice lady at Petco told me TSS would work... but I dont know. I still read ammonia so I am not cycled. So the fish were stressed because of ammonia & frequent water changes.

My ammonia goes up to .5 and I do a 1/2 water change.

Two days ago our power went out. It was freezing. I didnt know how to help the fish so I just wrapped the tank to try and keep it warm. Power was out just over 2 hours. (I know NOW that I could have poured water from a height to help the oxygen exchange.)

When the power came back on... 2 were on the ground nearly lifeless. The 3rd was swimming vertically.

Now the smallest one that was swimming vertically is FINE. The two that were on the ground are missing tails & super pale.

Ammonia .25 Na 0 Ni 0. PH Is 7.6

I treat the water with API Tap water conditioner during changes.

What can I do... I feel so bad for the fish and for my son. His birthday is TOMORROW and this is his gift. Dying fish.

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!!!

Ok, for starters, take a deep breath and relax! Jumping into this hobby can be quite confusing and very overwhelming as the learning curve is a bit steep at the start but things will begin to make sense and become progressively easier!

That said, let's begin with the power outage. Two hours of power being off would not have drastically affected your fish or your bacteria. My tanks are off for this long (and, accidentally, sometimes much longer) just doing water changes. A week ago today, my power finally came back on after being off for five days. My fish were not happy about this though!

So, let's look at your tank. How exactly did you try to cycle it before adding fish? When exactly did you add fish? Based on your numbers, it sounds like your tank is simply not cycled and the ammonia spiking is the main reason behind your fish health issues. However, it's also very likely they were unwell prior to purchase and stress of a new environment and toxins present has resulted in disease as well.

Water changes will be your best friend until your tank is fully cycled. Investing in a bottle of Prime will also be helpful in reducing toxin related stress. Prime will help keep toxins such as ammonia and nitrite in a less toxic form between frequent wcs. Please read the link below and ask any questions!

 

[jlk]

Sorry! The link did not post!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

 

[DiaSmall]

Thanks, I have read that post... but I gave it another read hoping for more insight. I think I need more direct advice.

I tried to cycle at first with TSS and some feeding the tank fish food, but it didn't give me readings of anything & alge was starting to grow.. I admitted defeat & tried to safely start with 3 guppies.

We are on day 20 with the fish. I have a log on the wall recording almost daily water test results. The Ni & Na are always 0. The ammonia has pretty much been .25, but it did get to .5 twice this past week. I do water changes every few days because I'm trying to protect the fish.

The power outage pushed the tank overboard, I know that much. The fish were Great before. Swimming happily all over. Then suddenly Laying on the bottom on their sides, half dead. Their gills were not red, they swam fine, everything looked great.
As soon as the power came back on pulled out the net and tried to see if the fish would start to swim & they did.
I did a 1/2 water change the next morning.

One was dead this morning. It's tail was gone. I think the one last healthy guppy picked on it. The 2nd one that had almost died is missing half of its tail too. I suppose it's going to die too.

10 gallon, heater set at 78, filter, and small bubbler (turned upright so it's less forceful).

Really think that I'm not cycled at all? 20 days and NO nitrates or Nitrites at all?

I thought I had ordered Prime when I got the API water conditioner, but I guess I didn't understand the difference (ammonia neutralize) at the time. I will get prime too.

 

[anibis]

How much did the tank temperature drop during the outage? Any drastic change can really stress a fish out. The only time my fish got stressed out during my cycle was when I got a new heater and was having trouble dialing it in (turned out to be defective). The temperature went from 74 to 80 over a few hour span. My molly got the shimmies, and my platy just laid on the bottom. Both had clamped fins and wouldn't eat. Both fish made a full recovery within a few days and have had no further issues. They were probably already slightly stressed from the cycle, and the temperature swing was just too much for them to handle. Same thing may have happened to your tank.

You're probably right about the healthy guppy picking on the other two when they were severely stressed. I don't think that was the cause of the first ones death though. Fin issues are quite common and don't mean certain death. If the guppy with half its tail is doing okay now, then he may recover just fine. Just keep the water as clean as you can (ammonia/nitrite down).

