vero
Aquarium Advice Activist
Hi,
(if you don't feel like reading my long post, skip to the questions below in bold)
I started my aquarium at the beginning of March. I didn't use any of the cyling products mentionned in this forum. I let the aquarium settle for 3 weeks, filter running, gravel, plastic plants and a piece of mopani wood that had been soaking (water changed every few days) for a few months installed in the tank.
I first bought 3 long fin corys to initiate the cycling at the end of March. Two of them died during the following week. I was testing my water regularly and saw only a slight change in the ammonia (0.50) and an even smaller change in the nitrite during that week. Then the ammonia level sort of settled at 0.25 and nitrite at 0. I don't have a test for nitrate.
Since only one fish wasn't going to be enough to do the cycle, I bought 3 guppies and 2 corys. That was at the end of April. Two guppies and 1 cory died during the next week. My ammonia and nitrite stayed at 0.25 and 0.
I recently (last week) bought 3 more guppies to keep company to my one guppy (poor guy...). Since no fish had died in the last month an a half I thought it was ok. Two of them died over night. The 3rd one as well as the one I had had since April died a few days later.
I only have my two corys left.
I don't know if my cycling is done or not. Maybe I missed the spike since I didn't test every day. Or maybe it never cycled even after almost 4 months! Is there a way to tell?
Is it normal for fish to die so quickly (Really... overnight?)?. I always buy my fish at the same store. Their aquarium are super clean, I've never seen any dead fish in them and the fish always look great and swimming a lot and fast. I don't want to buy more fish and see them die so quickly. It's also starting to cost (I'm really glad I'm not buying saltwater fish at 50$ each! I'd go bankrupt!).
Thanks for your help (and sorry for the long message).
Vero
(if you don't feel like reading my long post, skip to the questions below in bold)
I started my aquarium at the beginning of March. I didn't use any of the cyling products mentionned in this forum. I let the aquarium settle for 3 weeks, filter running, gravel, plastic plants and a piece of mopani wood that had been soaking (water changed every few days) for a few months installed in the tank.
I first bought 3 long fin corys to initiate the cycling at the end of March. Two of them died during the following week. I was testing my water regularly and saw only a slight change in the ammonia (0.50) and an even smaller change in the nitrite during that week. Then the ammonia level sort of settled at 0.25 and nitrite at 0. I don't have a test for nitrate.
Since only one fish wasn't going to be enough to do the cycle, I bought 3 guppies and 2 corys. That was at the end of April. Two guppies and 1 cory died during the next week. My ammonia and nitrite stayed at 0.25 and 0.
I recently (last week) bought 3 more guppies to keep company to my one guppy (poor guy...). Since no fish had died in the last month an a half I thought it was ok. Two of them died over night. The 3rd one as well as the one I had had since April died a few days later.
I only have my two corys left.
I don't know if my cycling is done or not. Maybe I missed the spike since I didn't test every day. Or maybe it never cycled even after almost 4 months! Is there a way to tell?
Is it normal for fish to die so quickly (Really... overnight?)?. I always buy my fish at the same store. Their aquarium are super clean, I've never seen any dead fish in them and the fish always look great and swimming a lot and fast. I don't want to buy more fish and see them die so quickly. It's also starting to cost (I'm really glad I'm not buying saltwater fish at 50$ each! I'd go bankrupt!).
Thanks for your help (and sorry for the long message).
Vero