Cloudy and Smelly tank

[GoldenPlecTony]

Afternoon guys,

Go easy on me . I have a 46L (With the intensions of moving to a bigger tank soon to accommodate the Pleco) tank and after the 3 day fishless cycle (also with the water being checked for chemicals etc), which was recommended, we added a Beta, 4 guppies, 6 Tetras, 2 Corydorus and a golden nugget Pleco. The day after the fish were added the tank went immensely cloudy. We expected this so carried out regular water changes and filter clean ups. 4 Weeks down the line we are still experiencing smelly and cloudy water. The daily changes seem to work for a day then we are back to square 1. Do we need a new filter as we only have the one which come with the tank? Or is it just a case to persist with the water changes till the tank naturally settles down? The smell it self is not your normal fishy smell this catches the back of your thought (Suspected Ammonia I think )

Any advice would be good guys, im taking it as a learning curve but don’t want my fish to be harmed.

Thanks

 

[Mogurako]

First off 3 days is not nearly long enough to do a fish less cycle. The only way a tank will be ready in that amount of time is if you had an already established filter.

When adding fish you only want to add a couple every 2-3 weeks while the bacteria adjusts to the increased bio-load.

You're tank is to new and way overstocked for all those fish and the filter just can not keep up. It is recommended that your filter turns over the complete volume of the tank 8-10 times per hour.

What are your water parameter readings?

My honest suggestion is to rehome those fish and start again from square one.

 

[LyndaB]

I can see that you want to do the best thing, so I'll do my best to help.

You were given horrible advice from the start. There is no such thing as a 3 day fishless cycle. A true fishless cycle takes about 4-6 weeks to cycle a tank.

No matter how a tank is cycled, you never fully stock the tank in one sitting. This overwhelms the beneficial bacteria who don't have the chance to adjust to the new bioload (fish waste).

Your tank is roughly 12 gallons. This is WAY too small for the species you have. You might be able to keep the guppies and corys in there, but that would be it. You would have to immediately rehome the other species.

You've done a good job trying to keep the tank clean, but it would be a neverending battle with this tank. It's not fair to the fish. Please rehome them.

 

[GoldenPlecTony]

Thanks for this, you think your getting good advice from the pet store, clearly not! ...

Plans are in motion to start from scratch and to upgrade I will let you know how it turns out if your interested

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks for this, you think your getting good advice from the pet store, clearly not! ...

Plans are in motion to start from scratch and to upgrade I will let you know how it turns out if your interested

Good for you! In my signature there are two links....one is to a fish-in cycle and one is to a fishless cycle. If you are keeping some of the fish and cyclng with them, you'll want to read the fish-in guide. If you are rehoming all of the fish and doing a true fishless cycle, read the fishless cycle guide. You'll also want to pick up your own liquid test kit if you don't have one, the API Master kit is best. Good luck!

 

[tmdavies]

are you in the uk? and what did you use ammo did you use for your fishless cycle?

 

[GoldenPlecTony]

The ammo level was fine according to pets at home going to test it again tomorrow and ask for the levels so I know... I am in the uk. Appreciate the help people. I will be following the guides closely from bow on just hope it's not too late :'(

 

[tmdavies]

what do you use to add ammo to your tank for your fishless cycle because you cant get pure ammo in the uk i tried with jeyes kleen off and it killed my seeding matterial