Help! STAT

[radelow]

Hi everyone...I am having a problem with my new 20 gallon tank. I cycled it and once the ammonia started dropping to safe levels introduce 5 praecox rainbows. It's about 2 wks later, ammonia etc. levels are measuring fine but all of a sudden my fish are not acting happy.

Symptoms include:

1. Lethargic
2. Hanging out at top of tank (most of them, some hang lower)
3. One fish has white dots on it

I am afraid I am going to loose my new fishies!!!! Any suggestions? I am assuming the white dots point to Ich...

 

[black hills tj]

You said one fish has white dots. Can you get a pic at all? Sounds like you could have an ich outbreak on hand...however white dots could also mean a fungal infection of some sort. When you say the ammonia etc lvls are fine...what exactly are you testing and what are you using to test? Do you only have the 5 rainbows in the tank? Any live plants? What are your: PH level, NitrAte level, NitrIte level, Ammonia level? Any water changes?

 

[radelow]

You said one fish has white dots. Can you get a pic at all?

-Not at this point but they look like little white grains of sand and they are all over one fish. The remaining fish don't have them except one fish appears to have one on its tail.

Sounds like you could have an ich outbreak on hand...however white dots could also mean a fungal infection of some sort. When you say the ammonia etc lvls are fine...what exactly are you testing and what are you using to test?

-I am using both an ammonia strip tester and a 6 way test.

Do you only have the 5 rainbows in the tank?

-Only 5 rainbows, nothing else. Except some little snails that were from the previous live plants that I have since removed (I kill them as I find them)

Any live plants?

-No. I did have two, but I removed them after finding snails on them.

What are your: PH level, NitrAte level, NitrIte level, Ammonia level?

-
Nitrate = Basically 0
Nitrite = 3
Hardness = 300
Chlorine = 0
Alkalinity = 80
PH = 8.4
Ammonia = <.5

Any water changes?

-Just did a 20% change using bottled drinking water (out of 2.5 gallon jugs). My tap water has too much ammonia in it.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Hopefully the water change helped. A nitrite reading of 3 is bad. Keep doing water changes, daily for now, until you see that number drop to 0. Optimal readings would be 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and around 10-30 nitrate.

 

[black hills tj]

IMO it sounds like a combination of your tank not being cycled yet and ich. Ideally when you cycle you spike your Ammonia(up to 5ppm or so), then wait for Ammonia to hit 0 and the nitrItes to increase, then wait for the nitrItes to zero out and get positive nitrAtes. Like Lindsay mentioned...keep hitting em with 20-50% PWC's and slowly increase the temp of the tank to 88*. Slowly meaning 1 degree for a couple hours.

 

[radelow]

Thanks guys. I went to the local fish store (not brand but a speciality store) and they checked my water and said I could start putting robust fish in the tank. I will start treating for Ich and start daily water changes of ~10%. Thanks.

 

[black hills tj]

Thanks guys. I went to the local fish store (not brand but a speciality store) and they checked my water and said I could start putting robust fish in the tank. I will start treating for Ich and start daily water changes of ~10%. Thanks.

IMO, I wouldn't use any ich meds. this will only cause chaos in your tank since it is just towards the end of your cycle. Lots of meds kill off your beneficial bacteria, and at this point you need all you can get to finish off the cycle. I would use the heat method. Slowly increase the heat to 88* F and leave it there until the spots are gone.

Also..regarding PWC's, I'd do more than 10% myself. I would probably do 50% to keep the nitrItes down. I do 50% weekly on my dad's 29g and my 10g and they have both been running for quite a while now.

 

[Gundy]

Thanks guys. I went to the local fish store (not brand but a speciality store) and they checked my water and said I could start putting robust fish in the tank. I will start treating for Ich and start daily water changes of ~10%. Thanks.

IMO, I wouldn't use any ich meds. this will only cause chaos in your tank since it is just towards the end of your cycle. Lots of meds kill off your beneficial bacteria, and at this point you need all you can get to finish off the cycle. I would use the heat method. Slowly increase the heat to 88* F and leave it there until the spots are gone.

Also..regarding PWC's, I'd do more than 10% myself. I would probably do 50% to keep the nitrItes down. I do 50% weekly on my dad's 29g and my 10g and they have both been running for quite a while now.

Agreed on the heat method, the only safe route in my opinion. Not only that but if you are cycling your tank - the heat will help speed up the process abit.

 

[rkilling1]

you may want to consider adding salt to your tank during this period of Ich and NO2's.