It took me about 3 weeks until I started seeing nitrites RARELY, most tests came back 0ppm. After 4 weeks I saw nitrites every test, and my ammonia dropped to 0. Only 2 1/2 weeks later my nitrites fell to 0, and my cycle was complete. So it took a little over 6 weeks for my tank to cycle, that's pretty typical for a fish-in cycle.

Keep testing, I assure you your tank is cycling even if you aren't detecting nitrites. Just takes time.

Also, if you ever lose power again, don't let the tank heat back up too quick. Turn down the heater to whatever the temperature it bottoms out at, then slowly increase it. I wouldn't go below 68 though. If the tank drops to 64, set the heater to 68, then slowly increase from there. If it gets in the low 60's the fish won't survive long, this is when a small aquarium comes in handy so you can move them to a different location that has power.

 

[DiaSmall]

I dont know how cold the tank got. I didn't check. I assumed it was an oxygen issue-- Because they perked back up so quickly after the power came back & the bubbles started.

I Dont know. I was tired, cold, & plum worn out.

Maybe it did change temps too fast.

I feel aweful... he woke me up today by telling me that Scales was dead. To which I could only think, "Happy Birthday".

So now, what do I do. Just keep the 2 fish (unless the other weak one dies).

My son was originally supposed to be able to get the rest of his stock this coming week... but if it's still not even close to cycled...

I'm feeling overwhelmed for sure.

 

[anibis]

I would think the fish would've been at the top gasping if the oxygen level was low.

When I do pwc's in my 29g the temperature will drop by about 2 degrees in 30 min. That's with an ambient temp of 68-70, and I keep my tank at 78. That's a 3x bigger tank than yours, so it will cool slower. Considering your house got cold too, I would think your tank lost quite a bit of heat even though you wrapped it in a blanket.

The fish may have been happy initially because the temperature got back in the low side of their range, but going back up to 78 was too much. It's hard to say, power outages are the worst for an aquarium, especially during the winter.

I wouldn't say you aren't even close to being cycled, you are probably about half way through. Like I said, it took my tank a month for ammonia to drop and start seeing nitrites, and only an additional 2 1/2 weeks for the tank to cycle. Every cycle is different though, patience is key. You are growing bacteria, I promise you that.

I would just keep the 2 fish you have now and wait for it to cycle. Your son may be disapointed, but that's the best option for you and your 2 remaining fish. More fish would just cause the ammonia/nitrite (when you get them) to rise faster, which would just put more stress on you and the fish.

You're not doing anything wrong, so don't be hard on yourself. Unlike most other pets, fish rely on us for 100% of their habitat. Even the best keepers lose fish from time to time, we can't control everything.

 

[DiaSmall]

Still have 2 guppies today, even if one is missing half it's tail.

I tested the ammonia after work, and it had got up to .5. They were at the bottom, quite still.
I did two 50% changes back to back & got the temperature right. They are back at the top... for now.

Maybe the ammonia had spiked when the power went out. It's also possible I tested wrong.
I dont know.

and I agree getting new fish does have to wait. I just hope this tank cycles SOON.

 

[jlk]

Hang in there and have some patience! Try not to stress too much and just keep up the good work with testing and wcs!

 

[DiaSmall]

I guess I never posted when Flame died too... We were down to one guppy.
.
We waited till last Sunday to bring home his new fish.... about 2 weeks I guess. He got 2 platies, and my older boy picked out a cool guppy.

So now we have 2 guppies, 2 platies, and our really fast growing snail.

I have been doing 40-50% water changes every 2-3 days regardless of the test results for what feels like forEVER. I never really had any ammonia spikes. As a precaution I purchased Prime Sunday, too and have been using that. I have enough API water conditioner and Prime to treat a lake. lol.

Today:
Ammonia 0, Nitrate 0, and Nitrate 5.0ppm!

So glad it's settling down.