black stuff

[pleckobear]

My tank is a mess!! The nitrites are through The roof and I got black stuff growing on everything!! Any suggestions on what I can do or what this is? I've been doing everything possible to make this a healthy tank.

 

[jlk]

Is there fish in this tank? What are your exact readings for amm/nitrite/nitrate?

 

[pleckobear]

Idk the exact readings only that the pad is bright pink when it should be white, the nitrate is OK, the amonia is OK, the Ph Is a little low but nothing serious. We just lost a fish and after that We did a water change and they seem OK for now, the black stuff I think is just algae but I've had this tank since Christmas could it be still cycling?

 

[jlk]

Yes, your tank is likely still cycling. You really must invest in appropriate test kit such as an API freshwater master test kit so you can accurately monitor your water conditions. Strips are inaccurate & generally useless. If your getting any detectable ammonia or nitrite reading from the strips, you need to start doing daily pwcs with temperature matched, conditioned water asap. We can address the algae issues once your tank is cycled but a pic would really help id it & how to consider addressing it.

 

[pleckobear]

OK thanks. I did a water change tonight and matched the temp pretty good. I'll go get a better test. BTW it's a dirt tank and was fine until I added more sand and had to completely replace the filter pump then it wen] down hill. Two of my fish got the ick and one is gone now I'm doing the best I can. Won't daily water changes delay cycling? I'll try to add a pic. Thanks

 

[jlk]

Water changes during fish-in cycling wont delay cycling & will keep your fish healthy through the process. Dont worry, we will help you! I am sorry you lost a fish though! Ill post a link for you to read that will explain a bit more about what happening in your tank right now. Keep us posted!

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html

 

[pleckobear]

Thanks! The water seems a little bit better now since The change I'm gonna do another one tomorrow. I'm still thinking about little Afro though. She was my black Molly that went bye bye. how often do you think I should do the water changes? And my other Molly has ick too, but it looks like it's clearing up. It can go away untreated right? Thanks again for all the advice. This is my first tank it's only a ten gallon and I want to know what I'm doing before a start a big tank. I tried adding a picture but the app keeps crashing, ugh...

 

[pleckobear]

That's funny. It said it crashed but added it anyway. Lol I don't know why my pictures look this way. Those are my guppies!!

 

[pleckobear]

OK what I just did was put some warmer water in a bucket with a little table salt and let the Molly swimming around in there for about 3 minutes. think that will kill the ick? and hopefully not Buckwheat lol

 

[jlk]

What kind of table salt? Most table salts contain iodine & anti-caking agents- not good for fish. You should be using aquarium salt, kosher salt or canning salt. If you read the ingredient label, you will find out what is in the salt. Even some sea salts are ok- but read the labels, alot contain anti-caking agents as well.

In respect to water changes, you probably should be doing them daily to keep your levels of ammonia & nitrite low (less than .25ppm). This is where a test kit is especially important. By checking your levels daily, you can figure out how much water needs to be changed & how often. For example, if you get an ammonia or nitrite level of .50ppm, a 50% water change will bring this down to .25ppm. Another 50% water change will bring your levels down to .125ppm. In respect to the ich, slowly increasing the temp (over 2-3 days) to around 86-88f will be sufficient to kill it. The proper type of salt can be used as well. You can read the stickies at the top of unhealthy fish for more information on ich. Please ask any questions you may have or if you are unsure about anything!

 

[pleckobear]

No it's w doesnt have iodine in it. I just put her in there for like 2 or 3 minutes to try to kill the ick. She's fine.

 

[KaylNeko]

Treating the fish itself in saltwater won't kill ich. If she has spots, the parasites are immune to treatment. If she doesn't have spots, treating her will do nothing. Raise the temperature of your tank to between 86 and 88 degrees and leave it that way for two weeks. It's the easiest and, IMO, best way to kill it considering the life cycle of the parasite.

While on the fish, the ich is immune to treatment. When they release from the fish, they float for a bit, which is when medication or salt can kill them. Then they attach to gravel or decorations and become encased in a hard shell that makes them immune to any sort of treatment again while they reproduce. Once they "hatch" for lack of a better word and go looking for a host, they're susceptible to treatment again. However, raising the heat to 86* or above makes them unable to reproduce, so they die out without needing meds or salt. Ich is a "treat the entire tank" disease.

Understanding and Treating Ich